Did the Suns make a good trade?

[Clay Dreslough]

Was it a good idea to go out and get Shaq?

[boomboom]

"I don't care, I hate the NBA"

Only do to the fact Clayton Bennet is a royal a$$.

[Coach Owens]

"I don't care, I hate the NBA"

Only do to the fact Clayton Bennet is a royal a$$.

You got to admit though, he did a good job hiring Presti.

[boomboom]

You got to admit though, he did a good job hiring Presti.

wait 5 years first than see if it is a good hire. The sonics stink right now. It is perfect for them, they get to alienate the Sonics fans and when they move the team to Oklahoma City, they will be a force to be reckoned with.

[dickay]

I thought it was a poor trade because Marion is very underrated. Shaq is a good fit once the team meshes but they lose depth and athleticism. Short term, Shaq will help against some of the big bodies in the west but the dropoff elsewhere makes it a wash. Little improvement.

Meanwhile, Marion..while not a superstar, will be a very very good player for a long time. Yes he wanted out, but the team could've done better by giving Marion more minutes to appease him and moving others to obtain a big body of lesser stature.

[Clay Dreslough]

I thought it was a poor trade because Marion is very underrated. Shaq is a good fit once the team meshes but they lose depth and athleticism. Short term, Shaq will help against some of the big bodies in the west but the dropoff elsewhere makes it a wash. Little improvement.

Meanwhile, Marion..while not a superstar, will be a very very good player for a long time. Yes he wanted out, but the team could've done better by giving Marion more minutes to appease him and moving others to obtain a big body of lesser stature.

These were my thoughts. Although I'm a Red Sox and Pats fan, I'd become a Suns fan over the last few years. I love the NBA playoffs, and with the Celtics staying home most years I started rooting for whoever was matched up against the Lakers.

So I become a Spurs fan. Which was fun. Until 'Big Shot Bob' broke my heart (back when he was with the Lakers).

Then as a Spurs fan, I came to hate the Mavericks. And as a "Maverick-hater", I ended up rooting for the Suns (I also really enjoyed watching the Mavericks go out in the 1st round last year).

Anyway, being a Suns fan stuck. Nash is just too much fun to watch. I was even more of a Suns fan this year than a Celtics fan. I was watching every Suns game on ESPN, and not really paying much attention to my hometown Celtics.

Until the Shaq trade. I really liked "The Matrix" (Marion). And I've never really enjoyed the way Shaq plays. I don't dislike him personally, but it's hard to root for a guy who gets paid to push people around under the basket.

It just doesn't seem like a smart trade. I think the Suns were the best team in the NBA last year. The Spurs only beat them because Robert Horry is the wisest/craftiest player in the entire league. Big Shot Bob knew that if he laid Nash flat, some of the Suns would come off the bench. It was a dirty move. But it was also brilliant, because it worked.

Seems like the only thing the Suns needed THIS year to win it all was some super-glue, to keep Amare on the bench when someone decks the team captain.

As soon as I heard about the Shaq deal, I was worried the Suns screwed it all up. And not just for this year. Marion was much better defensively than Shaq, and an under-rated offensive player.

Oh well. The good news is that now that I'm mad at Steve Kerr and the Suns, I'm paying more attention to my Celtics.

[Coach Owens]

These were my thoughts. Although I'm a Red Sox and Pats fan, I'd become a Suns fan over the last few years. I love the NBA playoffs, and with the Celtics staying home most years I started rooting for whoever was matched up against the Lakers.

So I become a Spurs fan. Which was fun. Until 'Big Shot Bob' broke my heart (back when he was with the Lakers).

Then as a Spurs fan, I came to hate the Mavericks. And as a "Maverick-hater", I ended up rooting for the Suns (I also really enjoyed watching the Mavericks go out in the 1st round last year).

Anyway, being a Suns fan stuck. Nash is just too much fun to watch. I was even more of a Suns fan this year than a Celtics fan. I was watching every Suns game on ESPN, and not really paying much attention to my hometown Celtics.

Until the Shaq trade. I really liked "The Matrix" (Marion). And I've never really enjoyed the way Shaq plays. I don't dislike him personally, but it's hard to root for a guy who gets paid to push people around under the basket.

It just doesn't seem like a smart trade. I think the Suns were the best team in the NBA last year. The Spurs only beat them because Robert Horry is the wisest/craftiest player in the entire league. Big Shot Bob knew that if he laid Nash flat, some of the Suns would come off the bench. It was a dirty move. But it was also brilliant, because it worked.

Seems like the only thing the Suns needed THIS year to win it all was some super-glue, to keep Amare on the bench when someone decks the team captain.

As soon as I heard about the Shaq deal, I was worried the Suns screwed it all up. And not just for this year. Marion was much better defensively than Shaq, and an under-rated offensive player.

Oh well. The good news is that now that I'm mad at Steve Kerr and the Suns, I'm paying more attention to my Celtics.

You should be a Sonics fan, Clay!

[WHAK0985]

I'm not yet sure exactly what to think of the Shaq trade, but I think GM Steve Kerr was onto something when he felt his team wouldn't be able to win the title with the team he had. Amare is a great offensive player, but look at past results. He gets destroyed by Duncan, Yao, Sheed, and all the other great big men in the NBA on a nightly basis. It's not all his fault, as the Suns lack a physical big man this season (last season at least they had Kurt Thomas to take the abuse).

And in the playoffs, in the west, look at the elite teams. The Spurs have Duncan, Oberto, and now Kurt Thomas to patrol the paint. The Lakers have Pau, and Bynum when he returns. The Hornets have Tyson Chandler and David West. The Jazz have Boozer. The Rockets did have Yao before the injury and Luis Scola (who is playing really well). The Nuggets have Camby in the middle. The Suns would have had all kinds of problems in the Western Conference playoffs with their former team. I think in the playoffs the Suns with Shaq are formidable. But the problem is, with the West so ridiculously stacked this year, will the Suns have enough of a high seed to make a deep run? (Or get into the playoffs at all, although I think they will). The only thing wrong with Kerr's thinking is he underestimated the rest of the West in thinking the Suns would be able to hold onto a top 3 seed for the remaining 20+ games.

Right now, D'Antoni needs to limit Shaq's minutes, integrate him into the team scheme more in practice, and run like only they can the rest of the regular season. And then once they make the playoffs as a top 3 team, put Shaq in the middle to take up the West's big men and watch Amare and the rest of the team dominate. Amare Stoudemire as a center is a great player. Amare Stoudemire as a PF is a dominant player.

[WHAK0985]

I'm not yet sure exactly what to think of the Shaq trade,

Alright I guess I lied. I just re-read my post and obviously I DO know what to think about the Shaq trade haha.

[boomboom]

You should be a Sonics fan, Clay!

not with the name Clayton !!!

[broocks]

I think the Suns were the best team in the NBA last year.

I hate to pick on only one thing in your statement, I generally agree with your assesment of the Shaq for Marion trade, but I don't think the Suns were better than the Spurs last year.

Suns avg. margin of victory: 7.3
Spurs avg. margin of victory: 8.4

That is also against better competition. The Southwest division was much toguher than the Pacific division.

I also voted that I hate the NBA and I do but I live in Austin and when sports radio isn't about UT football it's about the Spurs.

[Arctic Blast]

If they don't try and run Shaq out there for 30 minutes a night in the regular season, I think it could work out fine.

I like Shawn Marion, and don't mind him asking to be moved...had to get pretty tiring hearing his name CONSTANTLY pop up in trade talks, several times confirmed by the team itself. However, he benefited by being able to play as an athletic power forward in that run and gun system. I'm not sure he's physical enough to stand up to the pounding of playing the 4 in a more 'standard' NBA system, and I don't know that he shoots well enough to play the 3.