"The baddest 36-year-old ever created"

"I played through everything," O'Neal said. "I told them that if they play me single coverage, let me make them pay. I'm still the baddest 36-year-old ever created."

The Shaq (AP Photo/Eric Gay) after the Suns 96-79 win in San Antonio on ESPN.com

The man is a genius.

Go Suns !

The consequences of trade

A recent Sons of Steve Nash poll, among others, came to the conclusion that the Lakers made the best deal available by trading Paul Gasol for nothing. A real no-brainer. I wish Steve Kerr had asked them first.

The move was clearly much better, from LA point of view at least, than any other Western Conference trade.

But speaking of trades it was interesting to read some nice considerations on pre and post trade team performances in the Moderatly Celebral Bias Blog. A bit strange to hear that after 10-12 games teams more or less failed to show any significant form of improvement. Very interesting, indeed.

This also is a nice occasion to judge the Suns, comparing the pre and post Shaq era. On the always great Bright Side of the Sun I just realized that so far the Diesel-powered Suns actually improved scoring (by a short margin .6 PPG), allowed almost 2 points more, rebounded better while winning percentage actually declined.

The next 5-6 games will be a better judge, after the trip Northwest the Suns will play Houston, Detroit and Boston.

Still not sure what to think about the Shaq trade, anyway.

My heart likes it (Shaq is a great presence, a charismatic man and still can play), my brain still hates it (Shaq is slow, old and is basically ruining the Suns' system).

Go Suns !

Are the Suns willing to play defense?

The Suns defense is awful. We all know that, but I am still not sure of the reason.

The Suns players are individually very poor defenders with the possible exceptions of Bell and Strawberry. Stoudemire is big, athletic but doesn’t have a clue on defense, Hill doesn’t have the size to guard a forward in the League, and so on.

Well documented are Nash’s defensive limitations, i.e. check this very interesting post from the Empty the Bench blog, while "of course" I don't agree with the fact that Nash is overrated.

I actually believe Nash is not that bad one vs. one, at least in trying to drive his opponents where help should be coming. Steve (and more or less everyone else on the Suns team) is lost when opponents start spreading the basketball, playing the passing game and setting consecutive picks.

Did you notice how many open shots Suns’ opponents can take in a game?

The departure of Shawn Marion means the Suns are suffering on the perimeter. Check the stats of the small forwards the Suns faced recently: Anthony scored 30, Gay 36, Iguodala 32, Jamison (playing at SF most of the night) 28 as Raja often has to guard the opponents' small forwards. Raja (AP Photo/Greg Wahl-Stephens) is a very good defender on guards but he’s not big enough to guard much bigger players.

The Suns play possibly the worst pick-and-roll defense in the League. Often opponents play pick-and-roll (even the NBA teams not calling Salt Lake City home), most of the time that’s the play they call to start their offense, with a combination of PG and C (or PF). Against the Suns it means the 2 worst defenders on the team, Nash and Stoudemire, come into action. Shaq is not any better as a pick-and-roll defender.

So the Suns need a good defender at small forward…Marion? Right, back then we needed a big presence in the middle. It can't be solved, I am afraid.

Playing defense is so far away from the Suns state of mind that even if they enter the play with a decent attitude, they just fail to play defense for 24 seconds. They often look more or less lost.

So the question is, can a team of poor individual defenders become a decent defensive team? I think it is possible as it’s mostly a matter of will, attitude, good coaching and work ethic. Let’s just hope it can be feasible in a couple of months.

Go Suns !

The STAT project

I can see clearly now.

The Western Conference is getting tougher with each passing day and the Suns need to stay focused and perform sooner than later or could find themselves seeded 4th or 5th in the Playoffs which could be the perfect situation for disaster. How about a first round match up with Dallas or Houston without home court advantage.

Now I understand. The Suns’ moves of the past weeks were not panic driven nor Steve Kerr is dealing with the team with the sense of urgency we believed.

They are indeed rebuilding: around Stoudemire, I understand.

Steve Nash will be gone in a couple of years, Coach D’Antoni much earlier (I am afraid) and the Suns better have a plan to avoid a long way down. So, enter the Big Cactus.

Amaré is not ready to lead the Suns right now, he needed a mentor, a role model on and off the court, a Master he can look at for guidance.

Stoudemire is the only Suns really having great benefit from playing alongside the Big Man. “Before we even get started, Amaré Stoudemire is the best big man in the game right now,” O’Neal said. “I didn’t know he was this good”.

I may sound a bit negative but I guess that’s what watching the whole 48 minutes of the Sunday’s Pistons-Suns game can do for your.

Go Suns !

On trading: Shaq, Kidd and Gasol.

The recent trades of Paul Gasol to the Lakers, Jason Kidd to the Mavs and of course Shaq to the Suns changed three of the best teams in the Conference.

But did they really change the Western Conference Geography? Quite frankly, they did not.

The Mavs, the Lakers and the Suns had to be considered serious contenders even before making those moves but I belive each trade has to be analysed from a different perspective.

Possibily only the Lakers improved without question. LA traded more or less nothing for one of the best forward in the game and once Bynum comes back they should have the core of a potential championship team in the making (don't forget you need three good-to-great players to win the League...unless one is named Jordan).

We know by now that Shaq to the Suns is both a chemistry and a panic move: Marion had to go to improve life inside the Suns' lockeroom and the GM (and the Owner) were getting worried about the Suns inability to beat the best teams in the Conference.

The Mavs Kidd-napping was guided by the desperate need to find leadership. Dallas knew JT and Dirk would not be able to provide the kind of guide needed during a championship run, that Kidd could deliver. Otherwise you don't trade away a very good 24-year-old PG and a couple of draft picks for a player (an All-Star I have to admit) 10 years older.

Of the three, the most intriguing move is the Suns getting the Diesel. I am still not 100% convinced about the trade, as I would have rather traded Marion for, say, Gasol, but tonight game will sure be interesting to watch.

Shaq making his Suns debut against the Lakers, vs Kobe, on ESPN. This is a lucky league, or maybe have the greatesr PR Department in the World.

Go Suns !

Diesel-powered Suns

Would you really put diesel fuel in a race car? That’s what happened to the Suns who traded the fastest forward in the game, one known as The Matrix, for the biggest (and possibly the slowest) center in the NBA.

There are potentially at least two different points of view to look at the trade, both I think come down to the three men in charge: Robert Sarver, Steve Kerr, and Mike D’Antoni.

Sarver and Kerr believe the Suns’ style of play won’t take them to the championship and are desperate to fix it in order to give the Suns a chance to win it all within a year or two, or the time Steve Nash will play in Phoenix.
When the GM and the Owner believe there’s something wrong in the team’s style of play it means the coach is more or less done. Don’t be surprised if, unless the Suns win the championship this year, Mike D’Antoni will be coaching somewhere else next season.
Mike has always preferred a system that didn’t include a classic big static center, now he’s got exactly that.

"If it works, I'm a genius," Kerr said. "If it doesn't, I'm a moron, I guess."

Mike D’Antoni has realized the Suns won’t be able to compete with the best teams in the League (5-9 vs the Western Conference playoffs teams so far this season), especially in the playoffs, simply by running full court. So bring on Shaq and his post presence on both end of the court. The other four Suns can run at will anyway. Shaq could create a lot of difficulties for Duncan, Bynum and co. and could create a very interesting match up for Stoudemire. How many teams have a mobile 7-footer to guard STAT at power forward?

I think Marion wll be missed a lot, especially on defense, since he was by far the best defender on the team and the only player capable of effectively guarding anyone from a shooting guard to a power forward.

Shaq could also bring stability and leadership to the locker room and could help Amaré become a real dominant center in a couple of years, one on which to build the future of the franchise.
That could well be the case and would have a lot more to do with the intangibles Shaq can bring to the Suns than with his real on court contribution. I guess that’s why Shaq got such a huge ovation last night when was introduced at the US Airways Center.

I am planning to order a Shaq # 32 replica jersey any day now.

The trade sounds a lot like a panic-driven move, and Steve Kerr has declared last night the Suns are planning to add another player to their roster over the next couple of weeks. I don’t know who could be leaving (Diaw maybe? Draft picks?) nor coming. Maybe another surprise?

Go Suns ! Go Shaq !

Shaq to Phoenix for Marion and Banks?

It sounds like a joke to me, but actually it seems it could be true, pending a Shaq physical.

For as much as I respect and admire Shaq, a great player in his prime and a very intelligent man, it doesn't make much sense to me. I know the Suns are willing to get rid of Banks' contract...but that's way too much.

The Suns would be trading Marion, 29, their best defender for Shaq, 35 going on 36, slow and basically injuried more often than not.

While a Marion for Kirilenko deal (not to mention anything bringing KG to the Valley) could have made sense, I am sorry, this one does not. Even a Marion for Gasol would have been a much better trade.

Phoenix would get a 20-minute a night player who can defend and rebound. Stoudemire will be moved to Power Forward and Boris Diaw would play a lot more.

I can't see how coach D'Antoni could agree with the move. Unless there's something we don't know, Shaq in a Suns uniform means that there's indeed a strong difference of opinion between the Coach and the GM. That trade would mean Steve Kerr is the guy in charge and that Coach D'Antoni could be out sooner than later.

Go Suns !