Will Shaquille O'Neal Bring the Phoenix Suns a Championship?

The Phoenix Suns have been flirting with an NBA title since the arrival of Steve Nash, however, each year they fall short.  

Last year, Amare Stoudamire leaving the area of the bench may have cost the Suns a chance at the 'ship.

Shaq, who once was the most dominating big man in the game, has fallen off the last couple of years, since winning a championship with Miami.  

The Shaq trade signals the beginning of the Steve Kerr era in which defense, which the Suns have lacked in their run-and-gun style of offense, will become more of a priority.  

Shaq has predicted that he will make an impact and make critics eat their words—however, how often in sports to do we see athletes make a prediction?  Sure, some of them have been right—most recently Plaxico Burress saying the Giants would win the Super Bowl—but there have been way more predictions that turned out to be false.

 The Suns are in a great position right now, because even if Shaq hardly contributes they still have an excellent nucleus comprised of Nash, Stoudemire, Barbosa, Hill, Bell, and several other contributions off the bench.  

It will be interesting to see how Shaq fits into the Suns fast-paced offense, but between him and Stoudemire, there isn't a more devastating center/power forward combination in the league.  

This doesn't mark the first time the Suns  have tried incorporating a big man into their line up.  Just a few seasons ago seasoned veteran Kurt Thomas had a stint with Phoenix. However, things just never quite seemed to run as smoothly when he was on the court.

If the Suns fall short once more, they will be stuck with an old and slow Shaq, instead of the versatile Marion.  Like many things in life only the test of time will determine if the Suns hurt or helped their chances at the 'ship.