I've been e-mailing back and forth with Chad Ford, and I wanted to share will everyone a paragraph I wrote that both he and I found to be incredibly brilliant. I wrote:
"I'm a little nervous for the Suns. So far, they're a lot better when they go small and Shaq is on the bench, but I guess they need him to win in the hyper-competitive West, and there's still plenty of time. Dallas is stupid -- Kidd is borderline washed up: can't shoot and turns the ball over way way too much. They're losing in the first round. Lakers got a major steal in Gasol. I think the only things that can stop them in the playoffs are Kobe's finger injury, Kobe's ego, or the Suns -- if they click with O'Neal. Speaking of the Spurs, the pickup of Kurt Thomas was very significant. Ultimately, though, here's my prediction: Brent Barry holds the key to the Western Conference. He said he's signing with the Spurs or the Suns. If he signs with the Spurs, the Lakers take it. If he signs with the Suns, it's Phoenix in the finals."
That's right, mark my words: Brent Barry, more so than any other big-name acquisition, will determine the fate of the 2007-08 Western Conference Champion.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The REAL Reason Behind the Shaq Trade
Many people have been wondering what the Phoenix Suns were thinking when they traded for Shaquille O'Neal. After all, the Suns play at a frenetic pace, trying to hoist up shots in ":07 Second or Less" (good book by the way); O'Neal, on the other hand, will be lucky to cross half court in seven seconds. The Suns also got rid of Shawn Marion, a player widely considered to be vital to the team's success over the last three years. Some pundits argue that the Steves (MVP point guard Nash and sharpshooting GM Kerr) felt there was no way the Suns could match up with the improved, bigger frontcourts of the West. Others opined that Marion's presence created such chemistry problems that the life was being sucked out of the team. I happen to think the trade happened for a combination of those reasons, but I also think something more was at play here.
Since signing Nash, the Suns have bucked trends in the NBA and generally operated against the grain of conventional NBA wisdom. The defensive-minded Pistons win the 2004 NBA championship causing every other team trying to adopt their style? Phoenix plays at a pace more frenetic than any NBA team since the Showtime Lakers. Point guards tend to decline once they hit their 30s? Let's lock up Steve Nash until he's 36. Most NBA coaches protect the confidentiality of their team like they're in possession of CIA intelligence? Mike D'Antoni happily allows Sports Illustrated writer Jack McCallum to follow the team around for the year, allowing him to sit in on every meeting, practice, and 20 second timeout.
By trading Marion, the Suns are establishing a new trend. For too long, NBA teams have been held hostage by max-players signed to multi-year contracts. It's a situation NBA fans are all too familiar with; "star" player signs with team for 6 years, things go sour in year 2, and by year 4 he demands a trade to a contending team. Yes I'm talking to you Vince, Kobe, T-Mac, Paul Pierce, etc. (and don't even get me started on "good-guy" Alonzo Mourning). Unfortunately, most of these players have eventually had their wishes granted. Vince and T-Mac were traded, and Kobe and Pierce were given help that satisfied their trade demands. These players, instead of taking responsibility as the face of a franchise should, withered under the pressure and demanded their way out. Marion's case is slightly different; he wishes he was the go to guy. It's not enough for him to play third fiddle on one of the most exciting teams in NBA history. He needs to be higher up on the ladder, even if that means demanding a trade and causing a rift on his current team.
Enter the Suns: led by D'Antoni, widely perceived as one of the funniest personalities in the league, this team has a good sense of humour. They looked at Marion's situation and took the opportunity to establish a great precedent. While the Suns make their annual trip deep into the post-season, Marion will be watching the playoffs on TV, thinking about the Heat's 65-loss season. So while Shaq may or may not push Phoenix over the hump, what really matters is that the Suns have shown the entire league what to do with malcontent "star" players. Andrei Kirilenko, don't enjoy being the third most important player on last year's Western Conference runner-up? How does Memphis sound? Oh, Kobe, they didn't tell you??? We only traded for Gasol to make up for the scoring we're going to lose when we ship you to the T-Wolves. T-Mac, upset that you have to play Robin to Yao's Batman? There's a huge spotlight you can occupy in Madison Square Gardens.
Hopefully NBA teams react to Phoenix's trade for Shaq, not by trying to bolster their frontcourt, but by shipping whiny, overpaid "stars" to situations where they can finally be happy.
Since signing Nash, the Suns have bucked trends in the NBA and generally operated against the grain of conventional NBA wisdom. The defensive-minded Pistons win the 2004 NBA championship causing every other team trying to adopt their style? Phoenix plays at a pace more frenetic than any NBA team since the Showtime Lakers. Point guards tend to decline once they hit their 30s? Let's lock up Steve Nash until he's 36. Most NBA coaches protect the confidentiality of their team like they're in possession of CIA intelligence? Mike D'Antoni happily allows Sports Illustrated writer Jack McCallum to follow the team around for the year, allowing him to sit in on every meeting, practice, and 20 second timeout.
By trading Marion, the Suns are establishing a new trend. For too long, NBA teams have been held hostage by max-players signed to multi-year contracts. It's a situation NBA fans are all too familiar with; "star" player signs with team for 6 years, things go sour in year 2, and by year 4 he demands a trade to a contending team. Yes I'm talking to you Vince, Kobe, T-Mac, Paul Pierce, etc. (and don't even get me started on "good-guy" Alonzo Mourning). Unfortunately, most of these players have eventually had their wishes granted. Vince and T-Mac were traded, and Kobe and Pierce were given help that satisfied their trade demands. These players, instead of taking responsibility as the face of a franchise should, withered under the pressure and demanded their way out. Marion's case is slightly different; he wishes he was the go to guy. It's not enough for him to play third fiddle on one of the most exciting teams in NBA history. He needs to be higher up on the ladder, even if that means demanding a trade and causing a rift on his current team.
Enter the Suns: led by D'Antoni, widely perceived as one of the funniest personalities in the league, this team has a good sense of humour. They looked at Marion's situation and took the opportunity to establish a great precedent. While the Suns make their annual trip deep into the post-season, Marion will be watching the playoffs on TV, thinking about the Heat's 65-loss season. So while Shaq may or may not push Phoenix over the hump, what really matters is that the Suns have shown the entire league what to do with malcontent "star" players. Andrei Kirilenko, don't enjoy being the third most important player on last year's Western Conference runner-up? How does Memphis sound? Oh, Kobe, they didn't tell you??? We only traded for Gasol to make up for the scoring we're going to lose when we ship you to the T-Wolves. T-Mac, upset that you have to play Robin to Yao's Batman? There's a huge spotlight you can occupy in Madison Square Gardens.
Hopefully NBA teams react to Phoenix's trade for Shaq, not by trying to bolster their frontcourt, but by shipping whiny, overpaid "stars" to situations where they can finally be happy.
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