All aboard! The Shaq bandwagon departs this station in roughly 8-10 hours....

[Divide Et Impera]

Get your tickets and grab your seat on the Shaq bandwagon. Only post here if you are all in. Mods, is there a way to enforce this (ie, delete non-bandwagoners' posts)?

I was the captain of the trade Marion bandwagon and now I will be your captain of the Shaq bandwagon. Who's with this?

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I am.

We get rid of someone who wants to be gone, and someone whom we never thought that we could trade for Shaq. If we can somehow exchange picks with Miami... HELL YEAH!

 

[Dback Jon]

I could be persuaded!

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I could be persuaded!

Shaq is for gay rights!

 

[slinslin]

It's a new Suns era, the first one with a true worthy center.

 

[TRW]

I'm onboard!

The only things I have read said Shaq straight up for Marion/Banks.

The trade as is being reported is fine by me, I don't need the "swap picks" added to it to make it palatable. Shaq will be a bigger force in the playoffs than Marion (I know, IF healthy). Plus, the cap hit isn't that different than it would be without the trade.

Of course, if the coach can't adapt to having a true center then it could be disaster also. Film at eleven...

I like it!

 

[Divide Et Impera]

The Suns have ALWAYS run the 4 as their biggest piece of the team. Alvan Adams was the closest exception, but he as closer to a 4 than a true 5. Van Arsdale, Hawk, Adams, Barkley, Gugliottta and Stoudemire have been our chief big men over the years and it has gotten us 0-40. Shaq is coming in and now we have legitimacy, IMO. I'm excited to see how this plays out....

 

[Maligzar]

Since the potential negatives are so obvious, I'll just focus onthe positives.

We start Nash, Bell, Hill, Diaw and Stodemire. Diaw and Stoudemire work together to make up for what Marion brought. Stat rebounding more, and Boris working the garbage.

We bring in Barbosa and Shaq off the bench; we don't have the worry about running the offense when Steve is out because the offense totally changes with Shaq in the game. Shaq is doubled, leaves Barbosa free to play. That to me is really what is most exciting about this. Barbosa could absolutely FLOURISH with Shaq at center.

Skinner might play better as well.

This trade could work, there are certainly some ways this could work out really well.

 

[slinslin]

Shaq off the bench? I dont think so!!

 

[TRW]

Shaq off the bench....LMAO...never going to happen, and SHOULDN'T happen.

If D'Antoni does THAT he should be canned IMMEDIATELY after the opening tip.

 

[abomb]

Yikes. I dont see how Suns fans are embracing this trade.

Shaq DOESNT and WONT play defense. We've been through this in LAL ("gotta feed the big dog to guard your house") and MIA. The sooner this is accepted, the better off it will be.

Shaq will play 25 minutes per game (per Gambo) and is being asked to defend. Shaq hasnt defended anything but a buffet table in three years. He was complaining about offensive touches this year in MIA!

The contract! How this isnt the 1A story, I dont understand. The owner is notoriously cheap, trading key players to shed salary and selling draft picks. Shaq is owed $40M, not counting the current season. I understand Marion had a player option for next season and trading him is addition by subtraction, but man, taking on that contract doesnt make any sense to me. Shoot, even dealing Marion to NYK for someone like Currey would have been 10x better than this.

Again, the Lakers traded their 10th best player for a top 30ish guy. The Suns traded their third best player (some could argue second best over the past three seasons, all things considered) and a trading piece in Banks, for a player who isnt even in the top 50 in the NBA.

Where am I wrong DCR?

 

[Divide Et Impera]

Delete!!!!

 

[slinslin]

Shaq is still in the top 50 easily when healthy. Banks a trading piece? Nobody would have given up any value to get him.

Shaq plays defense simply by putting his body on a five and clogging the lane, that alone will dramatically improve our defense and make it easier for the rest of our guys.

 

[chickenhead]

If it's the Suns, I am on the bandwagon.

If the roster is going to be blown up within a couple of years as is widely believed, then I am not surprised by a move like this. Nash will retire, they won't worry about re-signing Shaq, Marion's contract will be gone, and Stoudemire remains a very attractive commidity on the trade market.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Get your tickets and grab your seat on the Shaq bandwagon. Only post here if you are all in. Mods, is there a way to enforce this (ie, delete non-bandwagoners' posts)?

I was the captain of the trade Marion bandwagon and now I will be your captain of the Shaq bandwagon. Who's with this?

No I am not going to enforce that.

 

[Bayless2Budinger]

Sign me up! I'm telling you, Amare will start to put up HUGE numbers next to Shaq due to the attention he STILL brings and his passing.

Anyone remember the rumored Shaq deals before he got sent to Miami? Wasnt it Marion/Joe Johnson for Shaq? Or was Barbosa also included?

 

[az1965]

<---- Me to the departing bandwagon

Shaq led Suns ---->

 

[arthurracoon]

Im on

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Yikes. I dont see how Suns fans are embracing this trade.

Shaq DOESNT and WONT play defense. We've been through this in LAL ("gotta feed the big dog to guard your house") and MIA. The sooner this is accepted, the better off it will be.

Shaq will play 25 minutes per game (per Gambo) and is being asked to defend. Shaq hasnt defended anything but a buffet table in three years. He was complaining about offensive touches this year in MIA!

The contract! How this isnt the 1A story, I dont understand. The owner is notoriously cheap, trading key players to shed salary and selling draft picks. Shaq is owed $40M, not counting the current season. I understand Marion had a player option for next season and trading him is addition by subtraction, but man, taking on that contract doesnt make any sense to me. Shoot, even dealing Marion to NYK for someone like Currey would have been 10x better than this.

Again, the Lakers traded their 10th best player for a top 30ish guy. The Suns traded their third best player (some could argue second best over the past three seasons, all things considered) and a trading piece in Banks, for a player who isnt even in the top 50 in the NBA.

Where am I wrong DCR?

I think that it is pretty common knowledge that Marion was NOT going to opt out of his contract next year. He may sign an extention, but not opt out pending a trade. So next year, the Suns actually SAVE 1.5M in salary when you combine Marion and Banks. The year after that, Shaq and Nash's contracts come off of the books, and you have over 30M in expiring contracts. The contract isn't as big of an issue as you think.

Delete!!!!

HA!

 

[DeAnna]

Yikes. I dont see how Suns fans are embracing this trade.

Shaq DOESNT and WONT play defense. We've been through this in LAL ("gotta feed the big dog to guard your house") and MIA. The sooner this is accepted, the better off it will be.

Shaq will play 25 minutes per game (per Gambo) and is being asked to defend. Shaq hasnt defended anything but a buffet table in three years. He was complaining about offensive touches this year in MIA!

The contract! How this isnt the 1A story, I dont understand. The owner is notoriously cheap, trading key players to shed salary and selling draft picks. Shaq is owed $40M, not counting the current season. I understand Marion had a player option for next season and trading him is addition by subtraction, but man, taking on that contract doesnt make any sense to me. Shoot, even dealing Marion to NYK for someone like Currey would have been 10x better than this.

Again, the Lakers traded their 10th best player for a top 30ish guy. The Suns traded their third best player (some could argue second best over the past three seasons, all things considered) and a trading piece in Banks, for a player who isnt even in the top 50 in the NBA.

Where am I wrong DCR?

 

[Linderbee]

I will still cheer 'em on, and I pray he does well here, but I don't have any warm fuzzies about this one. Do I get to board the bandwagon?

Go, Shaq!

 

[az1965]

I think that it is pretty common knowledge that Marion was NOT going to opt out of his contract next year. He may sign an extention, but not opt out pending a trade. So next year, the Suns actually SAVE 1.5M in salary when you combine Marion and Banks. The year after that, Shaq and Nash's contracts come off of the books, and you have over 30M in expiring contracts. The contract isn't as big of an issue as you think.

How do you know???? He is pretty unhappy and if he can accept going to a last place team going no where... why don't you think he can take a little less to go to another team??? In fact, all signs are he was going to leave and may be that's what triggered the trade with Suns FO knowing Marion is not going to stick around.

 

[cly2tw]

Yikes. I dont see how Suns fans are embracing this trade.

Shaq DOESNT and WONT play defense. We've been through this in LAL ("gotta feed the big dog to guard your house") and MIA. The sooner this is accepted, the better off it will be.

Shaq will play 25 minutes per game (per Gambo) and is being asked to defend. Shaq hasnt defended anything but a buffet table in three years. He was complaining about offensive touches this year in MIA!

The contract! How this isnt the 1A story, I dont understand. The owner is notoriously cheap, trading key players to shed salary and selling draft picks. Shaq is owed $40M, not counting the current season. I understand Marion had a player option for next season and trading him is addition by subtraction, but man, taking on that contract doesnt make any sense to me. Shoot, even dealing Marion to NYK for someone like Currey would have been 10x better than this.

Again, the Lakers traded their 10th best player for a top 30ish guy. The Suns traded their third best player (some could argue second best over the past three seasons, all things considered) and a trading piece in Banks, for a player who isnt even in the top 50 in the NBA.

Where am I wrong DCR?

Showing it, and sticking it up, to Kobe and Phil might be incentive enough for Shaq to accept the team concept on the Suns though.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

How do you know???? He was pretty unhappy and if he can accept going to a last place team going no where... why don't you think he can take a little less to go to another team???

Because Marion told me so. He didn't do that to go to Boston, did he?

Seriously. There is no way in hell the Suns let him walk for nothing. At the very worst, the do a sign and trade.

 

[abomb]

Showing it, and sticking it up, to Kobe and Phil might be incentive enough for Shaq to accept the team concept on the Suns though.

Trust me, the first thing I thought about was Feb 20. In my heart of heats, I believe Shaq is at a place where he cant just get into shape (after a few seasons off) and develop some work ethic (missing for even longer) in time for a Suns run.

Either way, it should be interesting.