Suns' acquisition of diminished Shaq a head-scratcher

Shaquille O'Neal (left) will now join Amaré Stoudemire in Phoenix, but does this move get the Suns closer to a championship? AP

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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

Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
-- Gnarls Barkley

Suns general manager Steve Kerr might not know Gnarls Barkley from Charles Barkley, but he might want to download that hit song from a couple years ago on his iPod.

"What?! Are you crazy?!"

Phoenix's decision to trade Shawn Marion to the Heat for Shaquille O'Neal has got to be one of the biggest gambles in NBA history.

It smells like a panic move, coming right after the Lakers' acquisition of Pau Gasol.

Could Suns owner Robert Sarver -- a big-time fan who sits courtside waving a foam finger -- really have been that upset about last week's loss to the Spurs that he got his first-year GM on the phone? "You mean we can get Shaq?! Let's do it!"

Even for a smart guy like Kerr, who knows a thing or two about taking -- and making -- clutch shots, it seems reckless. It's almost like something a fantasy league owner might want to do rather than an NBA team builder and talent evaluator.

The Suns currently own the best record in the Western Conference. They lead the NBA in scoring. They have won eight of their last 10 games. Why in the world would they want to break that up?

The Suns apparently believe they're not good enough to win a title as presently constituted. Fair enough. They are a sieve defensively, especially in the paint area. They are far and away the league's worst rebounding team.

It's tough to win an NBA title that way, for sure. But isn't Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni the one who has been telling everybody over the past few years that it can work?

And it's not as if Phoenix wasn't close. In the previous three seasons, the Suns won 62, 54 and 61 games. They reached the Western Conference finals two years ago, and last year they looked like a good bet to make the NBA Finals before Robert Horry's cheap-shot foul against the Spurs.

When you're that close to the NBA's promised land, you don't mess with it unless you have a sure thing. And Shaq, despite his Hall of Fame career, is no longer anything close to that.

It's not as if Shaq is still the same player he was even two years ago. This season he has looked very mortal, more like Erick Dampier than the World's Most Dominant. He's been in and out of the lineup all season with ailments, and is currently sidelined by a hip injury.

Shaq also is a poor fit for the Suns' up-tempo style. It's not just that he's big and lumbering and slow to get across half court; Phoenix can run a four-man fast break and still be effective. The bigger issue is that Shaq can't spread the floor at all. He can only operate close to the basket. The Suns' small-ball scheme really hums when all five players can step outside and knock down the jumper. It forces each and every defender to stay out on his man, thereby opening up driving lanes to the basket. It's a pick-your-poison type of thing, and it works for them like it has for few teams in NBA history.

With Shaq in the game, his man is going to be able to stay around the lane area and be there to protect the rim. Sure, it might lead to some easy baskets for the 7-foot-1 Diesel, since Steve Nash should be able to dish to him underneath. But it also might mess up the Suns' spacing on the floor and disrupt the rhythm they have developed from playing together the past few years.

On the defensive end, Shaq's impact might not be nearly as great as some might think. Yes, he is a big body to defend the likes of Gasol, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming, and Carlos Boozer. But Shaq also lacks mobility, making him vulnerable to quick foul trouble and to getting toasted on the pick-and-roll. Meanwhile, he has lost the lift that made him a great rebounder. In short, Shaq's age (he turns 36 in March) and all those playoff games have taken their toll.

Even if Shaq were to provide a solid presence under the basket, it wouldn't compensate entirely for the loss of Marion on the defensive end. Say what you want about the Matrix's pouting over touches, but he is one of the NBA's premier defenders. The versatile 6-8 Marion covered anywhere from point guard to power forward for D'Antoni, and his ability to generate steals and deflections helped fuel Phoenix's lethal fast break. Who is going to provide that dimension for the Suns now?

As for those chemistry concerns, just remember that Shaq has always been a player with enormous pride and an ego to match those size-22 sneakers. How is he going to respond when D'Antoni keeps him on the bench for long stretches so the team can play small? Or when he gets fewer touches than Leandro Barbosa or Grant Hill?

There is also a major financial risk to this deal. Shaq is due to make $20 million in each of the next two seasons, a lot of money for an aging center who appears to be breaking down physically. It also means that the Suns will now be facing an even bigger luxury-tax hit -- especially in 2009-10 -- which could further limit their flexibility. Didn't Phoenix trade Kurt Thomas to Seattle before the season because of luxury-tax concerns?

Add it all up, and this deal is a head-scratcher of epic proportions. The Suns are like a supermodel who thinks she's ugly because of the mole on her cheek. Wouldn't it have made more sense for Phoenix to wait and see how this year turned out before making such a radical move?

Maybe it will work out and a rejuvenated Shaq will prove to be the missing piece that the Suns needed to get over the hump this season. More likely, Shaq will be a defensive non-factor and giant-sized wrench thrown into Phoenix's well-oiled offensive machine. The Suns, led by Nash, will make another spirited effort and get close again only to fall short.

If it's the latter, Suns fans will always wonder, What if?

And Kerr will be left to wonder if he should have listened to Gnarls in that song: "Think twice. That's my only advice."