I'm a Lakers Fan

As a diehard Lakers fan and a dedicated Shaquille O’Neal supporter, the recent trade sending O’Neal to the Phoenix Suns has me torn. To read the other side of my internal debate, read “I’m a Shaq Fan.”

Sorry Phoenix, but I know what it’s like to be on the wrong end of a Shaq trade. We made the mistake of giving him up then. You made the mistake of picking him up now.

You gave up Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks for a behemoth, plodding big man. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a charismatic, public relations godsend behemoth, plodding big man, but he’s closer to 40 than 30 and his best playing days came two teams ago—with the Lakers.

The Lakers are the team that gained the most steam heading into the all-star break. In two trades, the Lakers were helped in four key ways.

1. The Lakers acquired Pau Gasol.
A 2006 all-star and the best player on a Memphis Grizzlies team that went to the playoffs three years in a row from 2004-06, Gasol gives the Lakers a short-term fill-in while Andrew Bynum recovers from a knee injury. More importantly, at 7-feet tall and 27 years old, Gasol is both a size and age appropriate complement for Kobe Bryant.

2. The Lakers got rid of Kwame Brown.
The former number one overall pick in Washington had fallen so far out of favor in L.A. that he was mercilessly booed at home this season. While he may be able to offer an NBA team a quality presence on the defensive end, it’s hard to envision him starting anywhere in the league given his struggles and inconsistency finishing around the basket on offense.

3. The Suns acquired Shaquille O’Neal.
Phoenix is known for its seven-seconds-or-less offense. They have been the highest scoring team in the NBA for each of the past three seasons since acquiring point guard Steve Nash and are leading the NBA in scoring again this year. Their offense is predicated on fast break opportunities and quick shots. Neither of those categories fits into Shaquille O’Neal’s traditional repertoire. His methodical low-post game is essentially the anti-Phoenix offense.

4. The Suns got rid of Shawn Marion.
Say what you will about Marion being a discontent in Phoenix. The fact remains Lakers fans should be more excited to see him go than Suns fans should be to see Shaq’s arrival.

In four games against the Lakers this season, Marion has averaged 16 points, 13 rebounds and 3 steals per game. The common denominator for all those numbers? They’re higher than his season averages.

Marion was always the toughest matchup for the Lakers. Mike D’Antoni seemed to think so too because he played Marion more than any Suns player—nearly 200 of the 240 minutes possible—in the Suns-Lakers playoff series last year. By comparison, NBA MVP Steve Nash played just under 180 minutes in the series. Marion averaged better than 18 points and 10 rebounds per game in helping the Suns to a 4-1 series victory.

O’Neal will slow down the league’s fastest, highest-scoring offense. He’ll clog the lane on defense, sure, but he’s also had difficulty staying out of foul trouble this season. He’ll be challenged by young big men such as Tyson Chandler of the Hornets and Andrew Bynum of the Lakers as well as more experienced players like Yao Ming and Tim Duncan. You could easily rank all four of those players ahead of Shaq in terms of best big man in the West. And don’t forget about Marcus Camby, Mehmet Okur, Brad Miller or Chris Kaman either.

O’Neal’s numbers show he’s not the dominant center he once was. His 14.2 points per game put him ninth among centers. And his 7.8 rebounds per game leave him at 21st among centers. But it’s watching Shaq miss layups, failing to get enough lift to throw down a dunk that has me convinced this trade will not have a happy ending for Suns fans.

With a win in either of their final two games before the all-star break, Phoenix will enter the all-star break with the most wins in the Western Conference. But they’ll come out of the break facing a grueling schedule that features the Lakers, Celtics, Pistons and Hornets before the end of the month. Don’t be surprised if the Suns are looking up at the Lakers in the standings by the time the calendar turns to March.