| Grading The Deal: Marion Shipped For Shaq Authored by J.T. Magee - February 6, 2008 - 12:56 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | Breaking Down The 2nd Round After a somewhat surprising first round of the 2008 NBA playoffs, we find ourselves with even better match-ups in the Round of Eight.
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Phoenix was not going to win the Larry O'Brien trophy after the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies. Yes, they own the best record in the Western Conference and would presumably secure home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Are they going to beat any of the powerhouses with Marion starting at power forward and Amare Stoudemire at center? Here are the stats of opposing big men from Western Conference playoff teams the Suns have faced in the past five games:
Tim Duncan and Fabrico Oberto (loss): 18 points, 24 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 5 turnovers, 8/19 FG, 2/2 FT.
Kwame Brown and Lamar Odom (win): 27 points, 25 rebounds, 5 assists, 9 turnovers, 2 steals, 1 block, 10/28 FG, 7/10 FT.
Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur (loss): 40 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 turnovers, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 15/31 FG, 7/10 FT.
Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin (win): 24 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 turnovers, 3 blocks, 10/21 FG, 4/4 FT.
Peja Stoyakovic and Tyson Chandler (loss, David West-DNP): 42 points, 17 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 3 steals, 18/37 FG, 3/4 FT.
In those five games, the Suns were 2-3. They lost to a Hornets team without David West, a Jazz team without Andrei Kirilenko and a Spurs team without Tony Parker. They beat a Lakers team without Andrew Bynum. The next time they face each team, they will likely have each of those key players. That's not even including Gasol for the Lakers.
This was a trade to build team chemistry in the locker room. It takes away from team chemistry on the basketball court. Shaq can't run with the Suns, no matter how convinced they think Shaq will be in wanting to beat the Lakers in the playoffs. They lose their most versatile defender, Shawn Marion, who could guard 4 positions with relative success. Marcus Banks wasn't doing much in a Suns uniform, but was he given a chance?
They are now a half-court team with full-throttle potential off the bench. Can they adjust in time to mesh in the playoffs with O'Neal? This wasn't even the worst part of the trade.
Time and time again, in the last couple of years, the Suns have failed to build a young nucleus to take over when Nash is gone. They have sold draft picks for cash, they gave away draft picks to avoid the Luxury Tax and they now trade for a player who will put them back into the L.T. What they failed to aqcuire were young players (Dorell Wright has potential as a small forward, Daequan Cook as a shooter), any sort of draft picks from the Heat.
They took on Shaq for simply trying to win it all right now without thinking about the future. Their future looks grim. Let's hope they can pull it off, just so Steve Nash can wear a ring. Otherwise, this will be looked at as one of the more lopsided trades Phoenix has made.
Grade: D-
Miami, on the other hand, made out like bandits. They get two versatile defenders to help ease the load off Wade's shoulders, at least on the defensive end. They didn't trade away any of their expiring contracts and still have their Lottery pick. They probably won't make the playoffs unless they try and deal for someone like Samual Dalembert or Marcus Camby, but this trade was for building a team around Wade. They got their championship. Now all they need to do is figure out how to get some quality big men around Wade.
One thing Marion will miss is Nash setting him up for half his point. His handles haven't been tested and will likely be now that the Heat need him to become more than just a versatile swingman who can play off the ball. Marion has to prove he's an All-Star without a two-time MVP by his side. If Marion doesn't like what he sees in Miami, which I highly doubt, he can opt-out and go to a team in need of a perimeter defender who can mesh in his surroundings and not need the ball to be effective.
Grade: B |
