Goodbye Marion, Hello Diesel!; Suns Reaping Huge Benefits Months After Trade

It was February 6th when the news of a blockbuster deal between Suns veteran Shawn Marion and Miami’s big centre Shaquille O’Neal known simply as “Shaq” took place. Being a diehard Suns fan, I didn’t know what to make of this situation. It was well known that Shawn Marion was indeed a problem.

It seemed that while he was around, there was definite tension in the fact that the older Marion felt he was somewhat the leader when Steve Nash was infact the face of the team. Knowing this, I welcomed a trade of Marion, but I never imagined it would be for Shaq. I felt kind of unsettled at the time, knowing that O’Neal had been dealing with injuries and staying healthy was a big concern.

Before the deal, the Suns were enjoying a 34-14 (.708 w%) record. After acquiring O’Neal however, the Suns season post-Shaq was a far more disappointing 21-13 (.617 w%) which led to a sixth place finish in the conference.

This raised questions and many writers were quick to jump the gun and announce that Steve Kerr had made a bold risky move that had backfired big time. After a disappointing first round exit at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs in which the Suns managed only a single victory, even I became a doubter in Shaq.

Fast forward to the 2008-2009 campaign. 

The Suns started off the year with a win against rivals San Antonio followed by a loss at the hands of the New Orleans Hornets. They won the next three games to improve to 4-1 and they now sit at a record of 8-4.

Although the Suns could still improve, Shaq is having a great impact on the Phoenix team and is enjoying success where he is averaging 15 PPG along with 7.8 RPG and 2.1 assists per game. 

Shawn Marion? Well, he’s not doing so great. Although averaging more rebounds per game (8.4) than O’Neal, Marion is averaging both less points per game (10.3) and assists per game (1.0). His team? The Miami Heat are having a very mediocre 5-5 start to the season and will probably be lucky to sneak into a playoff spot by the time the year is finished.

Closing Argument

Although Shaq appeared to be a burden to the Suns after being initially acquired a little past midway through last season, his game has come around and he is quickly re-establishing as the powerhouse superstar that he was once known as on the Lakers.

Shawn Marion was too competitive for the leadership role with Nash, and sooner or later something had to be done. In Shaq, we have a man clearly superior this season in most aspects of the game, and it shouldn’t be forgotten that O’Neal is also a very good defensive player and provides a lot more on defense than Marion did.

Verdict: Welcome to the Suns, Shaq, please stay healthy and remember to stay away from any clubs that give you the chance to rap about Kobe in front of everybody.