<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>In his first public appearance since turning into a malcontent, Shawn Marion stepped to the microphone with a silly grin on his face. Like nothing at all had changed. "Hey y'all," he said. "Smile a little bit." Oh, we will, Shawn. But, first, say you were kidding. Or, that you were misquoted and taken out of context. Or, that you really love it here, you really want to win a championship and you never want to leave. How about it? "I still feel the same way," Marion said. "And I don't want to be bothered with this no more. What's done is done. It's happened." That statement came shortly after the beginning of Marion's press briefing Monday, and it just got worse from there. Marion refused to give any details about his trade demands or his deep unhappiness with the organization. He just sounded defiant, elusive and hurt, or like someone yearning to play in front of Jack Nicholson as Kobe Bryant's wingman. Oh, and there was this little gem when asked about the importance of winning a title: "It's very important," Marion said. "But at the same time, I have other things to look forward to, too." Ugh. Still, no one in the inner core of Planet Orange seems to think it's a big deal that Marion wants to be traded on the brink of a championship. Or at least that's the company line. And if your head hurts from Marion's apparent stupidity, here's the deal: The Matrix has bought the illusion. He wants to play in a big city, and Los Angeles would be ideal. Except he has no leverage, so he's dropped a stink bomb, hoping to force management's hand. In other words, he's taking career advice from Terrell Owens. But the Suns aren't budging. They have either received lackluster trade offers in return or have decided that keeping Marion is the quickest path to a championship, and believe it or not, you can make an argument that all this acrimony might expedite the process: Marion has a player option for next season at nearly $18 million, meaning he can leave the Suns if he chooses. But who will pay him an annual wage close to that? Unless George Steinbrenner buys a team, the answer is nobody. Which means Marion could give the Suns back-to-back contract years, and we all know Marion plays his best when feeling angry and snubbed. All that's required is for Marion to strike a bond with his teammates, and with Steve Nash in the building and head coach Mike D'Antoni no longer serving as general manager, the chances at player harmony are relatively good. And as long as Marion doesn't play dirty in the coming months, spending inordinate amounts of time in the trainer's room with mysterious injuries, the trophy may yet trump all. "Chemistry is very important," Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said. "I've been fortunate to be on five championship teams and the most important thing is for guys to play for each other. If everyone is playing for each other on the floor, and I am confident that will be the case, then we won't have any issues."</p> Problem is, Marion just caused unnecessary angst within a team and a season that should be brimming with optimism. From the general manager down to the first two guys off the bench, this is a team full of great people, a team that Grant Hill chose when he could've made much more money elsewhere. And if anyone has the right to feel underpaid, it's Nash, Raja Bell and Leandro Barbosa.</div></p> Source: AZ Central</p>
