So I happened to hear about the Shaq-Marion trade before like 99% of the world by pure chance. I happened to be on NBA.com 3 minutes after it was first posted a few days ago, even though everyone else heard about it within the hour. So, I have lived in Arizona my whole life and have followed the Suns since the 93 finals, when I just turned 7 years old. When I first read it, I have to admit, I was a bit unsure of the situation. I called all of my buddies and told them, and no one really thought the deal was going to go through. Then as the updates continued to pour in that night, I just had the feeling that it was going to happen. I have always really enjoyed watching Shaq, he's an amazing player and he is great at public speaking. Now I'm not going to lie, ask anyone who watches every Suns game and they would probably tell you exactly what I will tell you about Shawn Marion. For starters, he is probably the best versitale (sp?) defender in the league. By this I mean he can guard anyone from a small center to a point guard. No question. However, he is by far one the most questionable offensive players I have ever seen. If that man is not on a fast break or putting a lay-up in, you almost cringe every time he takes a shot. Some shots would miss everything, hit the side of the backboard, and just plain out look terrible. Well, actually every shot would look terrible, even the ones that went in. I watched all of Shaq's press conference today, and I think that Phoenix will be able to bring Diesel back to a good enough form for other teams to fear him again. He is a champion, and always has been. Pat Riley was pushing the soon-to-be 36 year old, 14 time all star through grueling practices and working him way too hard. He even smiled when they asked him about the Suns practices, which are basically light shoot-a-rounds. He weighed in at 312lbs and 11% body fat. The Suns organization is known for having the best medical staff of any in the NBA. Shaq has missed like 80 games in the past 2 years or something, but it doesn't matter. Grant Hill missed like 350 games, and look how he is doing this season. His only missed games came from an appendectimy, nothing basketball related. Final thought...Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks will put up great numbers, and with the help of Wade and the shoe-in for a decent lottery pick will have a pretty decent future. Unless, of course, Marion opts out of his contract at the end of this season. As for the Suns, I will just sit back and watch the Diesel to exactly does what he does better then anyone in the league, win championships. This is all opinion, but there are very few people who watch and understand the Suns as much as me. By the way, I hate the fact that Justbball.com merged with this site. "I'm really upset, and when I'm upset I tend to do things, like win championships." -Shaq, this morning at the Suns press conference.
