You’re in fourth grade again. It’s recess, and you’re picking teams on the basketball court. It comes down to the last two guys. It’s your pick.
One guy is in the sixth grade and bigger than everyone else. He used to dominate, but his body is tired and unreliable from beating his poor victims for so many years. He’s been held back a few times. Because of his power, he’s nicknamed “The Diesel.”
Your other option is a kid in the same grade as you. He’s young, fast and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. His nickname is “The Matrix.”
The Diesel is old and unreliable, but his brief flashes of brilliance are nostalgically delicious.
“The Matrix” is a superstar who never slows down, but down the line, he will most likely go play for another team that lets him score more. Then, you will have to find a way to function without him.
Tough choice, right?
Wrong. Grab The Matrix while you can, and try to win right now. The Diesel’s fuel gauge is teetering on empty, and there is no guarantee that a gas station is within reach.
The Phoenix Suns don’t think the same way. They shipped off Shawn Marion (The Matrix) in a trade that brought Shaquille O’Neal (The Diesel) to the desert in return. Not wise.
Of course, Shaq brings championship experience and a larger presence to the low post for the Suns.
One problem: Shaq has always been in an offense that has predetermined strategy. The plays are set. The ball goes to him. He does what he wants with it. Doesn’t sound too much like the Suns’ offense, does it?
Point guard Steve Nash would rather sprint the duration of the game, whipping the ball around his back to slashing playmakers. For some reason, the words “Diesel” and “slash” seem to mix about as well as oil and water to my ears.
Still, some critics defend the trade. Phoenix will change its offense, they say. Nash will slow down because speeding up never brought a championship.
Others say that O’Neal doesn’t have to be a part of the run-and-gun offense: he can simply facilitate it. He can grab rebounds, sling them to Nash and then lumber down the court after everyone else in case an offensive set takes shape.
Isn’t that what the Suns already do? Marion, Amare Stoudemire and Co. snag boards and then get the ball to Nash. Then they run down the court. The difference is, they get down there faster than Shaq ever would’ve in his career. Also, when the Suns sprint to the hoop, their agility allows them to avoid offensive fouls and make athletic plays at the hoop. I swear Stoudemire finishes half of Phoenix’s fast breaks, even though he usually doesn’t take the first shot.
Again, agility is not usually an adjective used when describing 18-wheelers.
Yeah, Marion would have probably left after this season to go to a team that would let him shine more. Sure, he was used and abused by the Suns because of their nonexistent defense. However, they should have held onto The Matrix and taken one last, lionhearted stab at the NBA championship.
In effect, what they decided to do is cut loose a disgruntled player while they could still get something in return.
Bad move. A matrix, by Webster’s assertion, is an “enclosure in which something originates or develops.” That something was a championship.
Do-it-all Marion had a championship brewing, but Phoenix lost hope.
