Trade for Shaq hasn’t restored Suns’ swagger

[Griffin]

Haven't seen this article posted and I think it's noteworthy.

Trade for Shaq hasn’t restored Suns’ swagger
Jerry Brown, Tribune

The reason the Suns aren't playing very well since Shaquille O'Neal came to town is the same reason they shipped Shawn Marion to Miami and brought in The Diesel to begin with.

All season long - from Day 1 of training camp, when Marion's trade request made more news than the Suns championship aspirations - this Phoenix team hasn't had the same feeling of harmony or swagger or confidence as three predecessors that won the Pacific Division and advanced in the Western Conference playoffs.

Last year, it was "Eyes on the prize." This year, it's been "Look out behind you."

O'Neal is giving just about everything the Suns hoped for in terms of minutes, production and interior presence. But they were also hoping the trade would include a healthy dose of lost mojo.

So far, the 2-4 post-trade Suns are still searching.

The same problems were here when Marion was around. The offense wasn't as potent, the defense wasn't as good - although the leaking sieve has moved from the post to the perimeter - and the harmony of a team that used to groove to the same beat was never quite in sync.

Saturday's loss to Philadelphia set off alarm bells all over the Valley. Suddenly, the concern of flourishing in the playoffs was replaced by the paralyzing fear of not making them at all. By this time of year, the Suns are usually closing in on 50 wins and sizing up possible first-round foes with positioning in mind.

Not this year.

Not with the Suns giving up 120 points regularly and turning every decent wing player into Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

Not with 15 of their final 24 opponents sporting better than .500 records.

"I think it's short-sighted to think (O'Neal) was going to come here and we're just going to take off," said guard Steve Nash, whose personal struggles this month haven't helped in the least. "It was naive to think 'this is going to be fine, and here we go.' "

But that's what happened in Los Angeles after the Pau Gasol trade. Dallas and Jason Kidd have meshed quickly. Meanwhile, the Suns arrive in Portland with their gears grinding and their teeth gnashing, knowing they don't have forever to find their stride.

"(The other teams) added players who fit their system, we're trying to amalgamate ours," Nash said. "It's nice when Pau Gasol is dropped in your lap and you don't have to give up a Lamar Odom for him. (The Lakers) can sit Pau down and they're the same team they were before (the trade).

"We've changed everything we are doing. It used to be me trying to make plays for everyone. Now it's not the same when we're running pick-and-rolls with Shaq. It will take and I'm probably going to make a lot of mistakes until we figure this out but that's my job and it's not an easy one."

But Nash can see the possibilities. The spacing isn't the same, but with Shaq causing a player to stay with him it can be just as open. The 3-point shooters will still get looks, and with Gordan Giricek joining Raja Bell and Leandro Barbosa there will be more shooting options.

As for the defense, the Suns remain inclined to point to their own turnovers (18 on Saturday) and the resulting points (25) as reasons why opposing offenses are thriving. So if the Suns regain their swagger in what they do best, it will carry over into what they've never really done that well.

"We're not a lock-down, grind-it-out team and we never will be," said coach Mike D'Antoni, who said he was wrong for questioning his team's effort against the Sixers. "But individually, we're just not playing and the tension ... every shot we take; I'm holding my breath (saying) 'I hope we make it.'

"We just have to play, and I'm as responsible for being as uptight as the players.

"Sometimes you get a violin and it's really tuned and you keep tightening the strings and the strings bust. We just have to loosen up a little as people and try to win instead of trying not to lose. It's not a hard game, and we're making it a lot harder than it has to be right now."

Even if this grand experiment leads to an even grander implosion, Nash said there should be no looking back.

"You had to take the chance," Nash said. "Even looking at how much we've struggled, it was still a chance you have to take. It wasn't working the other way.

"We've got a great chance to overcome what's been a tough beginning. And once we see a little daylight, a little joy and success at both ends, we'll start to build our confidence and belief."

It is interesting to hear Nash say "it wasn't working the other way." This is the first time I heard anyone in the organization concede that the pre-Shaq team was probably not good enough to win the title anymore.

I do agree with Nash's assessment of the situation. The Suns are trying to do something that most teams do in training camp. If we made the trade in the off-season, we would probably have a losing record in November. Right now the teams we play have a lot of experience playing together and executing their game plan. They know how to win; they've been doing that the whole year. That's a huge advantage. It was foolish to think that once Shaq is in the lineup it will click right away, but of course that's what everyone, myself included, hoped to see. Now there are only two questions left in my mind: 1) can this ever work? and 2) when it does, will it be too late? I think that it can work, but I don't know if by then it will matter.

 

[BC867]

O'Neal is giving just about everything the Suns hoped for in terms of minutes, production and interior presence. But they were also hoping the trade would include a healthy dose of lost mojo.

So far, the 2-4 post-trade Suns are still searching.

Perhaps if Shaq were allowed to play into his strengths, instead of playing at the top of the key, the swagger would be there.

Instead the 300-pounder is forced to play small ball.

Not to mention that when he goes to the bench, it's back to the ol' Amare or Diaw at Center drudgery again.

Alvan Adams spent a decade as the Suns high-post Center. He weighed 212 pounds. Shaq outweighs him by over 100 pounds.

Where's the common sense?

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Perhaps if Shaq were allowed to play into his strengths, instead of playing at the top of the key, the swagger would be there.

Instead the 300-pounder is forced to play small ball.

Not to mention that when he goes to the bench, it's back to the ol' Amare or Diaw at Center drudgery again.

Alvan Adams spent a decade as the Suns high-post Center. He weighed 212 pounds. Shaq outweighs him by over 100 pounds.

Where's the common sense?

I agree. Shaq needs to be closer to the baseline, than on the low block. That will give us a little more spacing as well.

 

[Mainstreet]

There are two benefits to having Shaq which I did not immediately recognize before his arrival.

First, Shaq and Amare go together like peas and carrots. I knew Shaq was Amare's role model as a player, however, Shaq's influence as a teacher cannot be minimized. I constantly see Amare consulting with Shaq. IMO, Amare seems to play with much more confidence and intelligence with Shaq around. Amare also seems to play like he wants to impress Shaq. I view this as a positive.

Second, I knew Shaq had a reputation as being a good passer from the low post however I never knew how good he was at making long down court passes to ignite the break. If Shaq can continue to do this, the Suns fast break can even be better than it used to be. Then add Shaq's ability to clog up the lane, rebound and block shots, it becomes obvious what the Suns saw in Shaq. It has not gone unnoticed that Shaq wants the same thing as he has improved his conditioning so much since his arrival.

Anyway during the first half of the Portland game I caught a glimpse of the Suns swagger starting to come back but this time it was just not based upon emotion but solid play. The Suns haven't fully arrived but at least I can see the big picture more clearly and it can be awesome when the Suns put 48 minutes of the game together.

 

[jagu]

I think the Suns could become a force again in 5-6 games. They are showing glimpses of excellence but my biggest concern is Raja Bell both offensively and defensively. He needs to start performing and the well oiled Suns run-n-gun machine can thrive again. I think perimeter shooting has gotten worse because things have slowed down a bit with Shaq and the players are having a tough time adjusting to it.

I hope Raja Bell shows up for the Spurs game and shuts down Ginobili. We need a victory as fans against the Floppers.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I hope Raja Bell shows up for the Spurs game and shuts down Ginobili. We need a victory as fans against the Floppers.

Very true. My guess is that Tim Duncan or Tony Parker will have a mystery illness and wouldn't be full strength anyway.

 

[Mainstreet]

I think the Suns could become a force again in 5-6 games. They are showing glimpses of excellence but my biggest concern is Raja Bell both offensively and defensively. He needs to start performing and the well oiled Suns run-n-gun machine can thrive again. I think perimeter shooting has gotten worse because things have slowed down a bit with Shaq and the players are having a tough time adjusting to it.

I hope Raja Bell shows up for the Spurs game and shuts down Ginobili. We need a victory as fans against the Floppers.

I'm thinking Giricek may be the Suns answer to additional outside shooting and his defense looks much better than advertised.

 

[ambchang_]

Last night vs. Portland worked well with Shaq in the low post. Sure he didn't score much, but he drew in the whole defense and allowed the Suns 2nd and 3rd chances down almost every trip. Also forced the Blazers to play Przbyla (sp?), which definitely worked against them. I thought Nate was going to keep his team and run O'Neal out of the building, didn't happen.

Another though, when James Jones hard fouled O'Neal, that would have been a flagrant on anybody else, but Shaq just stood there, allowing Jones to just hang on to him like he was hanging off a cliff. Hilarious.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Last night vs. Portland worked well with Shaq in the low post. Sure he didn't score much, but he drew in the whole defense and allowed the Suns 2nd and 3rd chances down almost every trip. Also forced the Blazers to play Przbyla (sp?), which definitely worked against them. I thought Nate was going to keep his team and run O'Neal out of the building, didn't happen.

Another though, when James Jones hard fouled O'Neal, that would have been a flagrant on anybody else, but Shaq just stood there, allowing Jones to just hang on to him like he was hanging off a cliff. Hilarious.

Yep. I thought what he did was clearly a flagrant foul too. It's hard to call any flagrant foul that involves Shaq.

 

[Rab]

There was one play in particular that I remember from last nights game that I loved.

Shaq set a pick for Nash up on the three point line, Nash instead of trying to force the ball to Shaq off the roll, kicked it out to Raja on the wing who then passed the ball right down on the low block where Shaq had settled. He got great position because the defense was scrambling, and he ended up getting fouled.

I thought that was a creative way to get Shaq the ball down low.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

There was one play in particular that I remember from last nights game that I loved.

Shaq set a pick for Nash up on the three point line, Nash instead of trying to force the ball to Shaq off the roll, kicked it out to Raja on the wing who then passed the ball right down on the low block where Shaq had settled. He got great position because the defense was scrambling, and he ended up getting fouled.

I thought that was a creative way to get Shaq the ball down low.

I remember that play very well too. I think that the Suns would be much better keeping Shaq on the block and using Amare on the P&R's vs. Shaq. I thought that this would have been the plan all along.

 

[Rab]

I remember that play very well too. I think that the Suns would be much better keeping Shaq on the block and using Amare on the P&R's vs. Shaq. I thought that this would have been the plan all along.

I agree. I shudder everytime I see a Shaq led P&R, but the play I mentioned above seemed to be a set play that could work on occassion, kind of like that screen and roll Marion and Diaw used to run.