HoopsHype.com NBA Blogs - Eddie Johnson

The Dallas Mavericks have now joined the party that the Lakers and Suns started a few weeks ago. Although I love Jason Kidd and he will undoubtedly make the Mavericks a more focused and tougher team, I don’t think it will put them in the rarified air of Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Antonio and for one specific reason only… They still have no interior offensive threat that will get them consistent inside points and force teams to double team, thus allowing Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard to flourish.

Kidd will definitely get them better shots, but the question is… Will he still allow them to get more possessions? Yes, he is probably the best rebounding pure point guard in the history of the NBA and a walking triple-double threat every time he hits the floor, but losing DeSagana Diop in the deal has effectively taken away a long defender and a rebounding asset the Mavericks will need against the Lakers, Suns and Spurs.

Erick Dampier will have to really step his game up to levels we have not seen and that scenario must have Avery Johnson worried. Brandon Bass has been a nice surprise, but they cannot count on an unproven player come playoff time – especially against Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal and Pau Gasol.

The Mavericks have now become the Phoenix Suns pre-Shaq. They will have to up-tempo the game to crazy levels to stay out of half-court situations.

Case in point… Who will Dirk Nowitzki guard on the Suns? They use to hide him on Shawn Marion, but that will not work on Grant Hill or Boris Diaw because both can take him away from the basket and make him defend against dribble penetration. Plus it effectively takes him off the defensive glass, thus making them vulnerable with only Dampier to rebound. Avery will have no choice but to put Dirk on Amare or Shaq and that scenario spells trouble for the Mavericks.

The same applies to the Lakers with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol with Lamar Odom at small forward. Avery will have to guard Bynum with Dirk because there’s no way can he defend Odom. The Spurs don’t create that much of a problem with only Duncan in the interior, but San Antonio will offset it with the great defense Bruce Bowen plays on Dirk.

Dallas will now have to rely on fast pace and quick shots to have any chance against not only the three teams I mentioned, but the New Orleans Hornets and Utah Jazz as well.

The Mavericks and the Warriors are now like mirror images and I don’t think either has the edge against the height and strength of the top teams in a seven-game series. But any given night, when they catch fire, they are going to look awfully good.

If the Suns have admitted that form of ball is pretty but not conducive to a championship. Why would the Mavericks take the same approach?

I must admit that it will be fun watching it all develop because Jason Kidd is the real deal on both ends of the court.

Welcome to the Wild Wild West.

A few weeks ago I heard about a potential deal the Suns might be involved in, but I brushed it off because around this time of year we hear all kinds of rumors. Then when the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol, my mind started to wonder and mainly because there are two teams that the Suns view as huge hurdles to the finals: the Lakers and the Spurs.

I again started to worry because it meant more Shawn Marion trade rumors and one more round of those rumors could really destroy any progress the Suns made since the Garnett discussions last summer with regards to the Matrix.

Well, here we are again and this time it’s a done deal.

Let’s get one thing straight before I talk about the value of this trade and give my five reasons why the Suns had to make a deal for Shaq and my five reasons why it could work… Shawn Marion is one the best people and players I have ever had the pleasure of watching and the Miami Heat will find out what working hard for 48 minutes is all about when the Matrix arrives in South Beach.

Marion leaves as one of the most consistent and popular Sun players ever and he will definitely be a candidate for the Suns Ring of Honor when he retires. Shawn is the best combination rebounder and defender in this league since Dennis Rodman and the Suns will have to find a combination of players to replace what Marion brought to the table every night in those hustle categories.

I also know Shawn well enough to say that he will indeed miss Phoenix, but he understands that being traded virtually head up for the most dominant player that has probably played is nothing to be embarrassed about.

Although the Matrix factor will be missed, the Suns had to do something.  Yes, they have the best record in the Western Conference. But something was not right. The dominance that we were used to see was not there on a consistent basis. We did not see the blowout games or the 20 to 4 runs that this team has spoiled us with over the last three years. The games seemed to be a grind and it wore on the fans and critics and caused us to think that maybe the Suns were becoming vulnerable. That, combined with the improvement of the Hornets, Nuggets, Trail Blazers and Warriors at the bottom of the pack, made a trip to the Finals look hazy and difficult.

So we also must assume the Suns front office and coaching staff had some of the same anxiety because they are extremely giddy at having the opportunity to put Shaq in a Suns uniform.

Here are five reasons why the Suns had to make this move for Shaquille O’Neal:

Steve Nash’s window of opportunity is closing

As each year passes, the Suns cannot expect Nash to continue to create offensively for everyone. Pushing the ball on the fast break is one thing, but having to run the two-man game 40 possessions every night against physical defenses will eventually take its toll. Nash deserves a chance to add a title to his two MVP trophies.

Spurs have never won back-to-back championships

The last time this scenario came to bear, the Dallas Mavericks used a physical combination of Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop  to wear down the Amare-less Suns to move on to the Finals against Shaq and the Heat. The Spurs have showed signs of wear and tear and the Suns do not want to miss out again on this opportunity.

Lakers add Pau Gasol factor

The Lakers could have said we traded for Pau Gasol on Halloween because it scared everyone in the Western Conference. I don’t even play anymore and it scared me. Imagine the frontline of Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum and Gasol. Then combine it with the athleticism and shooting of Kobe Bryant and it’s obvious how every team is saying, “Why is Phil Jackson so darn lucky and why can’t he suffer for long?”

Throw in Trevor Ariza, Jordan Farmar, Derek Fisher and Ronny Turiaf. The Lakers look like a championship team this year.

Suns are 2-6 against the top teams in the West

The Suns have beaten the Lakers without Bynum and they beat the Spurs early in the season. They are 0-2 against the Hornets, lost twice to the Lakers with Bynum and got beaten by the Mavericks. The major reason for the losses has been an inability to defend the paint and the lack of defensive rebounding. Proof lays in the stats of the teams interior players when they play the Suns. Bynum averages 21 and 12. Duncan averages 27 and 17. Chandler averages 15 and 15. All above their season averages. And if you want to look further, Al Jefferson, who plays on arguably the worst team in the league, averages 32 and 16 in two Timberwolves wins this season against the Suns.

Combine this with the foul trouble of the Suns best offensive player, Amare Stoudemire, and we see why the Suns chose to pursue Shaq.

The Portland Trail Blazers and the Greg Oden factor

The Blazers are the team of the future. If Greg Oden lives up to his promise and LaMarcus Aldridge and All-Star Brandon Roy continue to grow, the Suns will have another couple of big bodies to deal with over the next few years.

So now that I have given you why the Suns made the move, here are five reasons why it could work:

First let me say this… I have heard the comment about Shaq is a shell of himself so on and so forth. Give me a break. I predicted the Heat would struggle this year and it was not because of Shaq. It was because of the players Pat Riley surrounded him with. Riley basically signed and drafted players that can’t throw the ball into the post and most importantly did not strike fear in teams with their jump shooting ability. This can ruin any big man that is a threat to post up and be productive in this league, including one of the most dominant ever.

So it’s absurd to judge Shaq on what he has done this year. He deserves to be judged on what he can bring to the Suns.

Suns rise immediately to one of the most physical teams

Shaquille O’Neal is a wall. The most overhyped stat is blocked shot. What about deterrence and altering decisions with the ball?  The Suns are at the top of the league in blocked shots, but are viewed as a weak defensive team. The reason they blocked shots is because they got a ton of opportunities. Now that statistic will go down, but the opposition’s in-the-paint scoring will too. That means teams will take more jump shots and the Suns are better at that game than anyone in the league and now they also have the interior scoring of Amare and Shaq to boot.

The Suns are the worst defensive rebounding team in the league because they could not command space. Shaq will allow Amare, Grant Hill, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, etcetera, to be better rebounders because he will eat up space and punish offensive rebounders with long outlet passes – thus allowing Nash and Leandro Barbosa to leak out.

Finally, Shaq will protect Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire from physical play. Players are physically afraid of him and he will punish you if you take shots at his teammates. I would love to see Robert Horry throw Nash to the floor with Shaq around to punish Parker or Duncan.

Three players that command serious defensive attention

Shaq, Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire will cause teams to change their defensive philosophy during the course of the game, which is extremely difficult to do.

Case in point. How will teams defend the Suns when they run the high pick-and-roll with Amare? Normally teams will rotate the weak side big defender over to challenge him. Well, if that occurs you have Shaq on the weak block flashing in for a pass from Nash or a guard trying to block him out. If teams get silly enough to rotate a small player to Amare, then they allow Raja Bell or Leandro Barbosa to have wide open three-point shots on the weak side.

Mike D’Antoni can use his full playbook now with the back-to-the-basket dominance of Shaq.

Improve the running game

The biggest fallacy about the Suns and their running game is that Shaq will slow them down. I believe it will speed them up and give them more opportunities to run. I have already talked about possessions and the physicality Shaq brings to the Suns.

Now couple that with better confidence with your defensive rebounding – thus allowing Nash, Barbosa, Hill and Bell to run out earlier. The Suns could be even more potent. Also throw in Amare running more because of not having to fight and box out big centers.

I never saw Kareem Abdul-Jabbar running the lanes for the Lakers, but I did see him igniting it with rebounding and long outlet passes, and then coming down on the block with commanding presence.

Amare will become more dominant

Because of the matchup nightmare Shaq would bring, Amare Stoudemire will benefit the most.

Foul trouble should decrease and scoring and rebounding should go up. Also watch for his weak side defense to produce more blocked shots and steals. We have never seen what Shaq could do with a young dominant power forward beside him and he has one of the best in Stoudemire, who should be ecstatic at the chance to stop battling centers every night.

Nash can play without dominating ball

This might be the most important cause of the Shaq trade and here is why.

D’Antoni would love to keep Nash on the floor and use him off the ball, but he knows the offense would stall. The addition of Shaq and his great passing out of the post will allow the NBA’s best three-point shooter to spot up for periods during the game and punish defenses for doubling.

Case in point. Grant Hill throws it in to Shaq with Nash and either Barbosa or Bell on the weak side and Amare on the elbow waiting for the short jumpshot or the run to the basket if they double off of him.

This will destroy any defense and if Shaq stays healthy the Suns will be the team to beat come playoff time.

We are just over a month into the season and one thing is for certain, there are a number of leaderless teams in the league and a few I will identify are extremely surprising.

A coach wears a number of hats besides coaching his team. Father figure, policeman and fireman come to mind. He would much rather tell you he wants to coach and have a parental quality when needed, but he will be happy if he can place the responsibility of policeman and part-time fireman on one or, if he is lucky, a few of his players.

People ask me all the time why I have not gone into coaching. My normal response is that I have always been afraid that I might be too much of a disciplinarian and that method would be hard-pressed to accomplish if I were not coaching experienced and committed players who actually get it when it comes to the word Team.

Take for example some great coaches like Red Auerbach, Phil Jackson, Rudy Tomjanovich, Chuck Daly, Pat Riley and Gregg Popovich. These coaches would not have been successful if it wasn’t for the leadership qualities of the great players that played for them. None of these coaches would have won multiple championships if they didn’t have players accepting and wearing one of those hats for them so they could concentrate on coaching and preparing the team more effectively.

Imagine what a coach has to police in relation to players during an 82-game season. They have to make sure they show up to practice on time, work hard in practice, play together as a team, professionalism on and off the court, etcetera. So imagine how ecstatic a coach would be if he had players that took on that responsibility and allowed him more time to focus on team and strategy. Although a coach knows he will have to extinguish some personal and emotional fires during the season – players not getting along or unhappy about playing time and their role on the team – but he will have fewer fires to deal with because of the ability of his leaders to keep players focused and on a common goal.

Could you imagine a player getting out of line on the great Boston Celtic teams while Bill Russell was playing? I could not imagine someone on the Bulls getting out of control with Michael Jordan practicing and playing harder than anyone each and every game. What about a teammate not running the floor hard when Magic Johnson was pushing the ball up the floor or not being focused on his extreme passing ability? Magic once told me that he would hit teammates in the head with the ball on purpose because they took their eye off of him.

I wonder… Was it Rudy Tomjanovich who demanded the ball should go to Hakeem Olajuwon every time down the court during the Houston Rockets back-to-back championships or was it Hakeem, who led by example with supreme effort on both ends of the court?

When I look at some teams that are playing well or underachieving with talented players, you really need to look no further than the leaders among players before you blame the coach and general manager.

TEAMS WITH GREAT LEADERSHIP

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs are the ultimate role team. They are anchored by one the greatest players to ever play in Tim Duncan. No player steps out of his role because Popovich demands it and Duncan will not allow it to happen because of his unselfish nature and the fact that he allows Popovich to chastise him when he is not playing well, which sends a great message to the players who battle with him every night. Also don’t discount the secondary roles of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli. David Robinson, who established this method of unselfishness by taking a secondary role to Duncan at the end of his career, should receive a tremendous amount of the credit for the togetherness of the Spurs.

Phoenix Suns

Steve Nash is not only the best point guard in the NBA, but he is the most unselfish players since Magic Johnson. When you watch Nash play you can honestly say he plays no favorites when he passes the ball. If you are open you get the ball. Who in their right mind would not want to play with him? If you watch him closely during games he never chastises teammates openly and he encourages them with high-fives when they accomplish something on the court or makes a mistake and he never wavers. When you play with someone like this you will always accept his leadership and the Suns follow his every lead. Throw in the perseverance of Grant Hill and this team has a level of class that allows them to enjoy the game the way it should be played and fans around the league appreciate it!

Dallas Mavericks

Avery Johnson has force-fed Dirk Nowitzki on the importance of leadership and it culminated into an MVP season in 2006, Dirk has learned not only to involve and appreciate his teammates but also to give them credit publicly. Jason Terry supplies the energy and enthusiasm to go along with the no non-sense style of Jerry Stackhouse. Stackhouse is legendary around the league for straightening up a teammate verbally and physically if they step out of line. Every coach needs a physical presence able to intimidate some players into following rules and regulations.

Utah Jazz

I didn’t mention Jerry Sloan among the great coaches because he has not won a championship, but he belongs there and it will be a shame if he does not win a title before he retires. I mention Sloan because he might be the best coach ever at designating leadership among his players. He demands it with his unwavering demands in practice and games. Sloan, I hear, will fine a player if his jersey is not tucked in for practice. Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams share the leadership on this team and it has showed the last few years. Leadership has nothing to do with age or experience and these two players exude it with great effort for 48 minutes. Their teammates have followed. When you mention the word Team, the Utah Jazz have defined that example for the last 15 years despite not winning a championship.

New Orleans Hornets

No surprise this team has good leadership. Byron Scott has been as successful a coach as any in the league. This should not surprise you since he falls from the Pat Riley and Magic Johnson tree. Scott has been taught by the best at establishing what Team really means and now he has one of the best young leaders in the game in Chris Paul. Paul is quickly becoming the next Steve Nash and the Hornets will reap the benefits for many years to come. Paul’s ability to get players like Peja Stojakovic and others to play above their ability is proof of what a leader can do for the success of your team.

Orlando Magic

Dwight Howard is the most imposing force I have seen since Shaquille O’Neal and what’s scary is that he could put up better stats before his career is finished. What’s so scary about Howard is how quickly he has shaken his mechanical offensive nature into a fluid Human Terminator on the court. But what I really like about Howard is his friendly nature and pleasant smile. I don’t know if he realizes it yet, but that goes a very long way with teammates and their acceptance towards him. They now try every way they can to force-feed him the ball. I also like the tough no non-sense manner of Jameer Nelson, who has seen plenty of hardships already in his young life and still exudes tremendous confidence and determination – which travels far with his teammates.

Detroit Pistons

Detroit might have the best collection of leaders in the league and that is why despite their age they will still compete for a championship the next few years. When you watch Detroit play, I immediately think of the Celtics when Bird, Parish and McHale had gotten older but still competed with a savvy desire to fundamentally make you look bad although athletically you were a much better team. Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess, Rip Hamilton and the young but old Tayshaun Prince give the Pistons self policing and a no non-sense attitude, which every coach loves. The reason we hear more grumbling in Detroit than most places is because most of these guys have a fierce desire to lead. And yes, it can cause headaches for Flip Saunders, but he will take the headaches knowing that when these guys hit the floor they will give everything they have to win the game.

Boston Celtics

I love Kevin Garnett. I didn’t love him enough to support giving up Amare Stoudemire last summer. But let me say this again, I love Kevin Garnett. I think he is the second best leader in the game next to Steve Nash. I criticized him in Minnesota because I thought he was too unselfish and never took over like he should have, but as we see now in Boston with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, he is in the perfect environment and I am so happy for him. He has a respect for the game and his teammates that drips off of him when you watch the Celtics play. The Celtics right now are the class of the Eastern Conference and, with all due respect to the talents of Pierce and Allen, Garnett is the driving force with his unselfishness to just try and win the game anyway he can. If any player deserves a championship, it’s Garnett. This scenario is the perfect example when I mentioned all the great coaches. Doc Rivers will go from being a lame duck coach to quite possibly grabbing his second Coach of the Year award. Now whose league is this again? It’s a players’ league and don’t forget it!

TEAMS WITH NO LEADERSHIP

New York Knicks

I have taken a lot of heat for this comment, but I will say it again. The Knicks have some of the best collection of talent in the league. But one important piece of the pie is missing and that has created the inconsistency we see from night to night in the Knicks. Who should I point the finger at? Most of you want to say the coach and general manager Isiah Thomas, but didn’t I just give you the example of Doc Rivers, who had a terrible record last year but is looked at pretty favorably now that he has Garnett and his great leadership?

It’s easy to point the finger at Stephon Marbury, but Eddy Curry, Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph and Quentin Richardson are all capable to lead and have not visually stepped up to the plate. The Knicks are so ripe to lead that Bo Outlaw could be acquired and become the best leader the first day he arrives and he would probably not play. That comment should embarrass every Knick player on that team. No way would any of the teams listed above have allowed Stephon Marbury to compromise the togetherness of the team by leaving them to battle the Phoenix Suns because the coach asked him to become a better leader on the floor and play better defense. Where was the fireman Isiah needed to talk to Marbury before he got on a plane and went back to New York?

Leadership comes from any position and it is not necessarily the point guard position, but if you want to take a high percentage of the shots and get all the accolades then you have to take pride in making it easy on your teammates to care for you and accept your dominance of the ball. Hopefully Marbury, who has had some major hardships this season off the floor, will take notice at the way the Knicks have bonded lately in his absence to play more like a team with their talent should play.

Chicago Bulls

It’s hard for me to come down too hard on the Bulls players about leadership, because I personally think everyone of them would be a role player on any of the teams listed above. If you look at the Bulls roster, I don’t think any of these players were the top guys on their college team when they got drafted. I believe they are still growing and sooner or later one of them will evolve into a powerful leader. But right now they have to do it by committee and they have failed miserably. The obvious choice is Ben Wallace because that’s what the Bulls thought they were getting, but they forget the reason Detroit did not cry too much when he left town. It was because Wallace was becoming a complainer of minutes and strategy and not privately but at times publicly of Flip Saunders. So now you have a hard-working talented team that has no big-time player leadership and because of it Scott Skiles has to wear the hat and that’s when players start to get tired of the coach.

Kirk Hinrich has to pick his head up and play like the guard everyone was thinking he would become after a solid first two seasons. He seems to be worried too much about missing shots than becoming a leader like Nash and Chris Paul. That will undoubtedly sink the Bulls further in the basement of the Eastern Conference.

Miami Heat

I never thought a team coached by Pat Riley struggle with leadership – especially when you have Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade on the roster. I said it last year in an article and I will repeat it again… This team put every ounce of energy into a title two years ago and they are done. Riley should have blown it up and traded everyone except Wade and Shaq after that season. The Heat won with a veteran-laden team two years ago and the energy level took a major hit. Shaquille is not a spring chicken and he needs youth around him to keep him fresh and inspired. I listed Miami because they are struggling, but I really do believe they have players that want to lead. But they are a tired group – other than Wade – and it seems that he better grab the bull by the horns or the Miami Heat will make yours truly look like a good prognosticator because I was the only one who predicted before the season that they would not make the playoffs this season.

Memphis Grizzlies

Pau Gasol needs to play up to his potential and stop trying to jump ship. That attitude will not allow him to lead the team, where he is presumably the best player. The Grizzlies have very good young talent, but like the Bulls will need to find a leader that can allow Marc Iavaroni to have a solid year evaluating his team and at least get them close to the potential he expects.

NBA training camps are about to open and this is the time when positive attitudes and thoughts of making the playoffs and winning championships for every team are on equal footing. I know we can say certain teams have no hope, but after watching the New York Mets choke away a seven- game lead with 17 games left in the season and the Colorado Rockies win almost every game to force a one-game playoff with San Diego, I say everyone has a chance before any season.

The process of getting to the Finals and winning the championship with all the parameters a team deals with is the key. To win consistently a team must have very good players, good health, very good reserves, great coaching, great fan environment… But, most importantly, great chemistry.

Bad chemistry can not only destroy the team, but eventually hurt the individual player. The biggest chemistry story going on now is the unhappiness of Shawn Marion with the Suns.

Marion is the most versatile player in the NBA. He can guard four positions, he scores over 18 points a game, grabs double figure rebounds and usually is among the leaders in steals and dunks. And Marion does all this virtually without any plays being called for him. Marion probably is the most unique basketball player I have ever seen. He has endless energy and plays every game like it’s his last. I have never seen him take a night off. I can only say that about a few players. Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Isiah Thomas come to mind.

Marion has made the All-Star team four straight years, he is a member of USA Basketball. He is featured in Nike Basketball advertisements with all the other excellent players in the league. He is widely regarded as one of the most exciting players in the league. But yet he has grown tired of the constant trade rumors involving him over the last few years.

Marion is no different than a lot of players past and present that believe they did not get their “just due” in terms of respect from their current team.

This is a no-win situation for the Suns and Marion.

The Suns need Marion because he provides them with stats they don’t need to manufacture to go along with great defense and rebounding. Shawn needs the Suns because they give him an environment to be extremely productive, being surrounded by two great players in Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash and playing in a tailored-made offensive system for him.

Once a player retires, he can look back on a decision he made or forced and undoubtedly admit, “I wish I had not done that or asked for that.”

I recall the time I asked George Karl to trade me when I was a member of the Seattle SuperSonics because he was diminishing my role. Ricky Pierce and I had been the go-to scorers on a team that was winning 50 to 55 games a year and yet I had a difficult time understanding why he wanted to change and reduce my minutes and role.

I knew Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Derrick McKey were becoming the main options. Why? Because I helped groom them to be. But ego and pride got in the way and two years later, after being traded to a young team in Charlotte, the Sonics went to the Finals and I was spending a year in Greece saying, “What if I didn’t ask for the trade?”

I came back to the league, but never made the Finals.

Marion is facing that same scenario, He does not have to look far to see how difficult it can be when you leave a successful team and take residence somewhere else. He just needs to call Joe Johnson, who made the decision to leave Phoenix and sign with Atlanta and now is trying his hardest to just make the playoffs with a very young and inexperienced team.

Marion’s agent should be showing him all the positives of wanting to stay and finish something he has been a major part of instead of wanting to leave and quite possibly getting great stats, but failing to win at the rate he has with the Suns.

Shawn’s argument will undoubtedly fall back on the fact the Suns were interested in trading him for Garnett this past summer, but being traded for Garnett is not disrespect. Now being traded for Luke Walton, James Posey or Ricky Davis would be a whole different thing. Being traded for Garnett? That in itself is ultimate respect!

The NBA is a business and if Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain and Shaq can be traded then anyone can. Heck, we can in essence say the greatest player of all time was traded indirectly and that’s Michael Jordan to the Wizards.

Marion’s Agent and friends should be laying it out like this.

Shawn,

What’s the most important stat to a player? Minutes. OK, you played over 3,000 and led the team in that category.

What’s the second most important stat? Field goal attempts? OK, you took the second most shots on the team.

What’s the one individual award players like in the regular season? All-Star status. Well, you have made it four straight years.

What’s the newest individual award players feel proud of? USA Basketball. Well, you are a member.

What’s the two most important aspects of playing the game of basketball? Winning a championship and money. Well, you are the highest-paid player on the Suns and one the highest-paid in the league.

The question Marion has to continue to ask himself is how does he keep “myself” in position to win a championship and how can he overcome and learn to understand that basketball is a business and no matter how good you are someone might think the other player could be a little bit better. That’s the business of athletics in general and historically this has been the hardest part for prideful athletes to deal with. But after listing all the positives, there is no doubt he should want to stay a Phoenix Sun and his agent and friends should be screaming this to him daily, because when it is all said and done the Suns could be his best chance to win a title and add one more positive to an already fantastic and a potential Hall of Fame career.

In terms of this upcoming season, with New Jersey upgrading with the acquisition of Magloire at the center position, and with the Celtics getting KG and Allen, how do you see Toronto fitting into that Atlantic Division? Do you believe we were riding luck last year, or you think we can hold off these emerging teams and retain our Atlantic Division title?

I think Toronto will be improved as well. They learned a valuable experience last year. They should have beaten the Nets and just that thought should have had each of those players in the gym all summer working hard. The key will be Bosh and staying away from the injuries to key players that affected them last year. Morris Peterson’s defection to the Hornets will hurt, but the Raptors are talented enough to make a serious run at duplicating what they did last year although the competition has definitely gotten better.

How will the effect of playing for Team USA, or their respective countries, be on each of the players bodies? How much wear and tear will be done by participating in these games? Last year for the World Baseball Classic, a lot of those players saw a decrease in their performance and a physical decline towards the end of the season.

I think it does wear on you to an extent, but it all goes back to how you take care of your body. I think it will only affect the older players like Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups, but then again they did not play many minutes. I really liked how the players minutes were limited. So I don’t think it will be much of a factor during the season. LeBron is the only player that should be a little winded since his season lasted longer than any other player.

Eddie, I miss the good old days of the NBA, the days when you played and the game was physical. How do you feel when you see a hard foul in an NBA game and the player is ejected or even suspended, when if that happened back when you played, you just got two free throws and that was that? How many points a game do you think you would of scored if no one was allowed to touch you or give you a “Charles Oakley” clothesline when going into the lane?

You have gotten me so worked up now. People ask me all the time about the way the game has changed. I honestly felt it was needed, because players were becoming too sensitive. That might be the one major problem I have with players today… Why so sensitive? During my era everything was fair game including momma jokes. I tell you what, if players were as sensitive in my era as they are now, it would have been a fight every quarter. We had running dialogue all the time during the course of a game. I would have two or three trash talking conversations going on with different players all the time. The difference for us was that we did not take it personally and we used it as motivation to play even harder. Here is an example of players that I would have confrontations with every time I played them…

Xavier McDaniel and I hated each other on the court. I would be shooting and calling him a bald headed so and so at the same time he would come back and try and crack me with an elbow and then proceed to try and tear the rim down. It was vicious, but not one time did we have a fight and believe it or not we shared a drink and laughed about it during an NBA cruise during the offseason.

Larry Bird called me every name in the book when we played and I tried to reciprocate as much as I could and maintain some energy to guard him. The first time I guarded him in my career at Boston Garden he looked at me and said I am going to kick your @#$% and even during a game later in the season I popped him in the mouth with an elbow and laughed because they called a foul on him as well. He never lost his concentration and only waited till after the game to come in the locker room and drop his room key on my lap and said, “Let’s finish this at my hotel.” I reminded him of that years later and he laughed.

Lonnie Shelton was probably the quickest 6-8, 260 player I have ever seen and I hated him to guard me. He would throw me all around the court, but one night I got tired of it and I started talking about everyone in his generation to take his attention off the game. Nothing seemed to bother him till I came by the Cavalier bench and called him a fat @#$% in front of his teammates and they started laughing and he stared at me no matter where I was on the court till it really started to bother me. When he got in the game, he had nothing on his mind other than hurting me. I finally went up to him during a free throw and apologized and he said, “Cool, let’s play.” True story.

Tom Chambers and Frank Brickowski, I will mention them together because I use to get under their skin big time when they played for the Sonics. I would talk so much smack that both of them would take turns trying to pop me, but I was not stupid. I always took care of the wide bodies on my team and LaSalle Thompson and Mark Olberding would always be there to protect me. What’s so funny about those two is that in later years we would become teammates (Chambers-Suns and Brickowski-Hornets) and I consider both very good friends. They understood the method to my madness when we played together and they looked out for me as well.

Believe me, if guys were as sensitive then as they are now the league would have been out of control and David Stern would not have had one chance of turning the NBA around financially like he has done.

The only thing I will say about the defensive rule of not touching a player when he catches the ball and faces his defender is this, I would have scored at least 8 to 10 more points a game in my career. That would have put me at about 27 a game. So now what do you think Jordan would have averaged? Think about this, Jordan catches the ball 15 feet from the basket and he is allowed to turn and face the defender without the defender being able to touch him, are you kidding me. End of story!

Since you are Mr. Jumpshot, I would like to ask you about the NBA and “sidewinder” releases. Like Larry Bird and Chris Mullin, O do not square up to the basket; rather I turn about 40 to 45 degrees to the left. I think it gives a player the best chance to make the jumpshot a one-handed shot. Can I have your opinion on this release?

Hold up, you just gave me a headache. I only have an opinion about one thing when it comes to shooting and that is what’s the result? Bird, Mullin, Miller, Redd and Stojakovic were and are not text book shooters. Who cares? They have and had a great result. When I teach players, I try and work within their mechanics and go from there. I think anyone can become a very good shooter with proper understanding of why the ball has the best chance to go in. I will give no more of my secrets unless you pay or go to my website and purchase the best shooting DVD on the market!

How will Memphis Grizzlies do for the PG position with four guards (Tarence Kinsey, Damon Stoudamire, Juan Carlos Navarro and Mike Conley)?

I have no idea how they will do if Marc Iavaroni just hands the point guard duties to Conley. I do think they will have some stability if he allows Stoudamire to run the team and allow the youngsters to move slowly. The one thing Iavaroni does not want to do is alienate his scorers because he is force feeding young point guards and they are struggling to get the scorers the ball efficiently. The Grizzlies have talent, but it remains to be seen if they can develop heart and toughness to get back to the 50-win plateau again.

Am I the only one that is a little concerned about how Kevin Durant will hold up for the season? He is really good but you have to wonder, how will his skinny frame hold up over the 82-game season? As a catch-and-shoot player ( i.e. Reggie Miller) he would be OK. But let’s be real, he wasn’t drafted to be a catch-and-shoot player.

You just answered your own question. If you remember Reggie Miller early in his career, he drove the lane consistently and gave up his body and played 18 years. The offensive players in today’s game are protected and because of it Durant will be fine. He is an extremely committed young man and will get stronger and better as the season goes along.

I’ve been following the Bobcats since their inception. They appear to have done things the right way – building through the draft. They seem to have many talented players, but it can be hard to tell because so many players are young and many others have been injured. How does a team like this reach the next level? How does management or a coach decide what players are the nucleus of the team, and which ones are not (I remember Charles Barkley saying once that every NBA player is good enough to play). The next two years seem crucial to the Bobcats. What needs to happen for them to be successful?

Hopefully, Michael Jordan is allowing everyone to have a hand on decisions, which I am sure he is this time around. Luck plays a lot with getting to the next level. Assembling a team is extremely difficult because mixture can either enhance or destroy. If you look back at history, great teams have started with either the center position or the point guard position. Well, the Bobcats have neither. Yes, they can improve and win. But if they are to get out of the Eastern Conference it will have to be with the formula I just described. Emeka Okafor is not the answer at center and Raymond Felton is a stretch at the point position. Bottom line, the Bobcats need to find a way to convince some big time free agents to get on board in the next few years or they will just be termed a team that competes but comes up short.

Did you listen to some specific kind of music or song before you had to play a game?

I did not have a set order of doing things before a game. I just went with the flow. I never listened to music once I got in the locker room. That is another pet peeve of mind with today’s player. They isolate themselves from the people they are going to battle with. When I played, we talked to one another before games and not just about basketball. We would talk world issues and debate at times as well. That’s really the only part I miss about the game when I played – the fun we had in the locker room. For instance, when I played with the Charlotte Hornets in 1993, we had a fashion show before each game. Players would actually wait for you to walk in the locker room so they could dissect what you were wearing. Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson, Muggsy Bogues and Johnny Newman wore a different outfit for 82 games. I often wondered why Muggsy Bogues had his suits tailored when he was only 5-5 and could have bought his wardrobe at Target. They would hang up the worse outfit of the night and debate about it before our team meeting before the game. I have never laughed so hard in my life. I got to know all of those players that year because they did not isolate themselves and that was special.

I was just wondering what your thoughts are on the upcoming season for the Suns. Do you think DJ Strawberry and Alando along with Grant Hill will be enough to make up for losing Kurt Thomas and Junior or do they really need another quality big man to come off the bench before they can make it to the Finals? Also, Amare shot 66 percent from three-point land with Team USA. Are you going to give him some shooting pointers so he can become a deadly threat from anywhere on the court?

The question for the Suns this year and probably for the next three years with Steve Nash around is if they can get over the emotional hurdle the San Antonio Spurs present. That’s it! There are no other teams in the conference that can beat the Suns in a seven-game series (sorry, Maverick fans). The lost of Kurt Thomas and James Jones will hurt a lot if the Suns can’t find decent replacements. PJ Brown would be a welcome addition, but I believe he should jump in the fold now instead of during the season which is being tossed around. The hardest thing to do is come to a running team and try and catch up. Go ask Jalen Rose. If they do not get another big man, then Boris Diaw will have to play huge – which I personally believe he will this season. This will allow Amare to stay out of foul trouble and continue to dominate the paint for the Suns all season long. And yes, when the time comes he might be the second or third best three-point shooter on the roster. His mechanics are excellent.

Grant Hill will have the best season he has had since his years in Detroit. The pressure to perform and lead will not be there and so his relaxed role will pay major dividends on and off the court for the Suns this season.

I never once in my 17-year professional career thought officials were purposely affecting a game for their own benefit. Now don’t get me wrong, I did have my favorite officials and I had others I did not want to see at game time because in my competitive athletic mind I did not think they liked me. Or maybe the sight of them brought back bad memories from previous games.

I have to say what Tim Donaghy has done is extremely disappointing. I know how hard it is to train and bond as a team and to now know that an official was purposely affecting games really hurts.

I have always believed that an official could affect a basketball game much better than a player could. The reason I say this is because an official can control everyone. A player can’t. An official can send players to the bench with foul trouble and they can send players to the free throw line for free points. That is supreme power and that is why I am so mad about what Tim Donaghy has done.

Sports in our society right now are taking a major hit. From the Barry Bonds accusations of steroids to the multiple arrests of athletes in all sports to Tim Donaghy. I even heard an assumption that golf should drug test. Hmmm, I wonder why? Is it because a certain minority individual is flat out dominating a game that did not allow minorities for years? So there must be an advantage!

Do you see where we are going?

As a society, we have mixed the good with the bad because we are at a point where we trust nothing. We need to stick with the obvious and continue to follow the laws of our country, which say innocent till proven guilty.

Tim Donaghy has admitted guilt and I hope he is punished for committing a terrible act.

I live in Phoenix and work for the Phoenix Suns and I can’t stop thinking if Donaghy affected an extremely close Game 3 of the Spurs-Suns semifinal series.

This is what we have to deal with as Donaghy goes through his due process. And Spurs fans who already are dealing with winning a championship during a lockout-shortened season in 1999 and this year catching flack for the Robert Horry flagrant foul that led to Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw being suspended for Game 5 will now have to hear about Donaghy’s last career game and how he called a foul 3 to 4 seconds after a shot was missed by Manu Ginobili.

Is this fair to San Antonio? Not at all. They did not know what advantage they had in reference to Donaghy. If he indeed was affecting Game 3, I guarantee no Spur player said, “Wow, that ref is trying to help us win.” They played the game hard as usual and accepted the calls as they came about and won a close game. The Suns moved on as well and accepted the loss. That’s what you do in sports – you move on. And that is exactly what the NBA will do.

I hurt for the rest of the officials right now, because they will catch the brunt of what Donaghy leaves behind and all I ask is for the fans to not throw stones.

I once heard a quote from an important person in my life – my pastor.

He said people who are “perfect” and have led exemplary lives can throw stones. He asked those people to stand up in a place of 2,000. No one stood up.

His point was this… The only difference between people who have gotten caught doing something they did wrong and you, regardless of the severity of the act, is they got caught and you didn’t. At least not yet.

Tim Donaghy got caught and he will eventually receive his punishment. The other officials in the league have not been accused of anything and they should not be the object of anger from fans because of one man’s greed and selfishness.

We must move on from this and accept Donaghy no differently than the crooked investment firm that stole hard-earned money or the crooked doctor that charged double and did a terrible job to boot or the teacher that gave you a bad grade because she or he did not like you. Why? Because we still need these important facets of society and so we have to trust the next one. Donaghy is no different. He was a bad apple in the bunch. The NBA will move on – as will the NFL. MLB, NHL and the PGA – and will continue to provide us with what we long for every time we turn on the television or attend an sporting event – fairness, excitement and entertainment.

Robert Horry has been viewed as one of the best clutch players in NBA history. He has been a part of six championships with the Rockets, Lakers and Spurs. He has made a number of late-game changing shots despite not being a big-time scorer, but Monday’s might be the best assist to win a series he has ever made.

The flagrant assault Horry put on Steve Nash in the Game 4 lost against Phoenix could possibly propel the Spurs to the Western Conference championship.

In one play when the game was seemingly over, Horry could have eliminated Amare Stoudemire, Boris Diaw and limited Steve Nash if he woke up this morning bruised and sore from the cheap shot Horry laid on him. I am extremely disappointed in Horry, but the true colors of individuals will always come to light when faced with embarrassment. Horry basically acted like the guy who brings his ball to the park and didn’t get picked to play, so he takes his ball and goes home.

I understand why he was disappointed. The Suns beat the Spurs at their game and especially when San Antonio thought they had control with an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter. The problem I have with Horry is this is the precise reason why he is considered to be one of the best clutch players ever. He has broken hearts of opposing fans and sent opposing teams to the locker room with despondent thoughts after making late-game winning shots when they thought they had the game won. Now when the shoe is on the other foot, he resorts to taking out the smallest and most important player for the Suns. I wonder… If that was Kurt Thomas, would he have sent that message to him?

I must admit Horry was one of my favorite players, but only based on his unselfishness. Suns fans have never liked Horry, though, because he forced a trade to the Lakers after the Suns acquired him and Sam Cassell from Houston for Charles Barkley. I will have a hard time understanding his meltdown and why a player who had no impact or confrontation in the game causes such an uproar at the end of it.

Because of it, the Suns are in deep trouble if Stoudemire and Diaw are suspended. Stoudemire’s argument is that he was checking into the game. Well, we will see if Stu Jackson believes that argument and what he decides.

Is it fair? No way. Will it be an even tradeoff, Horry for Amare and Diaw? No way. The league has a zero tolerance policy for leaving the bench area, but they have made adjustments before and in this case they should.  If they don’t, then why shouldn’t Pat Burke or Kurt Thomas provoke Tim Duncan into a confrontation or fight in Game 5. This series is about to get real ugly and the league better set a precedent soon. We have seen some flagrant acts  get overlooked in a number of series so far without suspensions and to finally suspend  two players for doing nothing will ignite the bonfire that’s been building in every semifinal series so far.

If the Spurs are rewarded with these suspensions, Robert Horry will add another clutch moment to his career and the Suns will have to beat a very good San Antonio team in Game 5 without their top scorer. I think that, at best, is wishful thinking and the Suns would have to get a second win in San Antonio to get to the next round.

Good luck!

Mike D’Antoni is extremely close to a crossroads concerning how to deal with Tim Duncan and who will play the pivotal role in doing it. The answer has to be Kurt Thomas. Although he might slow down the Suns fast-paced attitude, Kurt Thomas gives them the antidote to solving the Spurs ability to slow down the game.

The Suns must face facts and realize the only way they will speed up the game is to get a lead playing at the Spurs pace first. And the only way that will happen is on the defensive end, because the Spurs will run their offense through Duncan every time when he is on the floor.

The reason why the Suns play James Jones and Boris Diaw is that they want to play fast. Well, if those players only produce 7 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 34 minutes combined in Game 1 the argument could be made that Kurt Thomas should have gotten a bulk of those 34 minutes, instead of only 13. Maybe he could have held Tim Duncan to 25 points and helped negate the 14 offensive rebounds the Spurs had in that game. But most importantly, he could have defended him one-on-one, thus taking away key three-point shots made by Robert Horry and Michael Finley – who by the way cannot and will not put the ball on the floor to create anything. So those two players only contribute if the Suns do help out on Duncan and give them open standstill shots. Also, it will allow Amare Stoudamire, who had 18 rebounds, to dominate the weak-side glass and stay out of foul trouble.

Key for the Suns if they are too win this series… Make Duncan score 50 and don’t allow Finley, Horry and Brent Barry to have an impact on the game. The Suns have too many offensive weapons to allow Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to beat them alone. Phoenix will win this series in six games if Thomas is allowed to be a factor.