I actually doubt anything that rude happened, but the point remains: After dunking the Miami Heat to victory over the Bulls last night, Shawn Marion (and Marcus Banks) have been traded to the Toronto Raptors for Jermaine O’Neal and Jamario Moon in what seems like a sideways move. Yes, O’Neal can still play the game, but he’s not the post presence a team builder like Pat Riley wants. It almost seems like Marion and Banks weren’t enough to entice Toronto to come off Chris Bosh, so the Heat settled for O’Neal, who again, is not as effective as he was in previous seasons.
The addition of Moon gives Miami some added depth, but the move still feels sideways only. This is not the kind of deal that puts either team over the top or moves them into the “contender” category.
The trade still needs to receive league approval before it’s official.
Barring a failed physical, the Phoenix Suns and the Miami Heat are about to consummate a trade that would send Shaquille O’Neal to Phoenix for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Apparently, all three parties wanted out of their current situations and from that standpoint, the trade makes some sense, but that’s the only instance.
Yes, Shaq brings instant credibility to a team because of his name alone, but I don’t recall Phoenix needing an identity adjustment… or a center that spends more time on the injury list than he does on the floor, especially since the Heat’s championship run. While the addition of Marion gives the Heat another weapon to use with Dwayne Wade and probably gives them few more wins for the season (something the Heat desperately need), but it doesn’t make them a playoff threat, especially not this year.
As for the Suns, they say they want Shaq to give them a defensive presence in the paint, but that’s never really been O’Neal’s claim to fame. No, this seems like nothing more than a swap of disgruntled players. If it works and Phoenix makes a run to the championship, fine. If not, they are no longer stuck with an unhappy (but damn productive) Shawn Marion.
