RealGM

Hey guys,

What do you think is the main reason the Shaq trade hasn't worked out?

He's taken ALL of the blame for what's happened this year with everyone saying they screwed up by trading Marion.

How is this his fault, though?

- Was it him who ran out D'Antoni...one of the best coaches in the NBA? No. That was Kerr.

- Was it him who hired a coach whose system didn't fit the team? No. That was Kerr who hired Porter.

- Was it his fault the team's best scorer got hurt when it seemed the team was ready to make a run under Alvin Gentry? No.

- Is it his fault Bryan Colangelo is no longer the GM? No. That's Sarver's fault.

- Is it his fault Grant Hill got hurt right before the playoffs last year? No. That was just bad luck.

- Is it him who traded Raja Bell and Boris Diaw? No. That was Kerr.

Here's a 37 year old guy who has outplayed Marion and is having an amazing season averaging 18/8 on 61% shooting. That's incredible for a guy his age.

Why hasn't it worked out, though?

Wouldn't you agree it's mainly Kerr's fault?

I truly believe if they kept Mike D, Raja/Boris, and Amare didn't get hurt, this team would have a good record with Shaq this year. They showed that towards the end of last season.

What do you think?

I agree. Shockingly enough, Shaq was/is not the problem with the team. Egomaniac and somewhat annoying with some of the stuff he does/says, but he's always been like that. On the court, except for the excruciating free throws (I don't give a damn if it's "improved") he's been good.

The problem though, is that Marion was the glue of the team. That's where it went wrong, if anything.

Simply put, his time in Phoenix has been ruined by bad luck and bad decisions, yet everybody continues to blame him.

Johnny Ludden said it best: Kerr and the Suns have failed Shaq more than he has failed them.

The trade worked. It worked as it was expected to work. He brought us a proper big man and inside presence. He did everything asked of him and more.

It was everything else around him that didn't work imo. Porter was a mistake, JRich trade was a mistake, Robin Lopez was a mistake.

For all the times Shaq has been blamed for the failure of a team to get to where they wanna go, I know for sure, this time it was not his fault.

If his history is any indication (Leaving teams on bad terms), can you imagine what he will say about this team if he's traded this summer?

He is going to HEAVILY criticize Steve Kerr and Robert Sarver, most likely.

The Diesel wrote:If his history is any indication (Leaving teams on bad terms), can you imagine what he will say about this team if he's traded this summer?

He is going to HEAVILY criticize Steve Kerr and Robert Sarver, most likely.

I hope so. Kerr & Sarver have done horrible jobs running this team. Not Shaq's fault at all, just bad decions to go along with unfortunate events (injuries & so on).

lilfishi22 wrote:The trade worked. It worked as it was expected to work. He brought us a proper big man and inside presence. He did everything asked of him and more.

It was everything else around him that didn't work imo. Porter was a mistake, JRich trade was a mistake, Robin Lopez was a mistake.

For all the times Shaq has been blamed for the failure of a team to get to where they wanna go, I know for sure, this time it was not his fault.

+ 1

- the j-rich trade. j-rich was brought to a team that was almost lost. he should have been our messias and that was just too much. you can´t blame him, you can blame kerr to spending alot of money and not even making the playoffs. i said it at the beginning of the season and i´m gonna saying it again. the suns are / were to slim in the frontcourt and you can´t win anything with rookies as back ups that are not named cpaul, lbj, carmely, mj or duncan. point

Hill's injury was definitely a result of fatigue due to DA's short rotation, just like Bell's freakish one in 2005.

dantian wrote:Hill's injury was definitely a result of fatigue due to DA's short rotation, just like Bell's freakish one in 2005.

Huh??? Hill's injury was a groin pull. You don't get injuries like that from just being fatigued. The same with Raja's calf injury.