759 replies to this topic

[hunter]

yeah tough loss... 21pts.. phew.

[Coward Crutch]

4 games this week! It's going to be HOT!!
TSSssss....
I'm hoping for 5 and 2 by the end!! w000000000ooooo

[hunter]

5-2? more like 6-1 man. We're playing Bobcats, Hawks, Heat, and the Magic. Magic is the only one who is tough right now.

[Coward Crutch]

DISCUSS....

[thecreeper]

haha, shaq is such a terrible idea.

even when he is able to play, he's out of shape and too easily in foul trouble. and he doesn't match the uptempo play of the suns. on the other hand, he did star in Kazaam.

[Danosaur]

haha, shaq is such a terrible idea.

even when he is able to play, he's out of shape and too easily in foul trouble. and he doesn't match the uptempo play of the suns. on the other hand, he did star in Kazaam.

and the sobe life water commercial...
please don't pick him up.

[Coward Crutch]

I have no opinon regarding this matter as of yet but it is causing me a great deal of worry....

[hunter]

Shaq tells Steve Nash, "I will not let you down."

Shaq is coming to the Phoenix Suns... apparently it's like 99% certain. We're losing Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. I think this is great.

Pros:
Losing scrub Banks - fuck off! I hate you! Take your shitty Orange Lamborghini to Miami, lameass.
Losing Marion's shitty attitude and aura. And his atrocious career-low stats. Hell, Shaq is injured and hates Miami and he's posting the same stats as Marion.
Nash will be re energized -- he hasn't been the same this season. There's been reports that he's kinda worn thin with Marion and Banks. So, them two leaving to me, is a big boost
We have really good athletic trainers - I think they can help rehab Shaq to be a lot of use
Open up our 3 point line by having a real threat down low. People may not double team him at first, but depending on his offensive output

Cons:
Shaq is old, he'll be 36 next month - though Nash will be 34 this year, and Hill is 35, and Bell is 31.
Shaq has a big contract, 40 mil over next 2 years. But getting rid of banks (13mil) and Marion (18 mil) will open up some room.
We have to sign a 13th player, probably that noob Richie Frahm
He may not be able to keep up with run and gun. However, if Kurt Thomas was able to, I think Shaq will be fine.

----

This is all good.

In the playoffs, our game slows -- because people lock us down. We have a weapon now to fight that. We can fuck them up in the post and have a real half-court game instead of worrying about how we're going to get inside.

[eraser]

Losing Marion's shitty attitude and aura. And his atrocious career-low stats. Hell, Shaq is injured and hates Miami and he's posting the same stats as Marion.

I was pretty baffled when the Shaq trade came up as rumor and was even further puzzled when the Suns actually went through with it.

Though Kerr is a bit crazy for jumping for Shaq (Ben Wallace seemed like a better fit), I place a hearty chunk of blame on Marion. His constant whining about not getting enough shine must've been through the roof once Amare and Nash made the all-star team - enough so, to actually make Kerr feel like his hand was forced.

While it's admirable that Shaq is pledging his best to Nash, Shaq can't force his body to be as good as it was or as good as it would've been had he not taken better care of it.

The most disappointing thing is the possible downshifting of the run and gun. Yeah, things remained high octane even with Kurt Thomas, but, as someone else noted, Kerr, as an analyst, had called Shaq's career over a few years ago. If Shaq had an off-season to work with Suns trainers, things'd be a little more brighter.

Miami (other than having to deal with Marion - that dude's gonna be unhappy no matter where he is) made out like bandits.

[hunter]

You think the Suns would trade a great-shape Marion for a broken Shaq? Are you seriously that daft?

Shaq is in great condition, he is rehab-worthy, and the Suns have the leagues best doctors and trainers. They've rehabbed TONS of people nobody had faith in... Hill.. McDyess... NASH now that he's 34. I mean, look, they wouldn't have done it unless they were convinced he could have an impact. He's 312lbs w/ 12% body fat... that's pretty good. Better than most people around here I'd bet. =)

[dharma_bum]

this is good news for the suns. finally, a center.

[thekillingtree]

i am excited to see amare move to power forward and really blow up. granted, i think that management shouldve weighed other options for a possible center, but im assuming that they are planning on doing a complete overhaul in the next 2-3 years regardless (which makes sense with the age of our team).

(if someone else said that then, uh yeah i didnt really read). i was initially upset as marion is one of my favs but hopefully we can finally win it. i loved seeing it compared to when we brought barkley onto the suns.

but anyway, yeah big ifs....if shaq improves, if shaq heals, if shaq takes us all the way, it'll be worth it.

so yeah.

[Jacki O.]

you guys are so positive yahoo idiots?

i trust you better than yahoo sports.....

[Danosaur]

Honestly, i hope that guy from yahoo eats his words later in the season...but at first glance I didn't like this trade at all...he won't even be playing for another month or so. I guess the proof is in the pudding as they say. So come on Shaq prove to us you can run and gun...or at least stay healthy enough to be a presence in the middle.

[eraser]

You think the Suns would trade a great-shape Marion for a broken Shaq? Are you seriously that daft?

Shaq is in great condition, he is rehab-worthy, and the Suns have the leagues best doctors and trainers. They've rehabbed TONS of people nobody had faith in... Hill.. McDyess... NASH now that he's 34. I mean, look, they wouldn't have done it unless they were convinced he could have an impact. He's 312lbs w/ 12% body fat... that's pretty good. Better than most people around here I'd bet. =)

Well, as I stated elsewhere, the more I think about, the more the thought of "it's so crazy - it just might work!" pops up. (Believe me, I want it to work out -- there'd be nothing sweeter than the Suns bring home the LO'B this year.)

That said, I think you've hit upon what make the deal shaky in my eyes. The Suns do have an amazing training staff that's worked wonders before. I'd feel a little better about this if they'd had an entire off-season with Shaq.

That being impossible, it'll be interesting to see how the next 10 games go down. I think they'll be indicative of what's to come.

I've always thought that the Suns have needed more muscle in the middle, rather than counting on Amare to play center. The caveat was that that muscle be able to run and keep up in D'Antoni's system. With Shaq in the middle (and it'll be interesting to see how many minutes they can squeeze out of him per game), it seems like a concession that the Suns just weren't going to get the job done under D'Antoni's run and gun philosophy. Granted, it hadn't yet brought the Suns a trophy - but didn't we almost have it all? © Whitney Houston.

All of that said, the prevailing philosophy is "Win the Championship," so I guess that trumps any other philosophy or system.

The absolute worse thing about the deal, more so than any concerns about Shaq's health and conditioning, is the possibility, with Shaq's cop fetish and Sheriff Joe's publicity-hounding, of some really obnoxious press conferences or media campaigns with the both of them.