Earlier this week I was toying with the idea of posting about how Steve Kerr, the general manager for the Phoenix Suns was doing such a great job. How I'd always respected his work as a writer at Yahoo! Sports, and was amazed at what a great shooter he was on the court. I wasn't the only one who thought this. A recent Yahoo! Sports article by Johnny Ludden discussed Kerr's progress as a general manager.
But then Bobby Knight, the greatest basketball coach in NCAA history retired, and I thought I should address that issue.
But Steve Kerr wanted my attention. No, not even. He demanded my attention. He grabbed my attention with one of the worst trades I've ever heard of:
Shaquille O'Neal for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.
But then Bobby Knight, the greatest basketball coach in NCAA history retired, and I thought I should address that issue.
But Steve Kerr wanted my attention. No, not even. He demanded my attention. He grabbed my attention with one of the worst trades I've ever heard of:
Shaquille O'Neal for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.
And I thought Kevin McHale was bad. This is franchise suicide at its finest.
The Suns had created a successful blueprint for a team focusing on the athletic play of power forward/centre Amare Stoudemire and small forward/shooting guard Shawn Marion guided by the sharp passing plays and floor awareness of Steve Nash. They've now traded away their best defensive stopper in Marion, and replaced him with Shaq, who is arguably the slowest man in the NBA today. They won't be fast anymore. They can't be fast anymore.
Although Shaq was once a great player, he is well past his prime. One Western Conference executive has remarked "Shaq retired two years ago."
What's even more mystifying is that, unlike McHale and the Timberwolves, the Suns are not a bad team. In fact, they have the best record in the Western Conference! Although they've often been knocked for not succeeding in the playoffs, most feel that last year they were a shifty suspension of Stoudemire and Raja Bell away from beating the San Antonio Spurs in the Conference finals.
Further, the Suns just finished integrating senior tour player Grant Hill into their rotation. To add another aging star to their squad is ridiculous. What's going to happen to that eight-seconds-or-less mentality that set the NBA on fire?
This isn't just going to put the Suns offensive firepower out, it's going to ruin their salary cap limitations. Shaq had been signed to a huge contract by the Heat's Pat Riley. Riley wanted to buy himself a championship, and he did. But now the Suns have acquired a player who is going to cost them $40 million over the next two years.
I understand what Kerr is trying to do. He's trying to find a viable option at centre to shift Stoudemire to his natural position at power forward. But this is too great a cost for a simple change at position. This could cost the Suns not just their season, but seasons to come. This is a terrible, terrible move by a man who had long been praised for his basketball sense.
The Suns had created a successful blueprint for a team focusing on the athletic play of power forward/centre Amare Stoudemire and small forward/shooting guard Shawn Marion guided by the sharp passing plays and floor awareness of Steve Nash. They've now traded away their best defensive stopper in Marion, and replaced him with Shaq, who is arguably the slowest man in the NBA today. They won't be fast anymore. They can't be fast anymore.
Although Shaq was once a great player, he is well past his prime. One Western Conference executive has remarked "Shaq retired two years ago."
What's even more mystifying is that, unlike McHale and the Timberwolves, the Suns are not a bad team. In fact, they have the best record in the Western Conference! Although they've often been knocked for not succeeding in the playoffs, most feel that last year they were a shifty suspension of Stoudemire and Raja Bell away from beating the San Antonio Spurs in the Conference finals.
Further, the Suns just finished integrating senior tour player Grant Hill into their rotation. To add another aging star to their squad is ridiculous. What's going to happen to that eight-seconds-or-less mentality that set the NBA on fire?
This isn't just going to put the Suns offensive firepower out, it's going to ruin their salary cap limitations. Shaq had been signed to a huge contract by the Heat's Pat Riley. Riley wanted to buy himself a championship, and he did. But now the Suns have acquired a player who is going to cost them $40 million over the next two years.
I understand what Kerr is trying to do. He's trying to find a viable option at centre to shift Stoudemire to his natural position at power forward. But this is too great a cost for a simple change at position. This could cost the Suns not just their season, but seasons to come. This is a terrible, terrible move by a man who had long been praised for his basketball sense.
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