playstation said:
-did the suns braintrust do this themselves, or was their hand forced (amare?)?
Amare is still playing center, so it wasn't him. Maybe Marion demanded to shift back to SF, but I don't see him having the leverage to force a trade.
playstation said:
-if the suns do not win a title in the next 2 years, is this trade a bust?
Impossible to say. A lot of things can happen in the next 2 years.
playstation said:
-how much of this move was cost-cutting?
Not very much. They'll probably have to sign another expensive player when Kurt Thomas' contract expires, or possibly trade Thomas' expiring contract. As long as Amare is here, the team should be a contender.
playstation said:
-did jim jackson prove enough during the playoffs to lessen q's value?
No, he was already 'proven' long before this year's playoffs. Picking him up in the first place made this trade possible, though.
playstation said:
-should amare now be the frontrunner for league mvp next year, with the team quite obviously focusing on him?
No.
playstation said:
-do the suns now have the best frontline in the nba?
No.
playstation said:
-how does this change drafting strategy?
It raised the priority for drafting a swingman (starting SG/SF is now a long-term need) and lessens the priority for drafting a power forward who can help right away. If the Suns already promised their pick, though, this trade won't matter at all.