Yes, it's a risky move, but here's how Shaq helps Suns

Amaré Stoudemire will get some help dealing with Tim Duncan from new frontcourt mate Shaquille O'Neal. Greg Nelson/SI

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Suns Acquire Shaq   Phoenix obtains Shaq for Marion, Banks 'Upset' with doubters, Shaq rarin' to go Thomsen: Five ways Shaq helps Suns McCallum: Marion gets a fresh start Burns: Suns make head-scratching move Aschburner: Can Shaq cement legacy? Mannix: Heat get leg up in rebuilding Burns: Ranking the West title contenders Sabino: Fantasy impact of the trade Gallery: NBA's biggest in-season trades McCallum: Inside look at mercurial Marion

Also in this column:
• Visiting with a top European coach
• Should Mavs stand pat at deadline?
• Revised predictions for West race

MOSCOW -- Didn't I pick a fine fortnight to leave the country? First Kobe Bryant returns to contention with new teammate Pau Gasol, then Shaquille O'Neal one-ups him via his trade this week to Phoenix. The former move is a no-brainer that can only help the Lakers; the latter has been decried -- in credible terms -- as a huge 330-pound (or more) gamble.

It's true, as his former European colleagues were quick to remind me, that the Suns' Mike D'Antoni has rarely gone with a traditional center going back to his coaching days in the Italian League. While I grasp the arguments of those who believe this will be the Suns' great undoing, my own gut feeling is that the rewards of Shaq can outweigh any problems he may create.

5 Ways Shaq can help the Suns

5. Improve their locker room. Since Shawn Marion's late-September request for a trade, the Suns have not been skipping along as blithely as their up-tempo style would suggest. So now they've traded one guy who felt unappreciated for another who feels grateful to be in Phoenix, and Shaq just so happens to be the biggest personality in the NBA. Mark this up as a huge gain in morale.

4. Improve their toughness. How many hard fighters were in the Suns' postseason rotation against the Spurs last year? Steve Nash? Raja Bell? Shaq gives them another leader who will fight -- especially now that the first half of the year is behind him, and the playoffs are closing in.

3. Improve Amaré Stoudemire. Early in his career with San Antonio, Tim Duncan learned by exploiting the opportunities created by David Robinson. The Suns have wanted Stoudemire to become their Duncan, but they've never paired him with anyone like Robinson. With Shaq partnering up with him in the frontcourt, Stoudemire will shift back to power forward, exploit mismatches and block shots as a help defender with more frequency. It's asking too much for him to mimic the career development of Duncan, but there's no doubting that Stoudemire will be harder than ever to neutralize at both ends of the floor.

2. An improved Shaq. I've been saying this all season and now we'll see if it's true: that Shaq has been a victim of a losing team in Miami. Of course he isn't what he was -- but he's also better than the 14.2 points and 7.8 rebounds he was putting up before the trade. In the company of Nash, Stoudemire, Bell, Grant Hill, Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw, he should have more room to operate than he's seen in years, and he'll explore that space by scoring as well as passing. This is a passing team, and in that sense he'll fit in nicely.

1. Improve the half-court offense. The Suns started forward-center Kurt Thomas against San Antonio in the playoffs last season, and Duncan reacted by ignoring Thomas and guarding the rim to snuff out drives by Nash and Barbosa. This year that strategy won't be so easy. Help off Shaq and he will make defenses pay as the penetrators dish to him for dunk after dunk.

The Suns weren't able to run against the Spurs last spring, and that trend will continue against any title contender that plays disciplined defense. I say it's a mistake to focus on the Suns' breakneck style, because that style has not been available to them in the crucial moments of the playoffs. Hill's mid-range game was already beginning to change the way the Suns play offense; now Shaq gives them hope of winning in the half court, as well as in transition with Stoudemire and Nash still running on the break.

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