No........shaq

[Irish]

I hope he retires before the start of this season... its late to use that cap space but we are not going anywhere with him. He is too old. It was obvious last year.

You could make a much stronger case if you advocated tanking to get a better pick or something like that. Seriously, even if you had the $20 mill, ithere is no one left that could make any difference this year. So unless you are Sarver in disguise trying to save money, your suggestion is just silly.

 

[elindholm]

Seriously, even if you had the $20 mill, ithere is no one left that could make any difference this year.

Sure there is. He's not a center, but he can masquerade as a PF in a small lineup, and he even has an expiring contract. His current team would probably be happy to give him up for a future pick, low-level prospect, and the privilege of not paying him.

 

[arwillan]

he is the greatest bulldozer nba has ever had.

darn, that must have slipped right by me

 

[BC867]

This gives Bill Cartwright two years to develop Robin Lopez into a solid lead (thats lead as in leed, not led) Center.

That's a pretty good timetable.

 

[Irish]

This gives Bill Cartwright two years to develop Robin Lopez into a solid lead (thats lead as in leed, not led) Center.

That's a pretty good timetable.

It usually takes a couple of years for guys to develop and with bigs it might be longer. Still, Lopez has the size and quickness to be a solid player.

 

[az1965]

You could make a much stronger case if you advocated tanking to get a better pick or something like that. Seriously, even if you had the $20 mill, ithere is no one left that could make any difference this year. So unless you are Sarver in disguise trying to save money, your suggestion is just silly.

If you did not pick the frustration element from that post then what can I say... i know the cap space is pretty much useless right now but that was just a bad trade.

 

[Mr Bottomtooth]

^^^^^

Damn, man I almost cried.

pansy

 

[Covert Rain]

I still think Shaq at this stage in his career is better then 90% of the crap being rolled out there on rosters and calling them centers. He might not be the Shaq of old or even the Shaq of a few years ago but he is still better then most centers out there.

I still think this team is better with him then without him. Could his cap space get us some mythical available piece to put us over the top? I doubt it. This team needs more then 20 million dollars in cap space to win a title if this team can't get it done.

 

[Irish]

I still think Shaq at this stage in his career is better then 90% of the crap being rolled out there on rosters and calling them centers. He might not be the Shaq of old or even the Shaq of a few years ago but he is still better then most centers out there.

I still think this team is better with him then without him. Could his cap space get us some mythical available piece to put us over the top? I doubt it. This team needs more then 20 million dollars in cap space to win a title if this team can't get it done.

"Better" is a tough one to figure. The only "center" Suns fans came close to liking was Kurt Thomas and he's a slow 6'9" career power forward. Having a real center is pretty hard to get used to. The Suns have two season of winning over 60 games in the last four without a real center.

 

[BC867]

The Suns have two season of winning over 60 games in the last four without a real center.

And in the post-season? Y'know, Eyes On The Prize?

Perhaps our motto should be Hands On The Prize this year.

 

[HooverDam]

And in the post-season? Y'know, Eyes On The Prize?

Perhaps our motto should be Hands On The Prize this year.

Right, because having a slow, fat ,out of shape, oft injured behemoth starting on your team is the key to winning a title. Oh wait, thats not the case at all, in fact I can't think of a title team in recent memory where it was the case.

But never-mind those pesky facts, he's BIG!

 

[Andrew]

What Shaq are you watching? He was in faster, in shape and kicking ass for the last part of last season.

Give the guy a break. He can still dominate.

 

[HooverDam]

What Shaq are you watching? He was in faster, in shape and kicking ass for the last part of last season.

Give the guy a break. He can still dominate.

I was watching the Shaq that was actually on the court, not the one who runs around in your fantasies.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

I was watching the Shaq that was actually on the court, not the one who runs around in your fantasies.

Heh, zing.

 

[arwillan]

What Shaq are you watching? He was in faster, in shape and kicking ass for the last part of last season.

Give the guy a break. He can still dominate.

dominating your life and fantasies doesn't count. that's about all he'll be dominating in the last couple years of his contract.

 

[Andrew]

Oh I am sorry, I thought Shaq gave the Suns the inside presence they lacked seasons before. I thought he motivated the team to play better, I thought he looked spry and loose out there. Jumping after loose balls, playing more defense than I have seen him play in awhile.

But hey, people that weren't for this trade from the beginning haven't changed their minds.

It isn't my fault, it isn't in my fantasies.

 

[HooverDam]

I thought he motivated the team to play better,.

If by made them play better, you mean, made their winning percentage worse and 'lead' the team to a shorter stint in the playoffs, I agree!

 

[arwillan]

Oh I am sorry, I thought Shaq gave the Suns the inside presence they lacked seasons before. I thought he motivated the team to play better, I thought he looked spry and loose out there. Jumping after loose balls, playing more defense than I have seen him play in awhile.

But hey, people that weren't for this trade from the beginning haven't changed their minds.

It isn't my fault, it isn't in my fantasies.

jumping after loose balls was nice, sure. but his defense wasn't any better than ever. in fact, it was probably worse. tony parker absolutely raped him on the pick and roll, and duncan essentially had his way with shaq down low. stop acting like a 10 year old, shaq did not play very well for us. accept it.

 

[Irish]

If Shaq is as awful as some want us to believe, the Suns won't win the championship. If he really is as useless as his critics think, then they can have the satisfactionof chanting "I old you so".

If he can't play, then the Suns can go samll with Barnes or young with Lopez. That won't win the championship, but it might help a ffew years from now.

But what happens if Shaq is in decent shape? Will anyone say, "my bad". Of course not.

What about Shaq's defense? Yes, he was slow, but the Suns scheme was to push everybody into the paint and this was simply bad strategy. If Shaq is healthy, I expect he will do a good job. Granted, he's not a great pick and roll guy, but look at the defensive stats for Shaq teams:

Lakers
1996-97 44.1%
1997-98 43.9%
1998-99 44.1%
1999-00 41.6%
2000-01 43.8%
2001-02 42.4%
2002-03 44.3%
2003-04 44.0%

Heat
2004-05 42.7%
2005-06 44.0%
2006-07 44.0%

Prior to joining the Suns, Shaq's teams defenses never permitted higher than 44.3%. Last year that would have tied for 4rth best in NBA. When Shaq was in condition like 1999-00, it made a huge difference; but even out of shape and injury prone, his teams were pretty good defensively.

Losing Shaq did not HELP the Laker's defense.

2004-05 45.3%
2005-06 45.0%
2006-07 46.1%
2007-08 44.5%

 

[HooverDam]

^Well none of those numbers have anything to do with anything, really. Firstly, defense is a team thing. Especially when looking at TEAM FG%. One good defended does not a good defensive team make. Further, its not 1999, so what does that have to do with anything?

 

[mojorizen7]

Right, because having a slow, fat ,out of shape, oft injured behemoth starting on your team is the key to winning a title. Oh wait, thats not the case at all, in fact I can't think of a title team in recent memory where it was the case.

But never-mind those pesky facts, he's BIG!

Miami '06?

You must be registered for see images

Here's to your consistent ability to aggressively post in peoples faces from the distance of a web browser.

 

[HooverDam]

Miami '06?

You must be registered for see images

Here's to your consistent ability to aggressively post in peoples faces from the distance of a web browser.

What does something in '06 have to do with '08? Its not 2006 anymore, players can often go down hill fast, Shaqs body has clearly fallen apart on him. I'm not saying he can't still be a starting center in the NBA (there's a lot of stiff outs there who start), but to think he's the key to the Suns championship hopes is pretty silly.

But here's to your consistent ability to deduce basketball to "big guys win titles," a ridiculous over simplification if ever there was one.

 

[Ninjafish]

Oh I am sorry, I thought Shaq gave the Suns the inside presence they lacked seasons before. I thought he motivated the team to play better, I thought he looked spry and loose out there. Jumping after loose balls, playing more defense than I have seen him play in awhile.

You can't possibly believe in any of this crap. You either didn't watch a single Suns playoff game this year or you must be a joke poster trying to make people laugh.

Especially the "I thought he motivated the team to play better" line.

 

[Irish]

What does something in '06 have to do with '08? Its not 2006 anymore, players can often go down hill fast, Shaqs body has clearly fallen apart on him. I'm not saying he can't still be a starting center in the NBA (there's a lot of stiff outs there who start), but to think he's the key to the Suns championship hopes is pretty silly.

But here's to your consistent ability to deduce basketball to "big guys win titles," a ridiculous over simplification if ever there was one.

What?

Shaq has four rings and several other visits to the NBA finals. He is not just some random big man. Laker fans will tall you he's struggled with the pick and roll, but somehow his teams seem to be good at defense. He is not some miscellanous big. Every year with lots of different teammates and different coache, he's been on good defensive teams.

Maybe he will fall apart and miss 30 games like Eric predicts. But every report from this summer has suggested he's in better condition than he's been in years. So while it is reasonable to have a "Wait and See" approach, you seem pretty dogmatic in claiming "but to think he's the key to the Suns championship hopes is pretty silly" seems itself pretty sill.

Two years ago Shaq lost 23 games due to injury, was in terrible condition, and still won the championshi, so hes is does matter when looking at what Shaq MIGHT add to this team. IMHO Shaq really is a key to the Suns having a chance to win a championship.

 

[AceP]

I'm not sure what u guys r talking about. Isn't Shaq the leading rebounder of the Phoenix Suns in summer of 2008? How about his shape, speed and conditioning in March and April? We haven't seen Shaq on court for a single minute in 08-09 season. "Out of shape", "Fallen apart", "Too slow", where do u get these?

I know there r Shaq haters here. But such talking doesn't help the Phoenix Suns, not a bit. Shaq is here, if u wish this team good, why wish Shaq bad?