From Miami to Pheonix

I don't want this to be a sports blog, but I have to write about my favorite athlete of all time: The Big Aristotle aka The Big Deisel aka Shaq Daddy. He got traded from Miami to Phoenix this past week for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. I watched his press conference and had several ruminations.

I first thought of the situation from the perspective of Mr. O'Neal who obviously wanted to be traded. The Miami Heat did not look like they were going to win another championship. Even though he won a championship with them a couple years ago, he is more interested in getting another ring than remaining on the sinking ship that he had one glorious voyage on. This is not surprising because he has been traded twice before for similar reasons. He seemed happy in the press conference to be with the Pheonix Suns primarily because of Steve Nash. The top three guards in the NBA are probably Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, and Dwane Wade. Now Shaq can say that he plays/played with all of them.

Then I thought about the trade from each of the team's perspectives. The Heat will not make the playoffs this year, so they would rather rebuild the team with a younger player in Shawn Marion. I understand that. But why would the Suns want Shaq? He is always injured. He doesn't fit in to the fast paced offence. They already have a good forward named Amare Stoudemire.

I look forward to seeing what the Suns look like with their new addition. Even if it turns out poorly, it will be better than cheering for the lowly Heat.