But what I found to be really interesting was his observations of Marion as a divisive figure in the Suns locker room. In the past, he has spoken of "Marion's paranoia, his preternatural preoccupation with being overlooked, and his frustration at playing third banana to Steve Nash and Amaré Stoudemire."
Usually, I dismiss journalists discussing locker room politics. They only catch a glimpse of what the teams interactions are like, and those interactions are almost always before and after games when emotions are running high.
But in this case, McCallum has better insight then the average fan or journalist, because for all intents and purposes he was a Sun. In his 2002 book :07 Seconds Or Less McCallum spent a season with the Suns, travelling with them, training with them. Sometimes he played, sometimes he was a coach, but he spent as much time with the team as any of the players or coaches.In his article, McCallum talks about how Shaq, the Big Aristotle, will make all the difference off the court. That he'll lighten the mood and help the Suns get over that mental hump that has, apparently, been holding them back. "In the end, though, he was a major part of the Suns' dreary locker room that was getting drearier by the week, despite their outstanding record. Was he the whole problem? No. But if Marion has one weakness off the court, it's that he's not a leader." Shaq, however, is a leader. He's got four rings to prove it too. If McCallum is right, Shaq will fundamentally change the Suns locker room.
Honestly, I hope McCallum is right. I like the head coach of the Suns Mike D'Antoni, I like Steve Kerr, and I like Steve Nash, and I'd like to see them all win an NBA championship. But despite McCallum's reassurances, I still have my doubts.
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