The proposed trade between the Phoenix Suns' Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks for the Miami Heat's Shaquille O'Neal is basically done. The rumor right now is that the Heat have said "yes" to the deal and are now awaiting an answer from the Suns. If and when this deal becomes official what can we expect for the rest of the regular season? Also, what can we expect the impact to be in next year's NBA video game releases? SportsGamer takes a closer look at these questions and more regarding this mid-season blockbuster deal.
O'Neal is shooting 58% from the field, while averaging 14.2 ppg and 7.8 rpg.
We all know that Shawn Marion is a superior athlete, making it easy for him to fit in with almost any type of offense. I do think we could see a slight decline in his shooting percentage because the Heat run more of a halfcourt type of offense. However, his overall ppg and rpg should remain about the same because he'll now be the #2 option in Miami. Perhaps the more interesting question is how will The Big Aristotle fit in with the run n' gun offense of the Phoenix Suns?
It's no secret that Shaq is on the decline as he prepares to head to the fourth team of his career. However, despite the fact that Shaq's 35-years old he currently sits at 7th in scoring among centers and 6th in the entire league in field goal percentage. Clearly Shaq has enough left in the tank to be considered by many as one of the top five centers in the league today. Current Suns' center Amare Stoudamire is actually 1st in scoring at the moment, but as soon as Shaq arrives he'll be sliding over to the power forward position. So, how ridiculous will the Suns' line-up be you ask? Let's just say they'll be the most feared team in NBA 2K9 and NBA Live 09 next season.
For Starters, guards Steve Nash and Raja Bell are as good as any backcourt in the league. Both Nash and Bell provide a consistent three-point threat on the outside. Not to be overlooked, small forward Grant Hill is having a solid season fitting in well and doing a little bit of everything. Then, as we get down low this team just gets even crazier. Opposing defenses will now have to contend not only with Amare Stoudamire in the paint, but also Shaquille O'Neal.
Another reason that the deal for O'Neal is so nice for Phoenix is because when teams try to double down on him he can kick it out to any one of the number of deadly shooters on this team. Granted, teams don't double O'Neal as much as they used to, but playing him straight up is something that opposing centers still to this day don't enjoy doing. The one question that I'm sure is still on everyone's mind is how can the Suns expect a 325 lb Shaq to get up and down the floor enough to run the offense? I think that's where having a great bench comes into play.
Boris Diaw is a solid backup post player for Phoenix. Diaw can play the four or the five and should be able to help O'Neal get any rest that he needs to stay as close to 100% energy as possible throughout an entire game. I think we'll see the Suns run Shaq out there for a few hard minutes, then rest him for a few minutes to keep him as fresh as possible as they head into the playoffs.
Let's face it though, the real reason Shaq was brought into Phoenix is to play some defense. While O'Neal's feet quickness and overall reactions have slowed, he still remains a difficult target to shoot over when someone enters the painted area. Shaq definitely isn't the enforcer that he once was in the middle, but there's no reason that any team should be able to dominate both he and Stoudamire inside over the course of forty-eight minutes. Also, teams can forget about trying to get an offensive rebound with these two bangers down low.
In my opinion, we can now expect the Phoenix Suns to be the most dominant team next season when all the new basketball games are released. There isn't another team in the league that has consistent scoring threats at every position the way the Suns do. Phoenix has plenty of shooters, speed all over the court, and two big bodies in the middle to control the paint. The only complaint that I can see users making about this team next season is the absence of a pure scoring superstar.
Phoenix just doesn't really have that one player that can consistently take you off the dribble and throw one down on the opponent at any time. Fortunately, they have two stoppers in the middle to prevent this very thing from happening to them too often. Some of the players that have the ability to consistently blow by defenders are Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. What prevents these teams from being unstoppable is the supporting cast. James doesn't have much help, but Kobe and the Lakers just got better with the addition of Pau Gasol. The one player that does have enough to compete with the Suns is McGrady. Yao Ming has been the best center in NBA video games for awhile now because of his enormous 7'6 frame. Plus, guard Rafer Alston and forward Shane Battier are decent enough shooters to provide threats outside. Regardless, I still think the Suns' deal for Shaq puts them ever so slightly in front of the Rockets as we head into next season's NBA games. What Phoenix wants to know is will this deal be enough to bring home a championship this season? I'm going to go out on a limb and be the first to say "yes" right now. Go Suns!!!
