The experts on this board regarding "the trade."

[mojorizen7]

Reading thru the other thread about how some of the sports writers have reacted to the SUNS resurgence since their predictions after the deal(SHAQ for MARION) was first made was interesting. Even more interesting IMO was going back to re-read this particular thread.
http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=106322&highlight=suns+trade+marion+shaq

Personally...i was all for this deal from the get go,as were others here, but it's an interesting read in retrospect. Especially when you see responses like " the SUNS are gonna tank" or responses followed by "

I'm not here to call anyone out but its right there for all to read.

 

[WuRaider]

.............

That's how I'm feeling about this potential trade. I really want them to win a ring and I just don't don't think the current roster is going to be able to do it.

hill-marion-Amare or diaw-marion-Amare

That frontline is just asking to get abused for 20 Orebounds a game.

Replace that with Hill-Amare-Shaq and we improve dramatically, on defense.

Shaq has never played with an elite PG like Nash, doesn't it make you wonder about how that would work out?

Yeah he's fat and slow but the team can always pull it back out and wait for him to come down the court if there isn't an opening on the fast break.

Calm down fellas. The whole point of this trade is to get rid of that whack ass Ninja turtle, Marcus Banks.

: pats self on back like Barry Horowitz :

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I was completely for this trade, always have been.

 

[KANIDJA]

I just want to tap you guys on the back. Good job I always loved the trade as well. Shaq is the man he definitely did not let us down. Majority of people, however, were completely opposed and there were some saying that we will not even make the playoffs....LOL ! I am still waiting for Barkley to come around. What a loser that is. He does not give us any credit and is constantly changing his opinion. H

 

[WuRaider]

The thing that made me go WTF during that time was the fact that some people felt Amare should've been moved and not Shawn.

 

[jagu]

That would have been the dumbest trade perhaps ever?

 

[atikiN]

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=207187&cl=6353914&ch=244098&src=sports

That's one expert who I always had time to listen to.

 

[Maligzar]

I always felt, and still feel, that the trade was a gamble. Things really could have gone either way. It's fantastic that things have worked out exactly as we hoped they would.

Either way, I felt that getting rid of Shawn was necessary.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

The thing that made me go WTF during that time was the fact that some people felt Amare should've been moved and not Shawn.

No way we hear that again......

 

[joshstmarie]

i dunno if i added anything in that thread but i wanted to keep joe johnson over marion 3 years ago as well. I always saw marion as a luxury we didnt really need.

 

[Rab]

I was incredibly neutral on the trade. I could talk myself in and out of it so easily that it was hard for me to make up my mind.

 

[nowagimp]

Being that no one that I am aware of on this board makes a six figure income writing about hoops, I am considerably less critical of the ASFN "experts".

 

[AsUdUdE]

I comfortably took my seat at the head of the Shaq Band wagon on February 6th, and now arrogantly and pompously waive to all those who called us -Shaq Believers- "foolish"...

HOWEVER...

I will not ask a SINGLE PERSON to eat crow until AFTER the Suns win the Championship.....

until then my waive means nothing....

 

[Covert Rain]

In the media and ASFN board members alike, I think you could only make your assumptions based on what you had seen out of Shaq up to that point. Though I thought some media members were being overly critical even when they assumed Shaq would get healthy.

I was unsure as well at this time. I thought either the trade would be a huge failure or bring us into the promised land. I went back and forth for some time.

 

[cly2tw]

Any trade that got rid of Marion would have been a good one.

 

[dodie53]

i even suggested the trade..

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=105404&page=3

#40

 

[sLapzsHaQ]

Well, too bad it would only be a good trade if the Suns reach the NBA finals..
But this is what I thought, that the suns won't make it out the first round if they still have Marion. I mean, look at the west, we are about to face the Spurs in the first round. And it's only this season, that the Sun won the season series against the Spurs. So, so far, the trade is good.

 

[mojorizen7]

i even suggested the trade..

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=105404&page=3

#40

Hell yes you did........ Maybe you could apply for the Clippers GM position.
Dodie:

 

[Scot1]

I started out being ambivalent but mostly negative about the trade. I knew we had to get rid of Marion's salary--but then, there was Shaq's salary for two years. Getting rid of Banks' salary [and him] helped, but I didn't think any other 9th-13th man was going to help--Girilek has been a gift. Most of all, I didn't think Shaq could get into healthy shape--and if he did, D'Antoni wouldn't be able to find an offense that could use him. I couldn't believe that Shaq would be better than KT--more limited offensively and defensively, even if Shaq might be better within his limits. And of course losing Marion's defense, hustle, rebounds, reliability--his numbers were sure better than Shaq's. Plus still no back-up to Nash, and no fatal accident to Stern. I didn't foresee Shaq's improvement, or Amare's improvement (and I don't see how either could've been predicted with much confidence.) I did have hope, but it was like a Cardinal fan's hope (before last year)--"maybe, if all the cards fall just right, things will work out."

I now think it was a good trade, or more precisely a necessary one. We were stuck, and minor repairs weren't working. So on the good nights I'm thrilled, and even on the bad nights things are still different enough to be interesting/hopeful. I was mostly wrong about the trade--but it takes a really BB-ignorant person to call me an expert.

I still think we're more vulnerable to fate than before--to win in the playoffs, Shaq has to stay healthy, and Bell, and Hill, and we have to hope that one member of the Nash/Barbosa/Bell goose-eyes club gets at least a little hot. Our W-L situation is worse overall, our place in the playoffs is worse--how is our W-L average in the last 10 games, compared with the same stretch the last few years? I think we have a different kind of chance than last year--but I'm not sure we have more. But after all, last year we were the rightful champs--if we do about as well this year, we get the trophy [barring the **** from last year....]

 

[Yuma]

I wanted the trade for Shaq before he went to Miami. Not sure who we would have traded except for Marion. I still think Shaq will be better for us next year than this year. If we somehow win the title this year, then I think you can bank on a repeat!

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I wanted the trade for Shaq before he went to Miami. Not sure who we would have traded except for Marion. I still think Shaq will be better for us next year than this year. If we somehow win the title this year, then I think you can bank on a repeat!

They wanted Marion, JJ, AND a #1 pick for Shaq before Miami!

 

[Yuma]

They wanted Marion, JJ, AND a #1 pick for Shaq before Miami!

Seeing as how we got rid of all of the above anyway, we should have just got Shaq earlier and maybe already have our Championship! I am still skeptical to see if we keep the #1 we got for JJ and use it, or sell it off for cash.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

i even suggested the trade..

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=105404&page=3

#40

lol dodie, you certainly did. and you got summarily shot down for it. kudos to you.

i also can't find my post where i detailed all the reasons that i liked the trade. almost every one of my reasons came true, only in a much greater amount than i thought possible. most of my arguments were not so much that shaq would become dominant with us, but rather that he freed up our players to do what they did best and clogged the lane defensively. though i was right, i was still shocked to see just how effective his addition was. the trade has exceeded my expectations.

that said, the west is brutal and i think it's a crapshoot if we get through. not having homecourt for a single round is definitely a dampener imo.