This puts Shaq right where he belongs--in the enemy camp. Remember, Shaq was directly or indirectly responsible for the loss of Eddie Jones, Elden, Peeler, Lynch and Van Exel...

I can't wait till we face him and his beloved Suns.

Wes

I bet you a crazy Suns fan is going to wait for SHaq to get off the plane and then PLOW break his legs to make him not pass the physical...

at least i would if a crazy trade like that happened to my Lakers

TJ Simers must be the most idiotic "sportswriter" in the LA times gang ( ak/bk that doesnt include you guys). He is now again rehashing his "I really hate Kobe especially now that the lakers are winning". He still writes like Kobe hasnt helped the lakers winning like they are now. His today article is like a century old. People has already been saying things awhile back but he just wrote it now.
We should put a sign in front of LA times "fire TJ" like in ny "fire Isiah" thing. uuuugggghhh why do the LA times kept on employing this people

ron L

WHY THE SUNS GOING AFTER SHAQ?

BECAUSE EVERY CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM IN THE PAST 6 OUT OF 7 YEARS HAD A POST MAN WHO EVER OTHER PLAYER RODE THEIR COAT TAILS.

KOBE (ROBIN) RODE SHAQ (BATMAN) - 3 TITLES
PARKER (ROBIN) RODE DUNCAN (BATMAN) - 3 TITLES

THE MOVE IS JUST SMART FOR THE SUNS. THEY HAVE NO CHANCE WINNING A TITLE WITHOUT SOME IN THE POST.

AND JUST LIKE OUR LAKERS THIS YEAR IT'S GOING TO BE EITHER BYNUM OR GASOL (BATMAN) AND OLD MAN KOBE RIDE THEIR COAT TAILS (ROBIN) TO A CHAMPIONSHIP. IF KOBE TRIES TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN THAT, WE WILL LOSE.

PERIOD!

this thought just came through my mind...

1. what if the real reason steve kerr is approving this shaq-marion trade is to help spurs.
you know, kerr is a spurs fans, he never enjoyed his time with the bulls because MJ hit him in the face, while duncan respect him through and through (i know this sounds silly but maybe just to throw gasoline to the fire :p)

personally, i think this is what you could call a 50-50 trade prospect, it could be a success but on the exact opposite side, it could be a bust.

what i know for sure is despite all the denial that this trade wasn't a result of western GMs concern over Gasol trade to Lakers, it actually is.
which proves that lakers is already feared as the team to beat in the west now.

2. (a little out of the topic) this couples of weeks has increased the number of posts in this lively blog.
I would proposed to K-Bro to add a number for each posts, so you could track your reading easily if you are late to involve in a topic.
what say everybody?

cannot wait for atlanta game :)

GO LAKERS!

I just heard the Shaq talk on the Dan Patrick Show.

This scares me a little. Not because of what Shaq can do on a daily basis, but what he will try to do against the Lakers, Jerry Buss, and Kobe during the playoffs. We all KNOW that Shaq is more than capable of motivating himself for seven games.

We know this. We've seen it time and time again with our own eyes. We've seen him rob Kobe of a finals MVP by riding Kobe's coattail for a whole season, and then letting Kobe drag the team along during the entire playoffs and then miraculously show up during the Finals to get all the recognition.

Didn't he pull the same stunt in Miami with Wade (to a lesser degree)?

Phoenix does not need Shaq to get to the playoffs like Miami does. He can't provide that for a team anymore. But, to get them through a playoff series or two? I bet he can do that much.

Plus, Shaq will bend Gasol in half. We'd have to depend on our Bynum V. Shaq matchup. On paper, Bynum should prevail. But, does anyone remember what happened when Shaq first went mano-e-mano against an aging Hakeem in the playoffs? Hakeem took him to school. I fear Shaq has enough to do that to us, even if he doesn't bring enough to get Phoenix the title in the end.

Fate dictates that we will see Phoenix again in the playoffs. We were poised to run roughshod over them after getting Gasol (actually, in all honesty, we were ready before getting Gasol). Now, the who dynamic changes. We have to be careful.

We have to be careful and on our games at all times. We have to think and speak the way both Kobe and Phil both have been. We have to acknowledge what we've done, but not get to happy and full of ourselves. And, what has been Kobe's mantra all season? "Work hard and improve every game."

WOW!

That's why the West is so much better than the Least. The GM's out here are playing Poker. Those GM's over there are playing Go Fish.

--FearlessWhackJob

Riles is a pretty good GM as well. He's about to get:

a) GIANT! cap relief (makes Kwame's look puny)
b) The Matrix (playing in the Least)
c) High draft pick (well, he had that already)

All in one deal.

Talk about instant rebuild.

--FearlessWhackJob

AK/Xodus,

This isn't something someone should wake up to in the morning. There's no way I get work done the rest of the day.

Here's the thing, Shawn Marion must be one serious cancer in the locker room for them to make this deal. I know there's always been talk about his attitude, but maybe those on the inside have just had enough. Nothing else makes sense. Nothing. You replace that attitude with a guy who's been known to be great to be around, has four titles and the mammoth personality and you think you're on the positive side of that issue.

I know the talk has been how this helps defensively, but I couldn't disagree more. Shawn Marion guards all five spots on the floor and is one of the best rebounders in the league. You can't replace that. Period.

I could go on for about 8,000 words but I don't think I can ever convince myself of a good reason for this. For that reason alone I'm calling it a chemistry move and one to shake up the mentality of the team.

See John Hollinger's take on this, it's pretty good.

shaq to the suns is a knee jerk, desperate move by steve kerr and the suns to match the gasol deal the lakers just made.

you have to give them credit for trying. but this deal is only good (great, actually) for the miami heat. shaq's contract gone and the matrix and banks coming in?

hell of a deal by riley, i wonder who started the talks...

as for shaq fitting in with the suns, i really don't see it. a slow, half court center on a fast paced offensive attack.

now the suns have TWO CENTERS that play weak defense and don't rebound enough! nice.

i see shaq as a dry lemon that miami already squeezed a title out of.

the tires are bald.

shaq is now the big injury.

not concerned whatsover about shaq going to the suns.

let us not forget that the suns also lost shawn marion in this deal, their best perimeter defender/all around player.
_______________
gasol met and exceeded all expectations last night.

let's go lake show!

Look at the Suns trying to match up with us. This trade looks like it's a desperation move on the Suns part. Shaq is washed up. This should be fun though.

Bynum v. Shaq.
Gasol v. Amare

That should be a battle. Take the throne Big Bynum!

The game last night was just beautiful to me. I haven't had much exposure to Gasol's game while he was a Grizzly, but wow, I'm am very impressed with his game. He can do it all. He's fundamentally sound in all aspects of his game. He can shoot, great passing, good coordination, he's smooth, keeps the ball high and converts at the basket, good post game, good team defense,; everything looked good last night at least.

Kobe played about as bad of a game as he could play. Yet, he had the biggest smile on his face that he's had in a long time.

Watching the game and how good Gasol is, I can say with confidence that even without Big Bynum, we could beat the Spurs. Gasol is a great match up against Duncan, they'd cancel each other out, and Kobe would be the difference. We'll need Big Bynum to go against the diesel though, his knees better be strong when that time comes because Shaq has the potential of breaking him.

But it's cool because Big Bynum can now go back into development mode while Gasol becomes the number 1b option. Now it's not as important that Bynum comes back soon, it's important that Bynum comes back fully healthy. We're fine winning regular season games without him. Get healthy Big Bynum.

How about Gasol jumping right in for 24/12? I thought there would be an adjustment period to learn the daunting Triangle offense? Yeah, right. Basketball is basketball. Gasol just played basketball and was just fine. Imagine when Gasol actually learns the ins and outs of the offense...

Wow is all I've got to say. We've got a very talented team now. I'm happy about it. Like Kobe says, they now have to "walk the walk".

dave m,

You're ignoring so many factors if you're saying that Shaq is adding a low post presence.

First: The reason the Suns are apparently doing this trade is because they want Shaq to be a defensive presence and that's crazy. Shaq and Eddy Curry are the two worst defensive centers in the league. He can't defend the screen and roll, he can't protect the rim because he can't move his feet. I posted the stat last night, Shaq has had at least 4 fouls in 21 of his 32 games played. And that's with Amare already being a foul prone big man. He's not averaging 28 min. a night because the Heat want to save his body, it's because he can't stay on the floor.

Second: Marion is by far their best defender. When the Suns play teams like the Spurs and Hornets it's Marion who guards Paul and Parker because Nash is terrible defender. So now they've lost their best perimeter defender and added a big man who can't make up for that loss by blocking shots.

Third: They gave up their best rebounder for a guy who has no lift and only rebounds what falls right into his lap.

And don't forget that Shaq can't stay healthy.

There are several other reasons why this deal is bad for Phoenix but I'm too lazy to them all out.

Andrew Z,

This was a panic move by the Suns. And one that's going to cost them. Shaq hurts them in so many more ways than he helps. The only area where he helps is post scoring, but did they really need that with all the dunks that Amare and Marion already got them?

This trade makes them worse defensively in multiple ways and takes them from being the top FT shooting team in the league to middle of the pack.

Gunner,

Shaq is no longer a post man, he's more a postman good enough to deliver letters and junk mails for few blocks. That alone, he needs a lot of breaks along the way, the chasing poodles makes him very tired. lol!

I don't know what type of chemistry are expeting from the mixture of nash + barbosa + diaw + amare then shaq. You are asking the speed boat to pull a megaton tug boat. The Big Dominant is 35, whatever the mind says, the knees + athritic toe aches and hips could not take more punishment. This is the resultant of those power dunks and unnecessary breaking of boards he did when he was young. I only know one man who took care of his body with soft touches on the hoop and created hook shots as a weapon, that's Kareem so he got reprieve from nature and played until he was forty. That's just my take, a speculation of geriatric players. I've seen a lot of them in the past.

DREW............

Dont rush back........
take your time........
an while your waiting work on your upper body........ stay in the weight room get stronger.........
because your going to be banging bodies with the strongest man in the N.B.A.........IN SHAQ
An when GREG ODAN return next year he's going to be a beast.........
THEY LIST (ODAN AT 7 FEET 295, WITH 4% BODY FAT) WOW.........

THE WEST IS GOING TO BE FUN YALL...........

Rocky -

Yeah, obviously Gasol did awesome last night, but remember that PJ simplified the Triangle for him. I think there's still a HUGE upside for how they work together, especially when he grasps more of where he can get his shots/isos/dimes. He was great, but not completely integrated yet... it will be scary and awesome when they click him into place.

AK - Thanks so much for setting this up. I also think some sort of numbering system would be great to keep track of posts.

p.s: I know this is late, but for Pau nickname discussion, I think that his pre-existing "Gasolina" is perfect... he pumped high octane fuel back into the veins of our battered Laker engine.

"I can feel it, but it feels like it's not there," Bryant said afterward, vowing to play through the injury Wednesday night in Atlanta rather than risk the voice message wrath of the old-school types he tries to emulate. "They'd look at me like a chump if I didn't play. I'd get a call from M.J., I'd get a call from Harp [Ron Harper] and you don't want those calls."

Kobe is a warrior, this is where he and lebron james are different. lebron sits this one out. kobe will go out and give it his all and lead us to victory. im really impressed and excited about the lakers right now. gasol looks to be an awesome fit.

cant wait to see outta shape shaq hobble down the court in a suns uniform, and cant wait till bynum posterizes shaq again.

one more thing... you know who i decided i really dont like, leandro barbosa. i hate the look on his face. i dont know why but i just dont like it. i kinda just want to punch him. hope ariza posterizes him sometime in the playoffs.

GO LAKERS

mel,

Where did you hear that the Heat were throwing in Smush. If that's true, I just don't know how Riley does this stuff. He dumped Brian Grant's contract on us, dumped Eddie Jones' contract on Memphis, dumped Antoine Walker's deal on Minny and now he's dumped Shaq and Smush on the Suns.

And that's even more hilarious because the Suns hate Smush. They think he's terrible. lol

Barneydangles-

Yeah, I know what you mean about Barbosa. Tony Parker has had that same look on his face since 2004.... Just makes you want to smack him.

McBarney,

Didn't LeBron miss 6 games (all losses) with a hangnail? j/k. It was a finger injury on his non-shooting hand, and some felt he sat out too long.

My new favorite laker- pow pow pow

Its just one game, I know, but it shows this team doesnt need Kobe to score to win.

On the other hand, can any player in the NBA go from 20 to 3 to 12 to 3 faster than Sasha? Where is the so-called consistency?

Gunner- keep up the posts , Kobaby is interested in making Kobe look good, not the laker TEAM.

Example posts

Kobe respects you when he passes you the ball and you give him an assist
Kobe respects you when you throw it ahead to him on the break so he can dunk the ball.

hmmm I thought it was all about winning? Those posts sound like Kobe is interested in his own STATS.

So what's going to happen to the Suns' slashing to the basket/ball movement offense? The trouble we always had with them (in my mind) was that they could all slash to within 8 feet of the basket and make that little jump shot. With Shaq standing in the middle he not only takes away a lot of that movement, but he takes away Amare's room to operate under the basket. I (don’t) hope Amare works on his jump shot because he's gonna need it to operate at power forward with Shaq in there.

Also, The Suns better hope Shaq can play big minutes because they just lost their best defender in Marion who played big minutes. Shaq can probably neutralize Marion's loss while he's on the floor, but when he's on the bench who's going to be the defensive stopper?

Still, this is a move the Suns probably had to make though it does smack of desperation.

I can't wait to see a healthy Bynum leap frog all over Shaq. Not that Bynum is much of a jumper anyways, but Shaq has lost almost all of his vertical lift.

Bring it on.

Don't we play the Suns soon? 2/20? I can't wait. C-a-n-n-o-t w-a-i-t.

Wes

Shaq to Phoenix?! It's over.......for the Suns :>

Hey,

Mark this day down! Gunner finally made sense.

Wes

Xodus and fkillah - fine, fine fine, haha. According to you and others I'm missing each and every point. So, no worries. Let's just go with the notion that Shaq is fat and broken down and useless and that the Suns (with the best record in the west) are acting out of sheer stupidity and desperation. Oh, and the thing that some blogger said about this being Kerr's secret agenda to actually help the Spurs. Or the notions being tossed around that this deal is REALLY just a way to set up some OTHER deals. And of course, Nash and the rest of the Suns being the inept clowns that they are will have no clue whatsoever about how to work Shaq into their lineup. I am feel vastly better about this whole deal! Thanks!

I like the trade for Shaq. IDC if he is motivated or not. Bynum and Gasol are too mobile for him and have hops. Shaq is glued to the floor. As noted by Mob Wagoneer that the Lakers have Mbenga. The stats Mob stated are less relevant than the six fouls he can give up riding Shaq and tiring him out.

I don't see what Phx has to gain unless it is for cap spce or another trade.