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Phoenix Suns Or Miami Heat: Who Wins The Shaquille O’Neal-Shawn Marion Trade?



February 06 08

My AM Take: Today isn’t April Fools Day. And we haven’t been Punk’d. Pending a physical, the Miami Heat will trade Shaquille O’Neal to the Phoenix Suns for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.

Get over your initial confusion, shock, and surprise. This is real. After a four year hiatus, O’Neal is retuning to the highly competitive Western Conference.

One thing is left for the HoopsVibe masses to do: judge who won and lost this crazy deal. As always, read the post, form an opinion, and get at us in the comment box below.

Why Phoenix Wins This Trade:

  • In O’Neal, the Suns have added the best center since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He’s won everything possible and could provide Phoenix with a half-court presence.
  • Fair or not, Shawn Marion has the rep of a whiner. Over the last few years, he’s complained about his role and clashed with the coaching staff.  
  • Acquiring O’Neal means Amare Stoudemire can stop masquerading as a center and shift to the four spot.

But …

  • O’Neal’s health is an issue. What happens to Seven Seconds To Shoot?

Why Miami Wins This Trade:

  • With Marion, the Heat has suddenly rebuilt their roster. The energy forward can run, defend, rebound, and score.
  • Eventually, O’Neal and Coach Riley were really going to clash. These two had been butting heads since pre-season and there was no hope of peace or détente.
  • Acquiring Marion must please Dwyane Wade. Flash can soon opt-out of his contract, so Miami must surround their superstar with talent.

But …

  •  Can Marion, an ultra-sensitive forward, play for a task-master like Riley?

Winner: Draw.

Why: There is risk and reward for both sides. Ultimately, this deal works for both squads because of circumstances.

Miami is rebuilding and needed to add fresh talent. Mission accomplished with Marion. It’s still a big if whether he’ll stay in South Beach and gel with Coach Riley.

Phoenix needed to switch things up for the playoffs. So the Suns have hedged their NBA Title hopes to O’Neal’s health and ability to gel with Seven Seconds To Shoot. 

Like I said, plenty of risk and reward for both sides.

You’ve read both sides thoughts of the argument. Who wins this trade: Phoenix, Miami, or nobody? Get at us in the comment box below with your vote.

The AM Take is Oly’s morning thoughts on the NBA, appearing Sunday through Friday on HoopsVibe.com. Errors can be attributed to the time and his need for another coffee. Click here to get his AM Take and subscribe to his blog.



16 Comments: Phoenix Suns Or Miami Heat: Who Wins The Shaquille O’Neal-Shawn (...)

Posted by
archie
on 02.7.2008		 shaq is an old man and for sure he will give phoenix suns a big problem... miami wins the trade coz shaq will retire this season... .
Posted by

on 02.7.2008		 Well the suns just got ripped off now they have lost all variety down low because marion could make jumpers where as shaq or amare cant. i think their post will fall apart because shaq and amare are too much alike. the suns looked like ones for the future now they are knocking on deaths door. .
Posted by
Wise Man...
on 02.7.2008		 suns are so stupid for making this deal.......shaq cant run!! what were you thinking?they were better of with marion.. I dont personally care because the lakers are still gonna open a big can of whoop a-------on the suns if they ever meet in th playoffs. Bynum will be dunking over ancient shaq. pau will be schooling amare. the suns got no one who ca match up with lamar so that leaves grant hill to go through torture by guarding the versatile odom. kobe will still be shooting those sweet jumpshots over raja bell. fish will draining treys right in front of nash, and lets not forget about the laker bench.. mihm, turiaf and mbenga will be taking turns at skooling diaw and sasha, farmar, ariza, and walton will tire out barbosa. so to all you idiots who still believe that the suns can beat the lakers and win a title, keep on dreamin cuz u are all dillusional... LAKERS ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! .
Posted by
SimonSays
on 02.7.2008		 R.I.P. Phoenix, better get those draft picks ready, baby, because you just screwed every chance of winning the title within the next 10 years... .
Posted by
lakers rok
on 02.6.2008		 lakers gonna smash both these teams so i dont really care wat happens kobe bryant represent!!!!!!! .
Posted by
shaq sucks
on 02.6.2008		 the last poster is smoking crack. first of all, shaq will probably be injured most of the year, and likely throughout the playoffs. if he does play, he will be schooled by bynum if they ever make it to the lakers (my prediction though— first round loss). bynum is what shaq was in his prime. shaq sucks. the best thing the lakers did in retrospect was getting rid of him. .
Posted by

on 02.6.2008		 For Miami, I think acquiring Marion gave them hope to make a late play-off push. The Matrix is a versatile player who I think is very ideal to pair with Wade. Having Shawn Marion on Miami just gave the Heat another weapon not only on the offensive side but also on the defensive. With 2 Superstars in their roster, just add a steady presence in the paint and I believe that Miami could still be a serious threat for a title for years to come. As far as Phoenix is concerned, I still believe that having Shaq could help them win that championship. However, if they are gonna win it; they have to win it NOW. Let’s face it, O’neal is aging and I think it’ll get worse for the succeeding seasons. Right now, the Suns are on a roll and I believe that they could catch the other teams by surprise by suddenly having a big body in the middle with Shaq on their roster. Having Shaq also means making life easier for Amare, which is also a positive for the Suns. .
Posted by

on 02.6.2008		 suns defense just took a big hit with losing marion. the heat now have a great combo with wade and marion. .
Posted by
TrueBlueSunsFan
on 02.6.2008		 What a Kerr...ummy deal for the high flying Suns! Shaq has never been a real player in the game of basketball, just an oversized presence wearing big shoes and a big uniform, I don’t care how many rings he may own. Nash and the entire team will miss having Marion effortlessly moving up and down the court, in addition to his rebounding ability. And don’t forget about the obvious difference at the free throw line. Enough said about this sickening deal! .
Posted by

on 02.6.2008		 Suns don’t need shaqThe suns need two little things called defense and boxing out.With their speed& athleticism there is no excuse for getting whooped at the defensive end and on the glass. .
Posted by

on 02.6.2008		 If Shaq is healthy then the suns have a legitiment chance at the title this year. All they really lack at is offensive rebounding and with the presence of Big Daddy that problem could be solved. .
Posted by
the next NBA sensation
on 02.6.2008		 of all the people in the NBA, why would the suns want shaq. shaq aint good, in my opinion anyways. boo to the suns .
Posted by

on 02.6.2008		 I’m with the last guy. It would make sense financially! .
Posted by
Touch
on 02.6.2008		 PHX panicked when the Lakers picked up Pau-erhouse. Amare didn’t stand a chance with Bynum this season. A rejuvenated Pau will keep Amare in check. No one likes to hear this and yes it’s only one game with Pau but the Lakers will beat the Suns for that division title. The Division Title can mean 1st place in the west for KOBE. All I can say is KERR is trying to bring the HEAT back to the SUNS. .
Posted by

on 02.6.2008		 Why don’t they trade all the players to the Globetrotters. It would beef up the Globetrotter roster and it would minimize the Heat and Suns Payroll! .
Posted by

on 02.6.2008		 Phoenix Wins Go Suns!!!! .
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Oly Sandor is an NBA analyst and sports journalist based out of Vancouver, Canada.After years of the free-lance game, Oly Sandor is bringing his unique brand of NBA analysis exclusively to (...) More  






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© 2009 CraveOnline Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. NBA Blog : Phoenix Suns Or Miami Heat: Who Wins The Shaquille O’Neal-Shawn Marion Trade? - Updated on 02.6.2008