dunkside

Anybody wants to bet that it won’t take long for Shaq to throw someone from the Suns organization and/or a Suns player under the bus ?

My money is on Terry Porter (he’s an easy target) and Amare. I doubt he’d go after Nash, but he might. Depends if he already let go of the fact that Nash got the MVP in 2005 and Shaq came in second.

He’ll probably start off with something like “damn, it’s good to play with a REAL superstar and for a coach that can REALLY coach” and maybe throw in a “it’s hard to win if you play with a guy who’s injured half of the time” – you know, unlike Shaq himself who took 25-30 games worth of vacation every season when he didn’t feel like trying and played 67 or less games in 10 of his 17 years in the league. Most likely Amare will feel targeted by Shaq’s comments and will answer back, leading to another mini-feud for Shaq.

In fact, if Shaq gets traded a a couple more times, he’ll run out of people to feud with and will have to go after assistant coaches and towel boys.

General Shaquille O'Neal

Apparently Shaq has left a lasting impression on him.

General Danny Ferry, Shaquille O'Neal

The good, the bad and the ugly

The good: Shaq has been playing better and with more motivation this season than he did in years.

The bad: The Orlando game Shaq took a long piggy back ride on Dwight Howard’s back. Not being able to keep up with Dwight’s athleticism, Shaq tried to wear him down by leaning on him like an old boxer trying to slow down his younger opponent. 

The ugly: When that failed, Shaq resorted to some pretty obvious flopping. On one play Shaq tried to take a charge, only Dwight used a piruete and there was little to no contact, yet Shaq fell to the floor like a giant sequoia. He must have spent too much time with Nash, cause these days the flop is Nash’s only defensive strategy. But at least he has an excuse: he doesn’t have the size or strength or hops to keep up with younger, more athletic players and try to block their shot.

Stay classy, Shaq

The obvious flop mentioned above had Stan Van Gundy complaining, and for good reason. Here’s what he said:

I was shocked, seriously, shocked. And very disappointed cause he knows what it’s like. Lets stand up and play like men, and I think our guy did that tonight.

Not much to get upset about, right ? Well, guess again. Shaq did have something to say about it. He showed off his “class” again by lashing out at Stan Van Gundy, calling him a bum, a nobody (amongst other things) and calling his career a flop. Shaq also took swipes at Dwight Howard, Jeff van Gundy and Patrick Ewing as well. Way to stay classy, Shaq. 

Of course it’s not new from Shaq to show absolutely no character. In fact he has a pattern of trashing his former organizations and teammates. When he left LA he not only dissed Kobe but he went after the entire organization, especially Dr Buss, and the city of LA. Then when he left Miami he threw his former team-mates under the bus. He always was a petty, jelous, boastful, ego maniacal baby in a man-shaped whale’s body. But lately he’s been taking it to a whole new level. First he attacked Bosh without any reason after Bosh complained about the refs not calling 3 seconds on Shaq (without saying anything bad about Shaq himself), and now this. 

The Big Hypocrite

You know who must have enjoyed Shaq’s flopping the most ? Vlade Divac. After complaining and making fun of Vlade’s flopping, Flopzilla ended throwing himself on his back quicker than a 5 dollar whore.

While incoherently tring to explain how he flopped cause the rules required him to and how his flop was not really a flop cause he doesn’t do that,  Shaq said that “He (Howard) came with the same old, stale Patrick Ewing move”. Yeah, the guy who after almost 20 years in the league doesn’t have one single move (unless you count buldozing people over as a move) complained about someone else’s “old, stale move”.

 

At this point I hope the Suns miss the playoffs cause he just doesn’t deserve to be there. Not on account of his play – to his credit he stayed motivated for almost an entire season and might play 70+ games in a season for just the second time in 9 years – but because of his attitude. And if they do miss the playoffs, I fully expect him to take 35 games off next season and mail it in for the rest so he can be well rested for … his retirement.

General Shaquille O'Neal, Stan van Gundy

The most exciting playoffs ever© have begun better than expected. And that is amazing considering the high expectations everyone had.

 

In the opener Lebron dragged the corpses of Ben Wallace (0 points, 6 reb in 23 min), Wally Szczerbiak (2-10 FG), Delonte West (3-10 FG) and Varejao (1-6 FG) to victory. He got a little help from Z with 22p and 11 reb and West who didn’t let his horrid shooting stop him from contributing in other areas and finished with 5 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl and 2 blk.

 

The Wizards got a monster game from Antawn Jamison, who is in full contract year mode. He put up 23 p and 19 reb. Tough Juice had a quiet game, Arenas had 24 p on 50% shooting and Haywood contributed 15 p and 10 reb. But what everyone’s been waiting for was too see if DumbShawn Stevenson will walk the walk after talking the talk. Well, he walked all right. Walked on all fours, begging for mercy, after the Cavs made him their bitch. He finished with 3p on 1-9 shooting and managed to “hold” Lebron to only 32 points on a mere 12-19 (63%) FG. Good job, DeShawn. Your teammates and coach must be really proud of you now that you made Lebron mad.

 

This was followed by the Suns – Spurs series. And let me tell you: the Suns must have done something really really bad in some previous life, cause their karma is a bitch. First, Finley hits a 3 pointer to send the game into the 1st OT. Then, at the end of the 1st OT, Tim Duncan, of all people, hits a 3 pointer (his 1st of the season) to send the game into the 2nd OT. With Amare fouled out at the end of the 1st OT though, the Suns didn’t have too much of a chance and got beat on a last second shot by Ginobili.

 

The game had everything you could possibly want: went down to the wire (double OT is as good as it gets), intensity, emotion (I got to see Timmy3000 pumping his fist while screaming after making a shot as well as hear him laughing during a court-side interview), big shots, amazing shots, incredible shots, Shaq playing defense with passion, moving his feet and diving for the steal, huge blocks, heroic performances (did I mention Duncan had 40 points and 15 boards ?) and a couple of misses that really hurt (why Boris, why did you miss that layup ?).

 

Unfortunatelly it also had something that you don’t want in a basketball game: the refs have rewarded every single damn flop, which went in the favor of the Spurs since everyone on their roster except for Duncan is a grade A flopper. Kurt Thomas seemed especially bent on punishing the Suns for sending him in Seattle and he did it by throwing himself at the ground at the slightest contact. At one point it got so bad Mark Jackson called him “Denzel Thomas”. But otherwise it was a classic. The perfect start to the series and to the playoffs.

Playoffs Amare Stoudamire, Cleveland Cavaliers, DeShawn Stevenson, Kurt Thomas, Lebron James, Manu Ginobili, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Washington Wizards

Celtics @ Suns

• Refs let the game free, and even if it got a little more physical, it was fun to watch.
• Shaq ain’t injured. That’s just in case you had any doubt. He was just taking his mid-season break and when he was traded he found the motivation to start playing again. At one point, Shaq out hustled Garnett for a ball. That right there tells you something about his motivation, cause Shaq hasn’t out hustled anyone in the past 5 years or so. Shaq finished with just 4 points but had 14 rebounds and 2 blk in just 26 minutes. It’s just his second game of the season with more than 11 rebounds: he had 14 rebounds on Nov 23, 2007 and he needed 34 minutes to do it.
• I think we can make it official: the Celtics have trouble against quick teams (Nuggets, Warriors, Suns)
• The Suns seem to be having fun again on the court. Earlier in the season I had a feeling that this team was not the same despite still winning a lot of games. And I was not the only one to notice that. Marion’s whining must have gotten on everybody’s nerves and took all the fun out of the game.
• Amare has been playing at a much higher level since Shaq arrived (as I was thinking about this, the commentators said he plays like a man possessed). He’s been the aggressor all night. He tried to make Garnett lose his temper while he kept cool despite taking a couple of elbows.
• The Suns really missed Barbosa in this game. He had to go to the lockerroom in the 1st quarter thanks to a Pierce elbow to the head and did not return.
• This was the most aggressive (from a physical stand point) I have ever seen the Suns play. They are like a kid that knows his big brother is just around the corner ready to jump in if things get nasty. Now they won’t take it if other teams try to bully them. This is what Shaq brings them, and I think it’s more important than his contributions on the court.
• This game was very very entertaining. Amare and Garnett have been jawing at each other from the very start of the game. Soon it turned into bumping. They each got a technical and there might be a rivalry brewing. If the teams meet in the Finals, it will be one hell of a series.
• At one point, Pierce missed a dunk. Badly. The entire arena laughed at his ass. Did I mentioned that I don’t like Pierce ? Well, I don’t.
• The Suns piled-up turnovers. Hard to believe they still won the game, but they did. Couldn’t be just the effect of adjusting to playing with Shaq. Couldn’t be just the (very good) Celtics defense either. The Suns were really sloppy and careless with the ball.
• The game turned into a grind-it out affair. The Suns only scored 29 points in 19 minutes. Usually they’d score this much in less than a quarter. This is the kind of game they would normally lose in the playoffs – slow, half court, lots of physical defense.
• I really wondered how Amare would do playing PF and if losing the quickness advantage he had when playing against centers would work against him. Well, I just got my answer: he’s much better on rebounding and help D. Probably the same thing as Ben Wallace: he benefits from playing next to a bigger guy which allows him to roam on D. Not being undersized anymore helps his rebounding as well.
• I have NEVER seen as many offensive fouls whistled in one game. NEVER. I suppose the only place where you can see something like this is a practice of Argentina’s national team.

Game notes Amare Stoudamire, Boston Celtics, Kevin Garnett, Phoenix Suns, Shaquille O'Neal

Wait. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ? Chris Duhon, of all people, was selected to take part in the Shooting Stars competition during the All Star Weekend. Chris Duhon has THE WORST FG% of the entire Chicago Bulls roster. That roster (still*) includes Ben Wallace.

What’s next ? Steve Nash in the dunk contest ? Reggie Evans in the skills competition ? Erick Dampier and Adonal Foyle in the 3p shooting contest ? Having Chris Duhon in a shooting contest is an insult to scores of Bulls fans who cringe every time he takes a shot. No wonder Chicago’s team lost to San Antonio who had 2 centers on it. Centers, at least in theory, don’t have much range and should have no place winning a shooting contest against a guard. Well, I guess except if that guard is Chris Duhon.

This was the worst thing of the All Star Weekend. The best thing was that because of his Superman stunt, Dwight Howard may end up being nicknamed Superman. Which would piss off a certain fat guy with a well documented obsession for Superman. Shaq sure loves eating, just not humble pie. And this would be a big piece of humble pie shoved down his throat.

* well, not any more, but it did when I wrote that sentence

PS: Yeah, I know this post is a little late, but it took me a while to get over the fact that Chris Fucking Duhon was named to a competition that involves shooting

General All Star, Chicago Bulls, Chris Duhon, Dwight Howard, Shaquille O'Neal

Apparently Shaq took part in his first practice with the Suns. Nothing special about that. It’s his job to practice with his team and from time to time, when he runs out of fake injuries, to actually play in a game. Speaking of fake injuries, ESPN says that:

 

“Shaquille O’Neal went through his first practice with the Phoenix Suns on Monday, showing no sign of the hip injury that has sidelined him since Jan. 21.“

 

Steve Nash may be half of Shaq’s size but he has twice more MVP trophies

Yeah, that’s right. Shaq shows no sign of injury. That’s probably why he passed his physical last week. He’s all but admitting he’s been faking an injury cause he had no interest of playing for a team sinking quicker than the Titanic. Now that he’s with the Suns and has another chance at a title, Shaq has miraculously healed.

 

If you don’t think the reason for Wade’s 9 TO against the Lakers on Sunday is that he’s been out drinking champagne with Riley on Saturday night, you’re crazy. They’ve been partying like crazy, celebrating the trade, cause I’m pretty sure they were both sick of Shaq’s “winning personality” and his fake injuries. But at least they’re trying to keep to themselves the joy of getting rid of the Big Contract .

 

Because with the Big Egomaniac, it’s only a matter of time before he goes out saying something bad about his former employer. After moving to Miami he took a shot at Phil Jackson by claiming Pat Riley was the best coach he ever played for and, of course, he said Micky Arison was a real owner, unlike Dr Buss. It’s only a matter of time before he professes his love for Robert Sarver and calls him the best owner ever, the irony of which could only be topped if anyone called Donald Sterling a generous man. But his first target will probably be Pat Riley. As soon as Shaq has a good game (a good game for him these days is a decent game for other good players) he will no doubt be in a hurry to remind Pat Riley what he lost. From Riley’s perspective though, he only lost a lot of dead weight.

Player analysis Miami Heat, Pat Riley, Phoenix Suns, Robert Sarver, Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Nash

The last 52 seconds were to be replayed because Shaq was fouled out despite having only 5 fouls. Now, with no Shaq, will Marion be able to play ? Will the 5 fouls be attributed to him ? The NBA will make a ruling on that. But if the NBA rules Marion can’t play, then what’s the point in replaying those 52 seconds ? The replay was granted because Shaq should have been allowed to play. Now that Shaq was traded, if you keep Marion out, what’s the point of a replay ? The Heat would still be without Shaq and without the new player(s) they got in the trade, just like they were during those 52 seconds when they first played the game. This would make absolutely no sense, so I fully expect the NBA to continue its no sense making policy and not allow Marion to play.

Uncategorized Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, replay, rules, Shaquille O'Neal, Shawn Marion

The Heat just completed the trade of Shaquille O’Neal for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.

 

Pat Riley must be the happiest man on the face of the planet right now. He managed to trade for Shaq while he was still a serviceable player, squeeze enough for a run at a title and then dump his huge ass and his even bigger salary in the desert. The Heat were horrible this season, and, unlike last season when Wade went down, Shaq didn’t bother to try and drag the team to the playoffs. Now he was just content with faking injuries and collecting his paychecks.

 

It’s obvious why the Heat did the trade: they got a very good player that will actually play close to 82 games per season and who’s staying on the court instead of on the bench with foul trouble. And who has a smaller salary than Shaq. They also got Marcus Banks who never made it work in Phoenix, but might benefit from a change of scenery and from the fact that Williams, the Heat’s starting PG, is injured most of the time.

 

 

 

An artist’s rendition of Shaq playing in Phoenix

 

 

The big question is: why did the Suns do the trade ? It first looks like a rushed reaction to the Gasol trade pulled by the Lakers. A badly thought reaction. The Suns had their reasons to trade Marion away: he’s been a whining little bitch, complaining how he’s not appreciated (despite having the biggest salary on the team) and then asking for a trade. How retarded can you be to ask for a trade AWAY from a team ran by Steve Nash ? There were players across the league shaking their heads in disbelief when they heard that one. Especially players who played with Marbury for a few years. But having a reason to trade Marion is not a reason to trade for Shaq.

 

There are some valid concerns regarding how Shaq might adapt to playing with the Suns. That is if he will finally declare himself healthy enough to play.

 

• the Suns are a run and gun team, but at this stage, the only thing Shaq can run is his mouth. The Suns were practicing with a 7 second shotclock; welcome to the 7 minutes shotclock.
• Suns’ offense is based on the pick and roll, but Shaq is not the player to set high picks and then roll to the basket. You mention pick’n'roll to him, he’s probably thinking about how to “pick a roll”. A cake roll that is.
• Shaq’s D is lame. Marion was the Suns’ best defender. It may not be a great idea to replace him with a poor defender. Shaq never cared much about defense, but even if he suddenly started caring, he lacks the mobility.

There may be some answers to these questions and some pros to bringing Shaq:

• you don’t usually run the fast break with all 5 players. Shaq can stay behind while Nash runs with Amare, Hill, Bell or Barbosa.
• Shaq, despite being as old and out of shape as he is, still draws a double team in the low post and is a good passer, so he could benefit from the excellent 3p shooting of the Suns and the shooters could feed off him.
• Shaq could help against the Spurs (Amare had no answer for Duncan on defense) and the big front line of the Lakers.
• just by being a big body in the paint Shaq could help the Suns rebounding – especially help them give up fewer offensive rebounds

 

But in the end, a lot of problems and questions remain. First of all, this move was made with the Spurs (and new look Lakers) in mind. But this season the West is more open than ever. The Spurs may have finally entered their decline, and the Lakers will probably not have enough time to gel to be a real contender this season. The Suns may have to face the Jazz in the WCF. That would pose a completely different set of problems, cause Shaq won’t be chasing Okur out to the 3p line, and if Amare is put on Okur and Shaq on Boozer, Boozer has a mid range shot and the quickness to go past Shaq. From this point of view, this move is probably a year too late. And even if the Spurs put together one more run, can Shaq really help on Duncan ? With the Heat he was in constant foul trouble and couldn’t stay on the floor.

 

All these issues and we didn’t even touch the fact that this was hardly the best possible deal the Suns could get for Marion. If this was the best deal the Suns could get for Marion, someone *cough*Sarver*cough* needs to give Bryan Colangelo a call and go all the way from Phoenix to Toronto on his knees to beg him to come back. The main apparent reasoning for the deal was to get a player that can defend Duncan. But, because of luxury tax concerns, the Suns wasted 2 first round picks to convince the Sonics to get Kurt Thomas. Thomas did a good job on Duncan in the 2007 playoffs. If it wasn’t for Tim Donaghy’s fixing games and NBA’s decision to reward Horry’s thuggish play and suspend Amare and Diaw, the Suns might have won the title.

 

Wouldn’t it have been smarter to keep Thomas and trade Marion to a team with cap space and players on rookie contracts who could offer a nice player and absorb Marion’s contract ? Atlanta is the 1st that comes to mind. That would have helped trim the payroll while getting something in return for Marion and keeping the guy who could help on Tim Duncan.

 

The Suns could have probably done a Marion for Kirilenko trade. Both were unhappy, both were similar in what they provided, both could have used a change in scenery. Then they could have made an agreement with the Sonics to waive Kurt Thomas so he can sign back with the Suns for the minimum. Or they might have tried to sign PJ Brown who, if is not already pushing daisies, could have also helped on Tim Duncan. He did a decent job on Duncan while with the Bulls last year during their regular season meetings. He might like the idea of playing for a title with the Suns and agree to do it for the minimum.

 

Maybe if the Suns didn’t sell their picks during the last few years in order to save some pennies, they could have sent Marion to a team with cap space and got back less salary and still have enough to contend. For example, if they didn’t sell their #7 pick to the Bulls in the 2004 draft, they could have drafted Biedrins (to have someone to guard Duncan), Josh Smith (can take Marion’s place as he’s a similar type of player), Iguodala, Deng or Al Jefferson. Any of them would have been a nice addition to the Suns roster.

 

In the end, they picked the wrong time to be cheap, and the wrong time to trade for a huge salary. The only way this deal is not a complete disaster is if the Suns win a title this season. They had a window that was slowly closing with the aging of Steve Nash. But with this move the window is not closing slowly anymore, and is about to drop on their fingers. Shaq will probably be motivated by the perceived disrespect shown to him by Riley and will be looking to make a point this year. If they don’t make it this year, I seriously doubt Shaq will find the motivation to play well for next season. He will just be a 20 million contract hanging like a millstone on the neck of the Suns’ organization, strangling their cap space. Or perhaps “eating up their cap space” would be a better way to put it.

 

As for Miami, what will they do with Marion ? Well, hopefully for them, they won’t give him that 20 million per year extension he’s been crying for. If they do that, they negate any good to come out of this trade. If Marion threatens to opt-out, let him do it. Then, as he barely gets 10-12 million as a FA, laugh in his face and start thinking about how to spend all the newly created cap-space. Don’t you think Riley will go “Hmmm …. Lebron James will be an unrestricted FA soon. I wonder … ” ?

 

Trades Kurt Thomas, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Shaquille O'Neal, Shawn Marion, Tim Duncan