btimsah

I was one of the people who supported the trade, primarily because I don't like ego-ridden players like Marion. But upon further review there is something I did not consider.

Shaq right now is averaging what, 5 points a game? Marion, when he was with us was averaging what? 17 pts per game? and he also was able to better able stop the leagues best guard/forwards in the game.

Shaq isn't scoring like Marion did, and he doesn't defend the scorers outside at all. So as a result were giving up more points because Shawn isnt here to defend on the perimeter AND were scoring less because Shaq doesn't score like Shawn does. Combine that with the fact that Nash and Bell have been struggling and we have what we have. We'd often complain about Marion's 3 pt shooting, but he made most of his points inside with easy layups, dunks and at the foul line. Stoudemire and Shaq are lucky to make layups half the time. I've never seen so many easy put back misses!

With all of this being said, I still support the trade but it won't work till next season when they are gonna have to reshuffle this roster big time. If Nash even comes back.

Suns_fan69

It's no secret that this trade has made us worse, but we all knew this would happen. Adjusting to a presence like Shaq isn't gonna happen overnight, but I don't think anyone expected it would take quite this long.

Nevertheless there is still time but it's been hard to watch so far. I'll give it another 5 games or so before I call this a complete disaster.

Either way I still give Kerr credit for having the cajones to making this move.

Ode to Ocho

Everyone knew this trade made no sense whatsoever. But then Shaq put on his gameface during his press conference and bamboozled the media. I have never seen Michael Wilbon backpedal that fast in my life.

green machine

Good thing you researched the stats and numbers to put into your post, because I'd hate to see your credibility questioned because you were wrong there.

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pokerface

Here is another no "secret".....

With Marion the Suns wern't going to the finals. We were consistanly losing to good teams.

Shaq hasnt been playing most the season and is on a new team.

The physical and slowed down nature of the playoffs is more suited for Shaq than Marion


If the Suns dont make the playoffs and this experiment fails I could care less. The Suns were boring this season and not impressive...their playoffs would have been brief.

Better for the Suns to have tried and failed then to not try at all and stay with the status quo.

btimsah

If you can read, you should have noticed the question marks around those numbers suggesting they were estimates.

Estimates I'm comfortable with as well.

MiamiHeat

actually, that is wrong. The defending NBA champions, San Antonio Spurs, should have been eliminated by the Phoenix Suns last year. The Robert Horry fiasco and the subsequent ejections is the cause of failure.

If they could eliminate San Antonio, and San Antonio went on to win the championship vs Cleveland, then logic concludes the Suns would have been NBA Champions last year. Suns > Cleveland last year.

Michael

I think we're forgetting about Utah here. The Jazz were one of the match-ups we feared most last years, if I remember correctly.

pokerface

Uhh...that was last season. What bearing does that have on anything? The west is tougher this year....much tougher. Plus the Suns didnt seem as good with Marion losing to weastern teams consistantly.

dodie53

i agree with you.

atleast the FO had the balls to pull that kind of trade.

but,
everything is not lost yet,
the Suns can still make a turn around.

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pokerface

Yeah there is a ways to go yet. I admit its not looking good right now but lets just hope the Suns don't freefall for too long.

Heck the west is so tough this year it might be an honor to even get in at 8th seed. I've never seen anything like this.

BC867

As has been said in other posts, as long as Amare and Diaw are still covering Center, and as long Shaq is playing Center at the high-post, the transition to Shaq has not been made.

With the current roster, Shaq and Skinner at Center and a rotation of Amare, Grant Hill and Diaw at the Forward positions would be a commitment to improvement in the post-season.

Amare and Diaw spending time at Center is clinging to disappointments of the past.

Playing Shaq when the opponent goes big means trying to keep up with that night's opponent . . . rather than coaching to get them to try to keep up with us.

You don't prevail by playing catch-up. A good Coach recognizes the skills (and limitations) of his players and sets lineups based on that.

Ciani

Sorry, but thats paradox. When Coach D recognized that the Suns roster is built for small ball - and thus made other teams, even the Spurs sometimes to play catch up, he was stupid.

The main problem with this new team that the interior defence is still terrible (Amare's inability to play D is really sad), as it was without Shaq, and our perimeter defence also became a liabilty without Marion. Not to mention the transition defence.

Rebounding is the only part of the game that improved.

JS22

This trade is not a failure. The coaching is a failure. I was never worried about Shaq fitting in himself as much as I was worried about D'antoni completely taking Shaq out of his game.

What the hell is O'neal doing in the high post 75% of the time? And now that Marion is gone, why isn't the offense run more through Amare? He can basically score at will and average 30-35 a night if he wanted too. But no, what do we see? Barbosa taking retarded layup after retarded layup, Bell bricking 3's over and over again, Amare not even touching the ball for 4,5,6 possessions at a time, and O'neal setting screens at the THREE POINT LINE.

There is absolutely no way I can defend D'antoni anymore. He is ruining this team with his "style." You put Nash, Amare, O'neal, Hill and to a lesser extent, Barbosa on any team with a real coach and you'd see a much better team.

So, for the next 2 years we'll get the pleasure of watching Shaq set screens at the 3pt line for $20 million a year, Nash aging rapidly but still playing 40 minutes a night, Amare never being used to his potential, Barbosa flinging the ball in the air praying that it goes in, and Bell hoisting up bricks.

Continuously feed Amare and O'neal in the post until the shooters at least start making some of their shots. Wear the opposing F / C's down and get them into foul trouble. That's all Phoenix really needs to do to be successful IMO. (Aside from actually trying to play defense - which I didn't even address in my post.)

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Bufalay

If you want amare to be the teams dominant scorer as he has become then the team will suck. His average has gone up and his fg% has gone down. He cannot be the focal point of the offense because he cannot pass the ball. On plays when he should be setting someone else up he takes dumb contested shots and misses.