Heckmann: Shaq will help us win a championship
Richard Heckmann, one of the owners in the Phoenix Suns, made it perfectly clear why his team made the blockbuster deal to acquire four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal.
“As good as we are, we’re not just happy to make the playoffs. We want to win the championship and we needed a big guy,” said Heckmann, a Rancho Mirage resident. “I think we had a great team. We were first in the West. But we have a hard time in the playoffs with the big guys. Everyone knows this and understands it. In the regular season, we can get away with it, but in the playoffs, the game slows down.
“So we went out and got the biggest of the big.”
News of the blockbuster trade hit the wires Tuesday, and the trade was finalized Wednesday, as the Suns sent Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to the Heat in return.
Heckmann said the trade happened quickly, and started with a conversation by the Suns and Heat general partners.
“The trade started with a conversation between our managing partner, Robert Sarver and Micky Arison, the managing partner of the Heat,” Heckmann said. “These conversations happen all the time. And he asked if there was any interest in trading for Shaq with Marion. Robert immediately called (general manager) Steve Kerr, and he was like ‘Wow, that’s interesting.’ He took it to our coach, Mike D’Antoni, and he said, ‘Hell yes.’ It happened fast.”
O’Neal is the biggest star in the NBA, literally.
At 325 pounds and 7-foot-1, O’Neal, although not playing at the same level he did in leading the Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive NBA titles from 2000-2002, is still going to be a matchup problem for most teams.
O’Neal, with a personality as large as his frame, will also generate even greater attention to one of the NBA’s more exciting teams.
Heckmann said he’s more excited about what O’Neal brings to the locker room with his four NBA championship rings.
“He brings a lot of excitement and a lot of leadership,” Heckmann said. “Amare (Stoudemire) is 25, so he’s still young. Steve (Nash) is not the kind of guy who is going to get in your face. And Marion was not a guy who was going to do that. We needed a strong force for the playoffs. He is certainly that. I think it will be great for the locker room.”
As for fitting in, Heckmann said he doesn’t anticipate it taking long for Shaq to click with his new teammates.
“I talked to the players and the players are universally excited he’s coming,” Heckmann said. “The way we play, it’s a free-flowing style. I think we only have three or four plays and those are usually plays we run after timeouts. Shaq is a 14-time All-Star and 15 years in the league. We don’t have any plays he has to learn. He just has to get in the middle and get rebounds.”
O’Neal, combined with Kerr, have eight championship rings. Heckmann feels it will allow the team to lean on two people who have had success at the highest level.
On the court, Heckmann anticipates O’Neal helping the team on the boards to ignite their fast breaks.
“We are last in the league in offensive rebounds and among the bottom in total rebounds,” Heckmann said. “We were giving up the most second-chance baskets.
“Fast breaks typically start with rebounding, and we were not getting rebounds. All he has to do is get the rebound, pass it out and it’s on.”
As for when O’Neal, who has been out with a hip injury, makes his debut, Heckmann said it’s still being hammered out.
“Shaq reports for duty on Sunday,” Heckmann said. “There are two schools of thought that we have not resolved yet. Shaq wants to play right away. There are others in our organization who want to make sure he has several practices to get his legs under him.”
If O’Neal plays as soon as possible, Heckmann said it would be Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks. It is the last game before the All-Star break.
However, if the team decides to hold off, then O’Neal will likely debut on Feb. 20 against the Los Angeles Lakers, with Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson.
“If you’re looking for high drama, that will be it,” Heckmann said. “Can you imagine the crowd out that night? I don’t know how many friends have called me asking for tickets.
“I would think that game would set a non-playoff record (for ESPN, which is televising the game).”
Prior to that game, Heckmann said the Suns will make the official announcement on Feb. 19 of their preseason outdoor game at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in October.
“We’re hopeful they’ll be watching the reigning NBA champions,” Heckmann said. “I think (adding O’Neal) adds to the luster of the game, don’t you?”
Heckmann wouldn’t say who the Suns’ opponent would be, but dropped a hint.
“You’ll have a Tennis Garden full of future NBA Hall of Famers,” Heckmann said. “The other team will have three Hall of Famers, and our team has four now. So you’ll probably have seven.”
Acquiring O’Neal has been compared to the Suns acquiring Charles Barkley in 1993. In that season, Barkley led the Suns to the NBA finals and won the regular-season MVP.
Heckmann said there is a big difference.
“The difference then, Barkley helped sell tickets,” Heckmann said. “Getting Shaq was not about selling tickets. He’s about winning championships. There was nothing financial about it.
“We’re already the best team in the West, so we’re an elite NBA team. We had our 95th consecutive sellout and we’ll be sold out for the rest of this year and sold out next year. This was about taking a team that was the best in the West and making it better.”
Richard Heckmann, one of the owners in the Phoenix Suns, made it perfectly clear why his team made the blockbuster deal to acquire four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal.
“As good as we are, we’re not just happy to make the playoffs. We want to win the championship and we needed a big guy,” said Heckmann, a Rancho Mirage resident. “I think we had a great team. We were first in the West. But we have a hard time in the playoffs with the big guys. Everyone knows this and understands it. In the regular season, we can get away with it, but in the playoffs, the game slows down.
“So we went out and got the biggest of the big.”
News of the blockbuster trade hit the wires Tuesday, and the trade was finalized Wednesday, as the Suns sent Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to the Heat in return.
Heckmann said the trade happened quickly, and started with a conversation by the Suns and Heat general partners.
“The trade started with a conversation between our managing partner, Robert Sarver and Micky Arison, the managing partner of the Heat,” Heckmann said. “These conversations happen all the time. And he asked if there was any interest in trading for Shaq with Marion. Robert immediately called (general manager) Steve Kerr, and he was like ‘Wow, that’s interesting.’ He took it to our coach, Mike D’Antoni, and he said, ‘Hell yes.’ It happened fast.”
O’Neal is the biggest star in the NBA, literally.
At 325 pounds and 7-foot-1, O’Neal, although not playing at the same level he did in leading the Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive NBA titles from 2000-2002, is still going to be a matchup problem for most teams.
O’Neal, with a personality as large as his frame, will also generate even greater attention to one of the NBA’s more exciting teams.
Heckmann said he’s more excited about what O’Neal brings to the locker room with his four NBA championship rings.
“He brings a lot of excitement and a lot of leadership,” Heckmann said. “Amare (Stoudemire) is 25, so he’s still young. Steve (Nash) is not the kind of guy who is going to get in your face. And Marion was not a guy who was going to do that. We needed a strong force for the playoffs. He is certainly that. I think it will be great for the locker room.”
As for fitting in, Heckmann said he doesn’t anticipate it taking long for Shaq to click with his new teammates.
“I talked to the players and the players are universally excited he’s coming,” Heckmann said. “The way we play, it’s a free-flowing style. I think we only have three or four plays and those are usually plays we run after timeouts. Shaq is a 14-time All-Star and 15 years in the league. We don’t have any plays he has to learn. He just has to get in the middle and get rebounds.”
O’Neal, combined with Kerr, have eight championship rings. Heckmann feels it will allow the team to lean on two people who have had success at the highest level.
On the court, Heckmann anticipates O’Neal helping the team on the boards to ignite their fast breaks.
“We are last in the league in offensive rebounds and among the bottom in total rebounds,” Heckmann said. “We were giving up the most second-chance baskets.
“Fast breaks typically start with rebounding, and we were not getting rebounds. All he has to do is get the rebound, pass it out and it’s on.”
As for when O’Neal, who has been out with a hip injury, makes his debut, Heckmann said it’s still being hammered out.
“Shaq reports for duty on Sunday,” Heckmann said. “There are two schools of thought that we have not resolved yet. Shaq wants to play right away. There are others in our organization who want to make sure he has several practices to get his legs under him.”
If O’Neal plays as soon as possible, Heckmann said it would be Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks. It is the last game before the All-Star break.
However, if the team decides to hold off, then O’Neal will likely debut on Feb. 20 against the Los Angeles Lakers, with Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson.
“If you’re looking for high drama, that will be it,” Heckmann said. “Can you imagine the crowd out that night? I don’t know how many friends have called me asking for tickets.
“I would think that game would set a non-playoff record (for ESPN, which is televising the game).”
Prior to that game, Heckmann said the Suns will make the official announcement on Feb. 19 of their preseason outdoor game at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in October.
“We’re hopeful they’ll be watching the reigning NBA champions,” Heckmann said. “I think (adding O’Neal) adds to the luster of the game, don’t you?”
Heckmann wouldn’t say who the Suns’ opponent would be, but dropped a hint.
“You’ll have a Tennis Garden full of future NBA Hall of Famers,” Heckmann said. “The other team will have three Hall of Famers, and our team has four now. So you’ll probably have seven.”
Acquiring O’Neal has been compared to the Suns acquiring Charles Barkley in 1993. In that season, Barkley led the Suns to the NBA finals and won the regular-season MVP.
Heckmann said there is a big difference.
“The difference then, Barkley helped sell tickets,” Heckmann said. “Getting Shaq was not about selling tickets. He’s about winning championships. There was nothing financial about it.
“We’re already the best team in the West, so we’re an elite NBA team. We had our 95th consecutive sellout and we’ll be sold out for the rest of this year and sold out next year. This was about taking a team that was the best in the West and making it better.”
