Best case scenario...the end of an era

So...Shawn Marion just got traded for the rotting carcass of what was once Shaquille O'neal.

If EVERYTHING works out for the Suns this could actually turn into a Championship for them.

Not too long ago Shaq was probably the best passing big man in the league. He didn't have the flashy numbers that say Vlade or Chris Webber had, but one of the most frustrating things about watching the Lakers of the late 20th century was watching Shaq repeatedly hit Rick Fox out of double teams for open lay-ups on back door cuts. It was frustrating for 2 reasons.

1). I never really understood how Fox managed to get open under the basket on such a consistent basis.

2). Shaq was good enough to consistently make that pass and make the opposition pay.

Thankfully unless Shaq's eyesight has gotten significantly worse, this one particular attribute shouldn't be too affected by the retardation that has affected the rest of his game and with the rest of the Suns spreading the floor like they do, he might even be able to be more active offensively. Opponents won't be able to double team him as much and without having double teams Shaq might even score 20 points now and again. Maybe, just MAYBE, he will still have enough mobility left in his body to run the pick and roll with Nash. What he will do with the ball once he gets it is anyone's guess though. He has no mid-range jumper so "stopping and popping" is out of the question, he has ZERO hops left so dunking it is pretty much out of the question too, and IF he does actually get to the hoop and get fouled in the process, well you might have heard that he isn't the best free throw shooter in the league.

That's about the extent of it as far as I can tell. There are those who believe that Shaq will provide "interior defense". I defy these people to name ONE big man in the West that Shaq can actually defend.

There's also the small matter of rebounding. The Suns recently got outrebounded by the Hawks by 20 in a game. You think Shaq is gonna be able to change that? I REALLY doubt it.

But that's just my opinion of course. Maybe this will work out. Maybe Shaq will rediscover his lost juvenation and thus become RE-juvenated and if the Suns don't get jumped by the Warriors or the Nuggets in the first round, MAYBE Shaq will actually be able to school Bynum and Gasol in the ways of the Force and post-play and then wall up Yao and then shut down Duncan and then buffet Garnett like a twig in a storm, and the Suns FINALLY get their Championship, what then? Ask the Heat.

The Suns were more than a just a successful basketball team. They were an idea. They challenged the norm. Every pundit says you NEED a dominant big man or a guy named Michael Jordan to win an NBA Championship. The Suns have twice come within a hair's breadth of winning a championship without either. So what if they never win a championship? I am probably not going to ever tell my hypothetical grandchildren about watching the Spurs or Pistons efficiently(aka boringly) dominating the decade and winning 2 hands worth of Championship rings each. But I will tell them about the pure adrenaline rush of watching a Suns fast break. That era has now ended.