So, What Exactly Were The Suns Thinking?
When the Phoenix Suns traded Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks for Shaquille O’Neal I told myself I’d give the deal until the playoffs before I passed judgment. Well, I can’t resist. Only 8 games into the trade I can’t help but wonder what in the world were the Suns thinking?
When this deal went down most of America wondered just how in the world a 36 year old lumbering Shaq would fit into the Suns fast paced offensive style. The Suns weren’t playing their best basketball at the time, but they were holding down the top spot in the West and remember, this was the same Suns team that was a David Stern decision away from taking down the Spurs in last years playoffs. Still, the thought process of the Suns seemed to be match size with size. With Shaq, Phoenix could run the half-court offense that is so coveted come playoff time. With Shaq, Phoenix had a big man that could match-up with the other bigs in the West. With Shaq, Amare Stoudemire could move to his more natural power forward position. With Shaq, the Suns would have a formidable front line. Made sense….well, sorta. Even Shaq himself said it would take some getting used to. Shaq noted that given a few of games, he’d be be a perfect fit for the Suns offense. Not to be forgotten was the fact that Marion, the Suns best defensive player, was a bit disgruntled. According to rumor, Marion was messing with the “chemistry” of the team.
Well, team chemistry problems for the Suns are no rumor now. Phoenix looks flat out STAGNANT. They are 3-5 with O’Neal in the lineup and the losses haven’t been pretty. A 30 point drubbing at the hands of Detroit. A 17 point loss against up and coming New Orleans. A home loss to Philadelphia, who aren’t exactly one of the better teams in the league. Last night’s 13 point loss to Denver; a game in which it was the Nuggets who got out and ran…..a game in which the SUNS couldn’t keep up. Even their wins haven’t been pretty. Phoenix failed to top 100 p0ints in 2 of their 3 victories since adding Shaq. They’ve slipped from the top spot in the West, all the way to 6th, and if they keep losing, they’ll be on the outside looking in come playoff time. At best, the Suns look to be one and done.
What’s the problem? ONeal’s numbers aren’t that bad since joining Phoenix. He’s scored in double figures four times and pulled down a season high 18 boards last night. The problem is the Suns are trying to adjust to O’Neal rather than vice-versa. Shaq looks flat out LOST at times…to be fair, the entire team often looks lost. Gone are the days of Steve Nash penetrating and having several shooters waiting on the wings. Now he drives to find a lane clogged by not only a lethargic Shaq but his defender as well. At times, Nash drives and has Shaq and Amare Stoudemire standing in the paint…..plus two more defenders. Nash jumps and is lost in the air…looking for someone to pass to. O’Neal just stands there, a big sweaty mess. Phoenix just flat out isn’t built for a guy like O’Neal. I remember many moons ago watching the twighlight of Kareem Abdul Jabaar’s career. Friends and I used to joke about how long it took Jabaar to run down the court and catch up with the offense. Shaq is a reincarnation of those days, plus about 60 pounds. Kareem was a tall dude. Shaq is not only tall, but he weighs 325 pounds on a good day. He’s been carrying around that weight for his entire NBA career. He’s not exactly what you’d call “fleet of foot”. At times, he just DOES NOT MOVE. He stands in the paint, waiting for the ball. He doesn’t contribute to the offense in any other way. Throw me the ball. That’s about all the guy is good for now. No picks. No hustle rebounds. He doesn’t always command double teams anymore. If the ball doesn’t come right to him, (which it often does seeing as he stands directly under the rim) Shaq isn’t chasing it down. He can’t shoot free throws worth a lick, (of course we already knew that) so he becomes a bit of a liability come crunch time; although the Suns haven’t visited crunch time to often in recent weeks. If the Suns fail to score their bigs can easily outrun O’Neal to the other end of the court where it’s dunk city. Was it really worth trading your best defender, hustler, and rebounder….for this? Given, Marion wasn’t one to create his own offense very often, but the guy moved without the ball and picked up tons of garbage points; and he played exceptional defense and would stick the occasional ugly 3. Marion was a team player despite rumors that he wanted to be more. Other guys have begun to look hesitant as well. Boris Diaw at times looks flat out scared to shoot. Raja Bell has hit only 22 field goals in the 8 games with Shaq on the court. It’s almost as if Phoenix is thinking “play our way” and then the idea of passing the ball into O’Neal enters their minds. Sure, “playing our way” hadn’t gotten them to the finals, but it had a lot better chance of working than the current strategy. Why did they give up so soon? Did the media and fan criticism (a running team can’t win in the playoffs) finally get to them? Were they THAT desperate to get something for Marion? Did they figure O’Neal would sell more tickets? He’s obviously not a long term solution and doesn’t appear to be short term, in fact, Kurt Thomas (member of Phoenix last year and recent addition to the Spurs) was a much better fit. Kurt wasn’t the quickest guy on the court either, but he added tons of things that don’t show up in the stat book. If it ain’t in the stat book, Shaq didn’t add it.
Can Phoenix pull out of this? Honestly, I don’t think they can, but anything is possible. I hate to say it, but O’Neal, despite what he might tell you, is WELL past his prime. If he can’t give 30 minutes of hustle, then he needs to play 20. Whatever it takes to get the guy to work his tail off when he is on the floor. The first couple of games with Phoenix Shaq was running hard up and down the court. That was obviously a mirage; Shaq making a splash so to speak. There just aren’t going to be many fast breaks where Nash drops it off to O’Neal filling the lane. When he’s in the game, Phoenix is going to plod. When Shaq can’t go, the Suns need to stick Diaw at the 4 and simply try to outscore teams. I admit, I only watched 10 minutes of the game last night. During most of those minutes, O’Neal was on the floor. It was quite simply some of the worst basketball I’ve ever seen one man play. Loafing up and down the court. Getting called for 3 seconds. Just generally being in the way. Losing is wearing him down. The reality that he doesn’t fit with this team is wearing him down. You can see it in his face. He’s hitting a wall that his big behind might not be able to climb…..and he knows it. Shaq, the guy that has ALWAYS been able to put his money where is mouth is has quite possibly bitten off more than he can chew.
What do you think? Did Phoenix make a mistake by adding O’Neal? Will they make the playoffs? Are they just in a slump? Let me know what you think about Shaq in Phoenix.
*UPDATE*
Seems Shaq and the Suns must have read this article. Since writing this article, the Suns are 1-1. First, they lost to the Utah Jazz 126-118 and then yesterday they actually did the impossible, defeating the SanAntonio Spurs, 94-87. Shaq put up great numbers vs. San Antonio, with 14 points, 16 rebounds and 2 blocks in 35 minutes of action. It didn’t hurt that 5 other Suns scored in double figures, but Sunday’s win could mean the Suns are finally getting it together.
2 commentsTony Romo Sends Simpson Packing
Looks like Tony Romo listened to Hitler. The NYDaily News is reporting that Romo has informed Simpson that they’d be better off as friends. Good riddance! I’ve had kind of an odd stance on this issue since it began. I mean, the man’s private life is his private life. If he wants to date celebrities, then more power to him. However, I had a feeling that this would become an issue…rather a distraction, and sure enough, it did. Do I think Simpson is the reason Romo had some bad moments? Nah. I do think she’s a distraction to the team though. All this really goes to show you that looks aren’t everything. This is just the case of another smoking hot girl & a guy that wants to get rid of her. Oh well.
Tony Romo Punts Jessica Simpson
*UPDATE*
Seems this story is false, Jessica says the two are still together.
No commentsHitler…..A Cowboys Fan?
A brilliant spin on the movie “Downfall” in which Adolf Hitler (Bruno Ganz) airs the frustrations of being a Cowboys fan. Hey, at least he won his fantasy league!
No commentsUNC Sends Maryland “Back to the Ghetto”
Wow, you’ve got to love the internet. Shortly after top ranked UNC was defeated 82-80 by Marland on national television Saturday, several rival message boards began to float the idea that they had heard a racial slur as Maryland walked off the court. Soon after that, thanks to the modern miracle that is YouTube the slur was brought to life. As Maryland walks off the court you can clearly hear someone sitting in the stands yell “Go back to the ghetto”. Now, it was already embarrassing enough for the Heels that all the sorority type girls were crying on TV over a regular season loss, but this only adds insult to injury. A couple of assumptions to note:
1. The fan that made the comment can not be seen, so, one can only assume that a UNC fan said it. Assumptions probably won’t hold up in court, but in the world of common sense they work just fine. First of all, Maryland players were leaving Chapel Hill, so they would be the only ones being told to go back anywhere. Secondly, at the time, they were walking by the UNC student section, so take that for what it’s worth.
2. The word ghetto. Yeah, it can have many meanings and be interpreted in many different ways. Not necessarily a racial slur. Again, I’m going with common sense here. I’m just guessing that a young girl upset at her beloved Heels losing a basketball game didn’t tell the other team to return to a section of the city where Jews likely live. I’m going out on a limb and guessing that she was referring to race and or socio-economic restrictions. Just a guess.
Anyway, here it is for your viewing and listening pleasure.
Now, I’m sure you’re thinking, “big deal, one fan in 20,000 said something a bit out of line”. I happen to agree with you on that. I’ve heard FAR worse things said (and done) at sporting events. However, it really isn’t UNC athletics, the institution, or even the student body that I want to take to task here. It’s the media, local and national.
Ya see, a couple of years ago current NBA star Chris Paul was making his rounds in the ACC. Paul & his Demon Deacons made a visit to North Carolina State. Reportedly, a few State fans made some comments about Chris Paul’s deceased grandfather. The problem this time was that a local opinion writer named Barry Saunders decided to print this story and call for North Carolina State to officially apologize for the incident. Basically, Saunders was offended by this type of behavior and felt the university should apologize for the actions of a few fans. State fans quickly called Saunders on his bluff, noting that he was exaggerating his material. It was later learned that only 3-4 fans were yelling at Paul and they were actually being reprimanded by other students. Didn’t matter though, the damage had been done. Local & national radio ran with the story & spun it as Pack fans were upset at being called out on their ignorance. Fine, it happened. Given, it was an isolated incident, but it did happen.
Here is the News and Observers reply to the article: ” Taunting Coverage Angers State Fans “
Get where I’m going with this? Fast forward to this weekend. Here we are, just 2 days before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and we have a UNC fan yelling “go back to the ghetto” on NATIONAL television. Local media? Mum. Barry Saunders? Nothing. Local paper? The News and observer ran an article noting that there is “Still More to Do” in regard to racial equality in North Carolina but not a peep about daddy’s girl telling Maryland to go back to the ghetto. I mean, that’s what this reeks of right? Since she was bold enough to put Maryland’s basketball team in a ghetto we might as well theorize that this girl is a spoiled white girl going to UNC on daddy’s dime….correct? Where is the out-cry? Where is the condemnation of this remark? Why doesn’t the school apologize? Am I to make another assumption? Should I assume that this type of behavior is ok?
I know, this is such a petty non-issue. But we live in a society where people get taken to task for minute levels of non political correctness. If you’re going to take one to task, you take them all to task. You do not show favoritism. One person isn’t let “slide”. You don’t look at the context of a situation, rules are freaking rules. Does Barry Saunders know this happened? You can bet he does, rival fans have probably flooded his in-box. In fact, when this is all said and done, that might be the only response you get out of Saunders or any other media. They’ll probably say “rival fans are upset” but never actually touch on the issue at hand. When you don’t want to talk about it……..spin it.
*UPDATE* 1/22/08
WRAL, the local news affiliate which is basically located on NCSU’s campus ran this story today-
Tech’s Hewitt Puts RBC Center Incident Behind Him
Go figure, they take the time to drudge up a nearly 2 year old story with still no mention of the UNC comment.
Even More Updates:Â A few local blogs are catching on to this “non-story”
UNC Girl Celebrates MLK Day In Style   ( 850 the buzz blog)
Â
Tears In, Class Out In Chapel Hill (ACC Now Blog)Â
6 commentsSean Taylor Murdered
I found what I think is an excellent read in regard to the Sean Taylor murder. Jason Whitlock discusses the relationship between the Hip-Hop culture & the death of young black men. I enjoy hip-hop & Rap, but there has to come a point were youth (not just black youth) are able to separate reality from music. You would think that the entertainers themselves would have some sort of conscience when it comes to the affect and influence that they hold over America’s youth. Anyway, here is a link to the article:
Taylor’s Death A Grim Reminder For Us All (Jason Whitlock, Fox Sports)
No commentsWes Welker Is Nasty (and other small white guys)
E very so often we are blessed with smallish, white, slot receivers that are blessed with any one of the following: Fantastic Hands, great route running, blazing speed, Unusually high “awareness”, or in this case, just flat out SICK moves. Check out Wes Welker doing his best Dante Hall impression on the Chargers:
Moves like that aren’t really new to Welker
Now, in tribute to Welker, an in depth look at some other smallish white guy WR’s throughout the years.
Fred Biletnikoff: Never known for great speed or athleticism, Biletnikoff made his name with perfect route running and fantastic hands. His numbers pale in comparison to today’s run & gun offenses, but Biletnikoff was one of the best wide receivers of his day, and of all time. A 6 time pro-bowler and MVP of Super Bowl 11, Biletnikoff will always be the poster boy for overcoming athletic ability with sheer desire. A true Raider.
Golden Richards: Best known as a Dallas Cowboy, Richards was a speedster out of Hawaii. Despite only catching 122 career passes & 17 TD’s, Richards had a knack for catching the deep ball. During his 5 years in Dallas he had scoring catches of 53, 52, 58, 46, 43, & 62 yards. His most memorable catch was a 29 yard TD from fullback Robert Newhouse in Super Bowl XXII.
Mike Renfro: One of my personal favorites. I grew up watching Renfro catch passes from Danny White as a Dallas Cowboy. Much like Biletnikoff, Renfro wasn’t blessed with great physical attributes, but was a skilled route runner with great hands. Renfro was probably best known for making the catch that wasn’t during his Oiler days. Renfro caught what appeared to be a game tying TD in the 1979 AFC Championship game vs. Pittsburgh. Officials ruled that Renfro didn’t get both feet in bounds (NBC replays showed Renfro got both feet in) and the Oilers ended up settling for a field goal. The call reportedly became the moment that the NFL seriously began to consider using instant replay as a means of officiating. Renfro never had a 1,000 yard season.
Steve Largent: Raiders cornerback Lester Hayes actually called Largent “the master of tomfoolery”. Largent was another guy that lacked speed and size but made up for it with everything else. Lateral quickness, precise route running, exceptional hands, and just good old trickiness made Largent one of the best receivers of all time. When he retired he held NFL records for most catches, yards, and TD’s (all of which have since been broken by Jerry Rice). Largent appeared in 7 pro-bowls and caught exactly 100 NFL TD’s. After his NFL career, Largent became a U.S. Congressman.
Tom Waddle: Ok, this guy had zero athletic ability. In fact, he was often referred to as “the slow white guy”. Despite this moniker, (or perhaps because of it) Waddle was a fan favorite in Chicago. In 1991, due to lack of depth in the Bears receiving corps, Tom Waddle somehow became the Bears “go-to” guy. He capped the season off vs. Dallas in a divisional playoff loss by grabbing 9 passes for 104 yards and 1 TD. Many of the catches were “acrobatic”, and Waddle was often assisted to the sidelines after getting plastered by Dallas defenders. The Chicago crowd actually began to chant “Waddle, Waddle, Waddle”. That 1991 season earned him a spot on the “All-Madden” team. By 1992, Waddle had become a starter & caught a game winning TD in the opener with only 1 second remaining. He further delighted fans later in the year by burning Deion Sanders for a TD. Waddle fizzled out after 1993 as the Bears began to look for more speed at wide receiver. He caught 9 career TD’s.
Tim Dwight: 5′8″ of pure speed. The ultimate do-it-all guy. Dwight scored 17 receiving TD’s, 3 rushing TD’s, 2 kickoff return TD’s, and 3 punt return TD’s. Honestly, I’m not quite sure if he’s still in the league, he spent last season with the New York Jets. Just a pure burner, who if he had a sliver of room….was gone.
Steve Tasker: Another guy that was absolutely loved by fans. Tasker made his name as a special teams demon (got him to 7 pro bowls), but would occasionally catch a ball or return a punt. Tasker finished his career with 9 TD catches and is now in the Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame.
Don Beebe: Best known for running down Leon Lett in Super Bowl XXVII & knocking the ball out of his hands, Beebe was actually a pretty good receiver. In 9 NFL seasons, Beebe scored 25 TD’s; 23 receiving, 1 kickoff return, and 1 fumble recovery.
Wayne Chrebet: 5′10″, undrafted out of Hofstra. Somehow this guy survived for 11 NFL seasons. Another fan favorite (see the trend? fans relate with people their size or smaller), Chrebet caught 41 TD’s and tallied one 1,000 yard season. Chrebet was known as “Mr. 3rd Down” because 379 of his 580 career receptions were 1st downs. Chrebet had his career ended prematurely due to a concussion. Despite being unconscious and lying on the field for several minutes, Chrebet still made that final 3rd down grab, symbolic of his entire career.
Ed McCaffrey: Doesn’t really qualify because he’s 6′5″, but he still had the prototypical white wide receiver skill set. A very good receiver in his day, caught 55 career TD’s.
Today’s Smallish White Wide Receivers: Just a few of the guys that join Wes Welker these days
Brandon Stokely
Kevin Curtis
Mike Furrey
Who’d I forget? I know I didn’t think of all the smallish white guys. Let me know who I forgot!
5 commentsLeave Bill Belichick Alone!
Absolutely Freaking Hilarious. You had to have seen THIS VIDEO to get it.
No commentsI suck at Fantasy Football
For all of you fantasy footballers that are 0-1, this video is for you.
I suck at fantasy football ( Break.com)
No comments