writer crow: expose these guys, or give em credit

[nowagimp]

I though it might be a good exercise to list the writers who said the shaq trade was horrible, and also the ones who said it could work. At this point it seems clear that the trade changed the suns for the better. These writers should be acknowledged for their insight, or lack of insight.


These guys I remember specifically:

Horrible Trade:

Bucher
Hollinger


could be a good trade:

Jalen Rose
Doug Collins

 

[Bayless2Budinger]

Does it really matter? 75% of Suns fans thought it was a bad trade until they heard Shaq talked and gave in to his charisma.

 

[nowagimp]

Does it really matter? 75% of Suns fans thought it was a bad trade until they heard Shaq talked and gave in to his charisma.

Only that writers are often acknowledged as knowledgable about the NBA. They actually vote on the MVP, coach of the year, 6th man, etc., fans do not. Writers are often referenced as experts, sometimes its interesting to see who really has insight. Both Collins and Jalen Rose have played in the NBA, collins has also coached. I thought those guys were right when they said the presence of shaq would turn loose amare, but I didnt realize by how much. These guys do this for a living and get paid well, let em take their lumps and kudos for their predictions.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Does it really matter? 75% of Suns fans thought it was a bad trade until they heard Shaq talked and gave in to his charisma.

I'm a 25%'er.

Bill Walton is/was a hater.

 

[Bayless2Budinger]

I'm a 25%'er.

Bill Walton is/was a hater.

So am I. Ive been calling for us to get a center for over a year now. We could have gotten Dalembert and I would have been estactic.

 

[msdundee]

To say it "could work" isn't exactly going out on a limb--it's actually a much safer position than saying the trade was horrible.

Everyone knew the Suns needed size, everyone knew it would free up Amare but Amare isn't going to breeze through the playoffs by himself. Admittedly this is a very different team now and they look better against SA, but no way that guarantees anything this year, despite the current euphoria. In any case, most were evaluating the move from the perspective of taking the Suns to a championship, so cooking the crow and awarding the kudos might be a little premature right now.

 

[Adrian]

Michael WIlbon and Tony Kornheiser loved the trade for the suns. I believed they had the suns as the favorites to win the title after the trade was announced.

 

[BillsCarnage]

Don't forget the dip she-it from the OC register who gave the top 20 reasons the Suns would flame out... IN JANUARY!!!

 

[Cheesewater]

Don't forget the dip she-it from the OC register who gave the top 20 reasons the Suns would flame out... IN JANUARY!!!

Bah! OC Register! There's better sports writing in the Pennysaver!

 

[abomb]

FWIW, the Suns havent won anything yet, so deeming the trade a success or failure is impossible at this point.

 

[elindholm]

FWIW, the Suns havent won anything yet, so deeming the trade a success or failure is impossible at this point.

I don't think that's true. It's clear that they have a better chance now than they did with Marion. The trade made the team better, even if it didn't make them the best.

 

[Bufalay]

I said horrible trade. I still think it was a stupid trade, but I don't really think that Shaq sucks as much as I did when the trade went down.

I still think they should've traded for Jermaine "Low FG%" O'neal. (I just thought I'd put that nickname in there so that no one else feels the need to tell me that he has a low fg%)

 

[msdundee]

I don't think that's true. It's clear that they have a better chance now than they did with Marion. The trade made the team better, even if it didn't make them the best.

They have a better chance against the Spurs, and that was the plan. Right now there appear to be bigger bumps in the road than SA.

 

[elindholm]

I still think they should've traded for Jermaine "Low FG%" O'neal.

Yipes, really? You know that his contract is just as long as Shaq's and for more money, right? And that he's played fewer games than Shaq over the last four seasons (202 vs. 230)? So you'd better call him Jermaine "Low FG%, crippling contract, always injured" O'Neal.

 

[Bufalay]

Yipes, really? You know that his contract is just as long as Shaq's and for more money, right? And that he's played fewer games than Shaq over the last four seasons (202 vs. 230)? So you'd better call him Jermaine "Low FG%, crippling contract, always injured" O'Neal.

Jermaine "Awesome defense Amare can't score on him" O'neal?


Ya, I knew you were the JO hater.

 

[elindholm]

Jermaine "Awesome defense Amare can't score on him" O'neal?

I doubt that Stoudemire could score one-on-one against Shaq either, and Jermaine can't defend anyone when he's on the bench in street clothes.
Besides, it's not the Suns' job to defend Stoudemire. (For the record, how many times have Stoudemire and Jermaine O'Neal gone head-to-head? It can't be more than a few.)

Ya, I knew you were the JO hater.

"The"? Jermaine O'Neal is a terrible, terrible investment at this stage of his career. Most of the league knows that.

 

[PHX 32]

Ric Bucher likes us

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080410

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Jermaine "Awesome defense Amare can't score on him" O'neal?


Ya, I knew you were the JO hater.

I loved him coming out of Portland. I called him a star in the waiting before he went to Indiana. He is a shell of his former self unfortuntely.

 

[Covert Rain]

Yipes, really? You know that his contract is just as long as Shaq's and for more money, right? And that he's played fewer games than Shaq over the last four seasons (202 vs. 230)? So you'd better call him Jermaine "Low FG%, crippling contract, always injured" O'Neal.

Not to mention that nobody in West is intimidated by Jermaine Oneal. He would not be helping against the likes of Tim Duncan, Yao Ming etc. This trade was not made for the long term. It was for the short term chances of winning a ring. So it's smart from that standpoint because we were not going to win a title as the team is.

 

[SunsTzu]

Jermaine "Awesome defense Amare can't score on him" O'neal?

I only remember one time where Jerm shut down Amare and that was in Amare's 2nd year. There isn't a player in the league Amare can't get his on.

 

[elindholm]

This trade was not made for the long term. It was for the short term chances of winning a ring. So it's smart from that standpoint because we were not going to win a title as the team is.

Right, but Jermaine's long-term potential isn't any better than Shaq's. He'll be about to turn 33 when both of their contracts are up, his body seems already to be breaking down, and he's been making noise about retiring for several seasons already. The Jermaine O'Neal of Summer 2011 will have absolutely no value to a rebuilding team, which is what the Suns will be.

 

[Chaplin]

FWIW, the Suns havent won anything yet, so deeming the trade a success or failure is impossible at this point.

The Lakers haven't won anything yet either, but you're going to be hard pressed to find anyone that says the jury is still out on the Gasol trade.

You can't be selective on applying the same logic.

 

[CardNots]

I'm a 25%'er.

Bill Walton is/was a hater.

Bill would hate his own mother and sell his first child without blinking...

 

[GYDevil]

Add Chad Ford to the "Hater" list. Here is a question for his chat today:

Chris (Phoenix): Do you still hate the Shaq trade and think it is the worst deal in Phoenix Suns history?

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Chad Ford: It's getting tougher and tougher to criticize. Shaq's been better than expected but the real revelation has been Amare Stoudemire. He's been playing at a crazy level since Shaq came on board. Clearly having another big man in the paint has freed him up. But remember, the Suns did this to win a championship ... not to win 50 games. We'll have to see. I still think several other teams are better including Boston, Detroit, the Lakers and possibly the Jazz.

I am getting really tired of the logic that if the Suns don't win the Title then the trade was a bust. That couldn't be further from the truth. As has been stated, the trade was made to improve our chances of winning a title. Anyone who says that they are not better prepared for a Championship run with the current roster has not been paying attention. The only comparison that should matter is, who would have gone further in this year's playoffs, Suns pre-Shaq or post-Shaq? That answer is clear.

 

[Chaplin]

If the Lakers don't win the title, does that make the Gasol trade a bust? I hate that people aren't applying the same logic to every team. To me, that's just sloppy and irrepsonsible journalism, and Ford (as well as Hollinger, Adande, and several others) are guilty as hell of it.