To some, it’s like putting a nose guard on the 4-by-400 team. Others think it actually might work.
The Phoenix Suns on Wednesday attained weathered center Shaquille O’Neal, and Phoenix shipped the disgruntled star Shawn Marion to O’Neal’s Heat.
O’Neal, of course, is a snail’s-pace big man. The Suns, of course, are speedy.
At Nuggets shootaround, many players and coaches had their opinions about how O’Neal might fit in with Phoenix, a championship contender in the Western Conference.
“There’s a part of me that thinks it’s good (for the Suns) and a part of me that thinks it might slow them down,” said Denver coach George Karl, whose team has an important game tonight against Utah at Pepsi Center. “It’s a piece of a puzzle. When you get in a playoff series, you have to win four games. If you win three of them by running and one of them with Shaq, then you win the series. It’s a piece that’s a dangerous piece. I don’t care what you say, he’s still difficult to cover and scout.”
The 35-year O’Neal, who dominated the game for over a decade with the Magic, Lakers and Heat, is having his worst statistical year – 14.2 points per game and 7.8 rebounds. The forward Marion, meanwhile, averages 15.8 and 9.9, though Marion has reportedly been an unhappy employee.
“I guess it would be good for Phoenix, I guess,” said Denver’s big man, Marcus Camby. “I thought Marion was a big part of what they did, so it remains to be seen.”
Said Denver forward Eduardo Najera: “It’s up in the air. I think it could be really good for the Suns, but also is going to change the way they play. They’re not going to be able to run as much, I don’t think, and that’s a big part of their game.”
For Karl, his Nuggets played Phoenix three more times this season. He pointed out that O’Neal less than two years removed from winning a championship with the Heat, and that this Suns roster, in Karl’s opinion, is better than Miami’s that 2006 postseason.
Karl also said that the game is easy to coach when you have a great point guard and great center, and “now they have one of the top two or three point guards in basketball and a hall of fame center. You can say he’s this, he’s that or he’s slowed down, but when you prepare for a Shaquille O’Neal team, he is on your list of problems.”
Camby was an all-star snub at center this year. O’Neal, even though he didn’t make the all-star team, is still a fan favorite.
“I guess that means it’s going to be even tougher to make the all-star team,” Camby said with a reluctant smile.
Camby, as he stated on Tuesday, will play tonight against the Jazz.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
