Shaq To The Suns, Good Trade For Whom?

Shaquille O'Neal is on the move again, heading to his 4th team in his hall of fame
career. This time he's headed back west and going to play for the Phoenix Suns. But
even though Shaq has won 4 NBA titles in his career, and appeared in 6 NBA finals
overall, is this move good for the Suns or is it good for the other team involved, the
Heat?
The Suns clearly get one of the all time greats in O'Neal. He's a big man who can clog
the middle both offensively and defensively and has the ability to cause
havoc.......when healthy. That's one of the big things, O'Neal is about to be 36 and his
body has gone through 16 years of the NBA and it's physical around the rim style of
play. O'Neal hasn't been able to stay healthy the past few seasons and has missed
the past 2 weeks of play for the Heat. His ability to play for the Suns and play often is
a big x factor in this move. If he's on the court, he's good for about 14 points and 8
rebounds this season. Good numbers, but I think the Suns got him more for his
intimidating presence and his experience. Another problem I see with this move for
the Suns is they like to play an up tempo, fast break style and O'Neal does not have
the body or the style of play to match that, he never has. How will that work? The Suns
have several great players like Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire to alleviate some
of the pressures on O'Neal and this move also allows Stoudemire to move to his
natural forward position from center, but I just don't think this move makes a whole lot
of sense for the Suns. In order to get O'Neal they traded away former number 9
overall pick Shawn Marion who is an all star and is only 29 years old and is averaging
around 16 points a game. They also traded away 25 year old reserve Marcus Banks
who was the 13th overall pick not too long ago. While I don't think losing Banks is a
big deal, I do think the Suns will regret the loss of Marion. He has a been with these
guys for a while and he clearly fits their style of play. He has been a big part of the
Suns recent success over the past few years and the fact that he's only 29, 7 years
younger than O'Neal is a big sticking point to me. Unless the Suns win the
championship while Shaq dons their uniform, this trade will be looked at as a huge
bust for them. In 3 years Marion will still be playing at a very high level, probably
helping the heat get deep into the playoffs with D'wayne Wade. Meahwhile Shaq will
be sitting on his couch waiting for the hall of fame to call for his induction. Shaq is
clearly the better player career wise, the bigger name and the bigger man, but he is
not the missing piece the Suns think he is. They are still missing the one piece they
thought they replaced with O'Neal, and with the trade of Marion, they are now missing
a 2nd piece. The Heat made out in this deal as they gained 2 players under the age
of 30, one being an all star and a great compliment to D'Wayne Wade. The Suns must
win a championship or they will regret this trade for years to come.