Heat in serious talks to trade Shaq

This is the weirdest trade ever. I can't believe Miami is getting bailed out like this.

this trade doesn't make sense to me, especially after phoenix continually sells draft picks because they are worried about $$$$.

maybe this will be the year that bad teams unload ALL of their good players to good teams, and half the league will be really strong and the other half in rebuild mode, rather than just a couple elite teams...could certainly make for an interesting playoffs.

The Suns would probably be better off getting Cheik Samb. At least he can run and shoot.

Ouch. Nevermind.

I don't know if any of you guys have noticed, maybe your all to busy laughing, but the deal is done, Snaq somehow magically passed his physical and is actually a Sun. What a sad sad day for Suns fans.

What I wanna know is how Riley pulled this out of his ass?

And where did the Suns find there medical staff?

Perhaps Shaq will magically become healthy in a new situation, ala Chris Webber last season when he was traded to the Pistons.

I believe that Marion is a free agent after this season, no guarantee he will stay with the Heat however if the Heat get the #1 pick and take Beasley or get the #2 pick and take Rose and resign Marion they will have 3 pretty darn good young players.

Yeah, but if Marion couldn't take a backseat to Nash and Stat, especially when he was getting paid a lot more to just keep his mouth shut and play, how is going to take to Wade, and possibly another stern made star next year.

I was shocked when I first heard this. I honestly thought it was a joke. I figured maybe I missed something, but it appears everyone in here is pretty much on the same page. It was really nice to know I could come in here and get some good honest opinions and insight rather than listen to the media crap on this topic. Kind of validated my reality for me.

Anyhow, if this were in a fantasy league It would be vetoed in a hot second. LOL. Yeah, I know in real life we are talking chemistry and defense and stuff, but it just makes no sense to me.

I will say this...I don't think Kerr is a fool and I think he has a great understanding of the game. We'll have to see if he looks like the genius or buffoon of the year at the end of the season. My money is on the buffoon right now...

Maybe it will work, if Shaq has been holding back and gets all the calls and loses 20 pounds and gets a hip replacement and hits all his free throws... I mean I'm open to the possibility. But wasn't there a better C they could have got in exchange for Marion?

And why would one of the worst defensive teams in the league get rid of their best defensive player?

No wonder we were able to get rid of Nazr. Understanding the greater fool theory is critical to being a good GM.

Phx is sooooo stupid, they'd have been better off trying to get Ben Wallace, who actually fits for them, he would easily avg a "Maintainence Free" double-double, by cutting, running the floor and hitting the offensive glass, and staying out of the way. Phx is going to be sooooo much easier to defend, w/out Marion they cant stretch the floor on offense anymore. Shaq will now severely clog up the lane, where Amare and Nash do their thing.

That would be heaven for Ben right now. Think of all those offensive rebounding opportunities with those long 3-pointer miss rebounds. Also, he wouldn't get the ball in isolation and have to make post moves. His contract looks like a great deal compared to Shaq.

The Bulls seamingly had the most attractive pieces to trade this year and they are being left out of the party.

Teams didn't want Ben Wallace because I think that he is now considered a malcontent. Having Shaq as an option is much better for PHX than teplacing one whiner with another.............

Here's a good read on how the trade went down:

Suns hoping O'Neal has something left in tank - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

Yea, but Dumars traded Chucky Atkins, not Shawn Marion.

I can believe that, but like some of us mentioned up-thread, why deal him for Shaq? Why do they think this is a better deal than any of the other rumored ones involving Marion that had been out there?

The Suns must be counting on Shaq being doubled. With Wallace, they wouldn't get that.

Nice article here by Jack McCallum:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jack_mccallum/02/06/marion.trade/index.html?bcnn=yes