Shaq passed the physical and was introduced to his new home crowd from a luxury suite at US Airways Center in Phoenix last night. As the crowd roared and roared, Diesel slipped an imaginary ring onto his finger, sending the noise level of the fans of the longest-running NBA franchise without a title into the stratosphere. It remains unclear when Shaq will suit up and play, but the Yardstick for the Sonics vs. Suns game tomorrow favors the Suns by 10 right now.
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If he delivers, it will be one of the best-ever moves and the credit will have to start with new GM Steve Kerr, but be shared with coach Mike D’Antoni, who many thought had the trade forced on him. Apparently that was not the case, as Kerr and D’Antoni both sold each other over the course of a few days. The immediate blessing of their two biggest (would be) remaining stars, Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire, helped the deal inch closer to completion. When the very respected team doctors - considered by many to be the best in the NBA - said that they could work O’Neal into shape and keep him there, the call to Miami was made…and the pouting teammate nicknamed the Matrix was former. Now, everyone wants to talk about it, even me.
As a fan who did not grow up watching basketball, I have enjoyed the rise of Steve Nash not because he is a fellow Canadian who grew up not far from Vancouver and who was, at one point, coached by my roommate’s father, but because he is exciting to watch and plays on a team that can make the game exciting. Still, a Nash on a slow, boring team would not make me turn on the television to see the outcome of a game. The fact that Phoenix has used him in the fast game and D’Antoni has built the team to be fast around him has made the Suns a favorite of mine.
According to Nash and Stoudamire, they can still play their fast-paced game by properly using Shaq in the passing and rebounding game. I sure hope so, and I can totally see it. If the Suns were to start playing a boring style of basketball, I would no longer be interested in watching them, and I don’t want that to happen. When the NBA bald-faced lied and allowed the Grizzlies to be moved from this city after promising they would not, I stopped paying any attention to the league for a few years.
I had believed in the NBA. I had gone to 12-15 games per year. I had become a true fan who cared about and began to uunderstand the intricasies of the game. I had climbed on board, only to be shown the door. I was unsure if I would ever watch another game. And I can hold a grudge. It will probably be a cold day in Hell when I start caring again about baseball, after the league and the players cancelled the World Series over money. Maybe, maybe when all the players who were playing at that time are no longer on the field, I might try again.
But, I digress…it may be misplaced, but I am back onboard the NBA bus, hoping the Suns are correct in making this move. For the sake of fans all over North America, I hope the Suns retain their fun-to-watch style and make sure we are not subject - at least for a few years - to another sleep-fest that was last year’s championship round.
Sure the Spurs are a great team - one of the greatest ever - but…y-awn…can’t stay awake to watch them….zzzzzzzzzz
[Pinch]
It will be fun to watch, regardless of the outcome. And even if it does not work out and people get upset…well, it is just basketball, and people are allowed to make mistakes. If that is the case, at least we know they will be held accountable. At least it is not as dumb as the U.S. funding nuclear plants in Iran. And, if recent events are any indication, no one will ever be held accountable for that. In fact, they’ll likely get promoted.
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