Sorry for the absence. I've been...lazy.
I would be upset about the Spurs recent skid (although they have won their last two, but they are currently in a WAY too tight game with a beat up Washington team), but being that it's an even numbered year, I wasn't really expecting big things out of the Spurs...ok, that's sort of a cop-out.
(This is my thought process in the last week)
The Lakers got Pau? Damn. That makes them legitimately frisky. They can throw out a pretty good lineup with Mister .4 back at the point. I legitimately hate the Lakers again. Damn, the West is even stronger now. This is the worst trading deadline ever...
wait, what?
The Suns traded Marion for SHAQ? AYSOMF?
(end of thought sequence)
Ladies and gentlemen, this might be one of the worst trades ever. No, really. And you thought the Chris Webber pick up made no sense. Let me break down for you why this is idiotic.
Suns' thought process (based on previous actions): We need a good post defender to handle teams like San Antonio, because Amare collects fouls like Smither's collects Malibu Stacy dolls.
Suns' action: Dump Kurt Thomas as a cost saving measure. For those of you not keeping track at home, he was the ONLY guy who could even sort of defend Tim Duncan.
Suns' thought process: We need to clear some cap space for our team, presumably to stay away from the luxury tax line, because we need to be prepared to rebuild in a few years instead of maximizing the potential of a team (the best one we've had since Sir Charles) that will only last as long as our aging point guard with the bad back.
Suns' action: Dump a relatively cheap effective Duncan defender in Kurt Thomas. Trade away one of the most useful players in our highly specialized offense (and about the only decent defender on the team) for a giant, washed up Shaquille O'Neal. Look, I'm willing to grant that Shaq was one of the most, if not THE most, dominate players to ever play the game, but he WAS. Now maybe D'Antoni and Kerr have very different ideas in where this team is going, but throwing an overweight, out of shape, slow center onto a team that needs to run and gun is a TERRIBLE idea, even if you want to change the teams identity (considering they won around sixty games every year Nash has been there, I don't think the system is all that broken). Problem number two, Shaq's contract is HUGE.
Suns' thought process: We have chemistry issues. We need to clear this up.
Suns' action: Signing one of the biggest egos in league history. Nice job guys.
Look, there must have been other viable options out there. I mean, what was wrong with making a trade with Utah? If you're going to take on a giant contract attached to an injury prone player, at least get someone still in their twenties who can play in your system. Plus Kirilenko has that weird "free pass" night once a year with his wife (which can't go over well in Utah), and if the Coen brothers taught us anything, it's that people in Arizona are swingers (besides Nic Cage, of course). Plus Utah's big men handled Duncan in the Western Conference Finals pretty well last year. No, the Suns couldn't have taken Boozer or even the Turkey product, but Harpring maybe?
Apparently it is Shaq's destiny to be the piece that teams mortgage their future on. Somehow it fluked into a championship for the Heat, but they've had to quickly dump his out-of-shape ass.
I could be wrong, in fact I'm pretty sure I WILL be wrong, but from where I'm sitting, this looks like a stupid trade...well, stupid for them, great for fans of every other Western Conference team.
-Dusty
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