Go West, "Young" Man

Yesterday, it was announced that four-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal has been traded to the Phoenix Suns for four-time NBA All-Star Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. What does this trade mean for Shaq? What does it mean for the Heat? What does it mean for Dwyane Wade? I'll answer the first question now.

Believe it or not, this is a great move for the Suns. Is this an overreaction to the Pau Gasol acquisition? Maybe. Nonetheless, the Suns have come up short with their same nucleus time and time again. They're fun to watch, but they've never been gotten a whiff of the NBA Finals. Obviously, a change needed to be made. I've heard people say that Shaq won't be able to keep up with the run-and-gun offense. Of course he isn't. However, the Suns won't need him to do that. They are going to need him to get the rebound and start the fast break; and step up to be the low-post presence when necessary.

Phoenix can get any seven-footer to grab the rebound, but there is a reason why they got Shaq. Shaq is playing on a team with athletic, young players, and three-point-shooters. However, the best perk for Phoenix is that they've got two big men in Shaq and Amare Stoudemire.

People can say what they want to say about Shaq, but if you give him single-coverage, he's going to kill you. If you double-team him, Amare Stoudemire is going to kill you, and vice versa. There isn't one team with this type of power rotation in the League. This is something people haven't seen since Duncan and Robinson. Amare is going to make Shaq look good, and Shaq is going to make Amare better. David Robinson was at the tail-end of his career, like Shaq, and Duncan was able to lead him to two championships.

I know people are saying that if Shaq complained about getting shots in Miami, he's going to yap even more in Phoenix. What people fail to realize is this: if you list Miami's roster with Phoenix's roster, who is supposed to be getting the shots on Miami? Ricky "Turnover" Davis? Jason "Can't Make a Layup" Williams? I would complain if I was Shaq. In Phoenix, you've got great players surrounding Shaq. He won't mind taking a back-seat if he's going to win another ring.

Another argument is that Shaq is going to be injured. Shaq has said that the media is making him angry. And when he gets angry, he does stuff like winning championships. I have very seldom seen Shaq not rise to the occasion. Being around an already great team makes things all the better for O'Neal. When Shaq comes back healthy, it will be a great deal for the Suns.

Some people have asked me if Shaq will win a championship in Phoenix. Of course, it's too early to call. However, if I had to go out on a limb, I would say yes. And it will happen this year.