Ranma4699
02-06-2008, 03:01 AM
No longer confident they can win a championship with their current roster, the Phoenix Suns are close to completing a blockbuster trade that will bring them Shaquille O'Nealhttp://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050308/050308_shaq_vmed_6p.widec.jpg, a source with knowledge of the negotiations said Tuesday.
O'Neal is scheduled to travel to Phoenix aboard a private plane Wednesday, the source said, to undergo an MRI on his ailing left hip. If he passes the physical, the Suns will complete the trade by sending Shawn Marionhttp://www.hoopsvibe.com/IMG/shawn_marion-arton21073-240x240.jpg and Marcus Bankshttp://www.nba.com/media/act_marcus_banks.jpg to the Miami Heat.
The Miami Herald first reported the Suns and Heat were in serious trade discussions involving O'Neal.
Frustrated by Miami's dramatic dropoff this season – the Heat own the NBA's worst record at 9-37 – O'Neal had begun telling teammates he wanted to be traded but never thought a deal would come to fruition, a Heat source said.
The trade represents a dramatic change for the Suns, whose run-and-gun, small-ball style had revolutionized the league in recent seasons. That same style, however, had failed to bring the Suns a championship, and team officials had become increasingly skeptical about their chances of contending without giving Amare Stoudemire some help on the front line.
While praising recent improvement in Stoudemire's defense last week, Suns general manager Steve Kerr said the team still was doing Stoudemire a "disservice" by playing him at center instead of his more natural power forward position.
While last week's loss to a San Antonio team that was missing Tony Parker again raised some doubts, it was the Lakers' acquisition of Memphis forward Pau Gasol on Friday that ultimately spurred the Suns to consider aggressively looking for another big man. League sources said the Suns also had conversations about Charlotte's Emeka Okafor and Philadelphia's Samuel Dalembert in recent days.
O'Neal, 35, still is a physical presence but seems a poor fit for Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo offense. Suns coaches, however, watched film of O'Neal on Tuesday, the source said, and came away thinking O'Neal's strong passing skills from the high post would work well in their half-court schemes. The Suns also have shown increasingly more confidence in playing forward Boris Diaw next to Stoudemire and think that combination will suffice when O'Neal isn't on the floor.
O'Neal is scheduled to travel to Phoenix aboard a private plane Wednesday, the source said, to undergo an MRI on his ailing left hip. If he passes the physical, the Suns will complete the trade by sending Shawn Marionhttp://www.hoopsvibe.com/IMG/shawn_marion-arton21073-240x240.jpg and Marcus Bankshttp://www.nba.com/media/act_marcus_banks.jpg to the Miami Heat.
The Miami Herald first reported the Suns and Heat were in serious trade discussions involving O'Neal.
Frustrated by Miami's dramatic dropoff this season – the Heat own the NBA's worst record at 9-37 – O'Neal had begun telling teammates he wanted to be traded but never thought a deal would come to fruition, a Heat source said.
The trade represents a dramatic change for the Suns, whose run-and-gun, small-ball style had revolutionized the league in recent seasons. That same style, however, had failed to bring the Suns a championship, and team officials had become increasingly skeptical about their chances of contending without giving Amare Stoudemire some help on the front line.
While praising recent improvement in Stoudemire's defense last week, Suns general manager Steve Kerr said the team still was doing Stoudemire a "disservice" by playing him at center instead of his more natural power forward position.
While last week's loss to a San Antonio team that was missing Tony Parker again raised some doubts, it was the Lakers' acquisition of Memphis forward Pau Gasol on Friday that ultimately spurred the Suns to consider aggressively looking for another big man. League sources said the Suns also had conversations about Charlotte's Emeka Okafor and Philadelphia's Samuel Dalembert in recent days.
O'Neal, 35, still is a physical presence but seems a poor fit for Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo offense. Suns coaches, however, watched film of O'Neal on Tuesday, the source said, and came away thinking O'Neal's strong passing skills from the high post would work well in their half-court schemes. The Suns also have shown increasingly more confidence in playing forward Boris Diaw next to Stoudemire and think that combination will suffice when O'Neal isn't on the floor.