Shaq heads back to the West, and Marion gets his wish to leave Phoenix. How does this trade look for both teams?
Phoenix should still have no trouble making the playoffs and getting a top four seed. Given the multitude of scorers and the passing ability of Steve Nash, losing Marion will unlikely affect point totals or offensive effectiveness very much during the year. The Suns have performed exceptionally in the past few regular seasons, yet have fallen short of making the NBA Finals in all three years. They typically lose in the playoffs because of their lack of ability to control the frontcourt against a team like Dallas or San Antonio. Paired with Amare Stoudamire, Shaq brings that dominant low post presence to Phoenix that they did not previously have with Marion. If healthy, Shaq will provide an offensive presence that allows the Suns to run set offense as well as they run the fast break, and a defensive presence that will allow the Suns to effectively cover two opposing post players. This looks like a move that will prove most beneficial in May and June, when Phoenix will have to play solid defense and slow down their offense. The obvious potential problems with the trade are that Shaq moves slowly in transition and is prone to injury. This move will most likely be highly scrutinized for a long time because it will appear Shaq is lagging behind the rest of the team, but the real effect of the trade will be evident during the playoffs. How good a move it is will depend on if Shaq can stay healthy and contribute in the aforementioned areas.
Miami does not look anything like the NBA Champion of two years past, and it is about time they made a change. Their success that season was the result of a dominant guard in Dwayne Wade, a dominant post player in Shaq, and steady play from others such as Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, and Alonzo Mourning. Since that season, injuries have limited playing time for the stars, and the rest of the team has been much less productive. The Heat suffered a first round sweep at the hands of Chicago last season, and have started an atrocious 9-38 this season, the worst record in the league. It was time for a change, and because of Shaq's lack of contribution this season, Miami utilized his iconic status to shop around for a talented player like Marion. With Marion and Wade, the Heat now have a dynamic offensive duo as they did two years ago, and with an upcoming draft pick likely in the top five, Miami may soon return to contention as one of the best teams in the league.
This trade looks as if it may be monumentally beneficial for both Phoenix and Miami in the long run.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
Super Bowl XLII
You have to be happy for Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin.
After Manning snubbed san diego (great career move), he got no love for anything he did, few individuals showed this guy any respect, and he is only in his 4th year in the league. He could have folded, and let the media and the fans get to him, but he kept a cool head and brought this team from out of nowhere to being atop the greatest arena in pro football. What an impressive feat; I for one never thought he would get there, but he not only got there, he did it in impressive time and against a stacked group of opponents. I remember Keith Oberman (NBC-Football Night In America) saying earlier in the year that there were 5 really good teams, 5 really bad teams, and the rest of the league was just watching. Manning and the Giants upset Tampa Bay in round one gunned down three of those teams on the road (granted the Super Bowl was a neutral sight, bottom line is that they were away from the Meadowlands, and they were playing the best team in the history of football). That road warrior mentality is another aspect makes him and the Giants such a special team, it's one thing to have a dominant home-field advantage, but it's much more special to go on road winning streaks like they did this year.
After Tom Coughlin and the Jacksonville "Jagwads" (Thanks Woody Paige, you are the man, but you didn't need to do that, never underestimate your opponent) took down the Broncos in that monumental 1996 Divisional Playoff game, they suffered an unfortunate letdown the following week against none other than the New England Patriots. It must have been a great feeling to finally win a Super Bowl over the team that ended an impressive playoff run for such a head coach in only his second year and a franchise in only its second year. Following that was even more heartbreak, getting paid back next year 42-17 when they came into Denver, and then for the next 2 years having one of football's elite teams and never getting to the Super Bowl, and then 3 straight sub-.500 seasons. Then he came to New York and missed the playoffs in his first season, and was ousted in the Wild Card round for two consecutive seasons. Then came the epiphany that all legends have at some point that allows them to turn the corner. He shrugged his strict disciplinary attitude, proved to the critics that a man believed to be set in his ways could change, and formed a bond with his players that led the Giants to one of the most impressive season-ending tears in sports history, which concluded with tonight's epic upset over the Patriots.
These two great stories of struggle, overcoming the odds, and triumph are what make professional sports great. I do not mean to subtract from the rest of team whatsoever, it was undoubtedly a team effort that carried New York through, these simply stand as shining examples of how perseverance and quality performance culminate into what is the beauty of the game.
Last year at the conclusion of Super Bowl XLI, I said, "Let's hope Super Bowl XLII is at least a good game or the NFL officially sucks." This game gave me some hope again as an NFL fan, because I truly believe what my brother Anthony said, "If New England goes undefeated, winning the Super Bowl from here on out will never be good enough if the team does not go undefeated." This is very true because if the Patriots won tonight the pursuit of perfection in the modern era would have been reached. So for at least one more year, the 1972 Dolphins can celebrate with their champagne party being the only team in NFL history having achieved perfection, and I sure hope that holds true forever.
After Manning snubbed san diego (great career move), he got no love for anything he did, few individuals showed this guy any respect, and he is only in his 4th year in the league. He could have folded, and let the media and the fans get to him, but he kept a cool head and brought this team from out of nowhere to being atop the greatest arena in pro football. What an impressive feat; I for one never thought he would get there, but he not only got there, he did it in impressive time and against a stacked group of opponents. I remember Keith Oberman (NBC-Football Night In America) saying earlier in the year that there were 5 really good teams, 5 really bad teams, and the rest of the league was just watching. Manning and the Giants upset Tampa Bay in round one gunned down three of those teams on the road (granted the Super Bowl was a neutral sight, bottom line is that they were away from the Meadowlands, and they were playing the best team in the history of football). That road warrior mentality is another aspect makes him and the Giants such a special team, it's one thing to have a dominant home-field advantage, but it's much more special to go on road winning streaks like they did this year.
After Tom Coughlin and the Jacksonville "Jagwads" (Thanks Woody Paige, you are the man, but you didn't need to do that, never underestimate your opponent) took down the Broncos in that monumental 1996 Divisional Playoff game, they suffered an unfortunate letdown the following week against none other than the New England Patriots. It must have been a great feeling to finally win a Super Bowl over the team that ended an impressive playoff run for such a head coach in only his second year and a franchise in only its second year. Following that was even more heartbreak, getting paid back next year 42-17 when they came into Denver, and then for the next 2 years having one of football's elite teams and never getting to the Super Bowl, and then 3 straight sub-.500 seasons. Then he came to New York and missed the playoffs in his first season, and was ousted in the Wild Card round for two consecutive seasons. Then came the epiphany that all legends have at some point that allows them to turn the corner. He shrugged his strict disciplinary attitude, proved to the critics that a man believed to be set in his ways could change, and formed a bond with his players that led the Giants to one of the most impressive season-ending tears in sports history, which concluded with tonight's epic upset over the Patriots.
These two great stories of struggle, overcoming the odds, and triumph are what make professional sports great. I do not mean to subtract from the rest of team whatsoever, it was undoubtedly a team effort that carried New York through, these simply stand as shining examples of how perseverance and quality performance culminate into what is the beauty of the game.
Last year at the conclusion of Super Bowl XLI, I said, "Let's hope Super Bowl XLII is at least a good game or the NFL officially sucks." This game gave me some hope again as an NFL fan, because I truly believe what my brother Anthony said, "If New England goes undefeated, winning the Super Bowl from here on out will never be good enough if the team does not go undefeated." This is very true because if the Patriots won tonight the pursuit of perfection in the modern era would have been reached. So for at least one more year, the 1972 Dolphins can celebrate with their champagne party being the only team in NFL history having achieved perfection, and I sure hope that holds true forever.
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