SHAQ TO THE VALLEY OF THE SUN...BAD DEAL FOR EVERYBODY

The reason for this trip down memory lane is because of the recent news that Shaq will be traded to the Suns for basically Shawn Marion. Back when the Heat were on their way to a NBA Championship in 2006 I saw the downfall of Shaq coming. Even in the "Darth Kobe" article I touched on how if you were really watching you could see the erosion coming. Now don't get me wrong there isn't anyway that the Heat make it to the NBA Finals without Shaq, but if you watched that series and even the series previous to it you knew that a change of power had shifted. To Shaq's credit he did with D Wade what he never did with Kobe Bryant he deferred. Shaq understood that to win that title he would have to play 2nd fiddle and thanks to a combination of Wade's incredible play, the refs and Dirk pulling a "Patriot" the Heat won their 1st NBA Title.

That title in my opinion will always make Shaq the big winner in the Shaq and Kobe feud unless Bean wins one without him and then I think the advantage goes back to Kobe, but for now that Championship validates the Heat getting him. But it was blatantly obvious to anyone who cared to see that once Shaq got that title the fire and desire was gone. Add on to the fact that any center of his size after being in the league 15+ years is destine to have a steep decline.

When I made these points back in 2006 I was basically laughed at. I receive 100's of emails and comments over the years defending Shaq, but slowly but surely he began to erode the way I predicted and the way Jerry Buss predicted (by the way Dr. Buss is way more responsible for Shaq leaving than Kobe). Combine that with the fact that the Heat were constructed to win immediately without thinking about any long term implications you can understand why they are in the situation they are in. I honestly don't think they care that much (beyond Wade) that they are horrible because they were able to get their ring which is the only reason they brought Shaq in and now that they realize he will never over the next 2 years off the books.

As I analyze the trade if it goes through a couple of things stand out immediately.

1- The Suns do not think they can win a championship as they are presently constructed.


2- The Suns know that Shawn Marion had no intentions of coming back to the team when he becomes a free agent and he was a pain off the court with his negative attitude.


3- That Shaq is receiving a shipment from Roger Clemens in the near future.

Unfortunately for everybody involved this will turn out bad. Shawn Marion is a good player, playing with Steve Nash and the Suns makes him out to be a borderline great player. Pat Riley is the last coach that Shawn Marion should want to play for. Now granted Marion could just ride out the season become a free agent and then go to a team that suits his skill set like Golden State or Dallas, but I find it hard to believe The Heat would trade for a player without a guarantee he is going to stay.

How will D Wade feel about this? We know from experience that it doesn't take superstar players on crappy teams long before they start begging out. How long is it going to be before Wade especially if Marion opts out starts going to the media about wanting out? Trust me it won't be long.

As for Shaq while he isn't totally finish he is now just a mere mortal at the center position. No easy way to say it he is Eric Dampier and being Eric Dampier is not going to help the Suns in any shape, form or fashion. Shaq would have to make a conscious decision to sacrifice his ego and focus on defense and rebounding and not worry about being the #1 option. Shaq's motivation to play defense and rebound has been on decline for about 5 years, so do you really think he is going to change now? Shaq will collect his 40 million and then ride off in the sunset and unfortunately for the Suns they will be left out in the dark.