Hate him or love him, Shaq knows how to put smiles on people’s faces. That little dance routine he put on with the Jabbawockeez (they’ve really turned their 15 minutes into something more huh?) will go down as one of the most memorable moments in All-Star Game history. I enjoyed it and enjoyed his play during the game, even though he bullied his way to about 10 of his points. Hopefully he’s not the Big Nostradamus and isn’t right when he said this year is probably his last year in the game. Here’s to seeing you in Dallas Shaq. Check out the dance below:
Phoenix Suns GM Steve Kerr has made another splash by trading for Charlotte Bobcats guard Jason Richardson. The Suns also received Jared Dudley and a second-round draft pick and in return the Bobcats received Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, and Sean Singletary.
This deal makes you scratch your head on many levels. First let’s start off with the Suns. So the word on the street is that Kerr felt like his team needed some more firepower and gave up their best defender to do so. I can understand that but the Suns were still averaging 101.7 ppg, good for sixth in the league. The problem is they still played no defense as they also gave up 101.7 ppg. Richardson is not much of a defender either so their defensive woes will continue to persist. The truth of the matter is, the Suns are just a flawed team and Terry Porter is not a very good coach. I didn’t like the hire to begin with and I’m being proven correctly right now. Kerr never should have traded for Shaq and Mike D’Antoni should still be the coach. He got the most out of his guys and you can tell how bitter the players are under Porter as they’ve been talking negatively about the team all season long. I do feel bad to a certain extent for Porter because D’Antoni’s system is a tough act to follow. No matter what you do, the players won’t have as much fun in your system and the only way they’ll be happy is if you have more success. The Suns are barely a .500 team and I don’t think J-Rich will make them much better. Without Diaw, they are incredibly thin up front and with Shaq not even playing 30 minutes per game, the Suns are going to get killed up front, even with Amare. I expect Steve Nash, Shaq, and Stoudemire to all leave in 2010, Grant Hill will retire, and owner Robert Sarver will be left with a bunch of unhappy players, led by J-Rich and Leandro Barbosa. The question is how long will Sarver stay with both Kerr and Porter because it’s clear they aren’t getting the job done.
As for the Bobcats, I liked the trade until on Inside the NBA, Kenny Smith made me realize that DJ Augustin will probably be starting at point guard, forcing Raymond Felton to move to shooting guard yet again (and even if Augustin continues to come off the bench, he’ll still be playing the majority of minutes at the point). Now I have to first admit that I am biased because Felton is one of my favorite Tar Heels of all time. With that said, Felton is NOT a shooting guard and I think his 40% career FG% clearly shows this. And at 6’0, there’s no way he can guard the bigger two-guards on a daily basis. He is a point guard and I thought Larry Brown was going to use him as such. The Bobcats have enjoyed most of their success with Felton at point guard and it seems crazy to me they’d move him yet again. But I will say the success of DJ Augustin is a bit surprising and he has definitely earned a starting gig with his play. If he keeps this up, he’ll be a future star in the league and he’s gotta get big minutes to get to that point. The Bobcats have made it clear that Augustin is their point guard of the future so in my eyes, they have to trade Felton (who has been on the trading block for quite some time) and get something in return. They’ll only have Singletary as a backup (though I like his game as well), but if they keep Felton and start both him and DJ, they’ll have the smallest backcourt in the league (but also the quickest) by far and they’ll get killed defensively. I’ll be keeping an eye on how things are going in Charlotte but I hope my man Felton gets the opportunity to showcase his skills elsewhere.
It is the dawn of a new era in Phoenix as new head coach Terry Porter takes over for Mike D’Antoni. D’Antoni went 253-136 as the Suns head coach and it will be incredibly difficult for Porter to match that success, especially with an aging roster that includes Steve Nash and Shaquille O’Neal. It will be interesting to see how the team transitions from playing in D’Antoni’s 7 seconds or less offense to Porter’s more structured (and defensive) philosophies.
Manchild.
Face of the Franchise: Amare Stoudemire. Sorry Steve but your time is done. Not because you’re getting old or because you’ve lost a step, but because Mike D’Antoni was the best thing that could ever have happened to you. And now he’s in New York. Nash was a good point guard in Dallas but when he came (back) to Phoenix, he turned into an elite player (and two time MVP) in the NBA. His numbers were off the charts under D’Antoni and there’s no way he matches his production from the last four years. Don’t get me wrong, stats don’t tell the whole story on how effective he was and Nash will still be a top point guard in the league, but it is STAT’s team now. The player Shaq once referred to as the “Future of the NBA” has established himself as a certified (offensive) monster. He averaged 25 ppg while shooting 59% from the field (and 80% from the line!) and with efficiency like that, Porter would be wise to run his offense through Stoudemire. There’s no denying he can attribute his success to D’Antoni’s offense also but something tells me Stoudemire would dominate in any system.
Send Him Away: Boris Diaw. In a nutshell, Diaw will not nearly be as effective with Porter as he was under D’Antoni. He is a $9 million/year 6th man who is another player that disappears in the playoffs. He won’t be very productive this year and with him signed through 2012 (player option for the 2011-2012 season), GM Steve Kerr should try to get rid of him now before the rest of the league actually sees this.
Impact Newcomer: Terry Porter. Out of all the coaching changes, this one is the most drastic in terms of on-court play. But while Porter will (rightfully) spend more time on defense, he should understand that his team was enormously successful employing a faster paced offense. Though having Shaq will undoubtedly slow things down, I would still utilize some of the offensive principles his predecessor injected in his team.
X-Factor: Shaquille O’Neal. Steve Kerr took a huge risk when he traded for Shaq last year. Doubters of the trade contended O’Neal, aging and with diminishing skills, would be ineffective playing in the old system and in the end they were right as the Suns lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs and D’Antoni was eventually ousted. But with Amare Stoudemire as the #1 option on offense, Shaq’s importance is more on the defensive end. He may not be the defensive game-changer he was in Orlando or LA, but he is still 7-1 and 330 lbs and capable of adjusting some shots. The Suns were never good on defense but with Porter at the helm, Shaq will be counted on to anchor the D.
How much does this guy have left in the tank?
Forecast: Playoffs – 8th seed. It will be a tough year for the new-look Phoenix Suns. I never thought too highly of Terry Porter as a head coach and believe the Suns will have a rough time adjusting to his style. They will be fighting for that final playoff the entire season and it would not surprise me one bit if they slipped into the lottery. If that happens, the future of the Suns will be in limbo as Shaq, Nash, and Amare all face free agency within the next two years.
Posted by david im 
