After reading this Yahoo article this morning covering the recent comments by Pat Riley and the Miami Heat about their interest in the Toronto Raptors Center Jermaine O’Neal I was in a state of shock. The Heat is considering sending the versatile Shawn Marion for J.O.?
What is Pat Riley thinking?
I love J.O. to death, but it’s fairly obvious to the entire world that his best days are well behind him. Even though there was off-season talk of O’Neal coming out this year rejuvenated and back to all-star form, he still has been bothered by intermittent knee troubles and has yet to show he is any real scoring threat. Don’t get me wrong though, Jermaine O’Neal is still a machine on the glass and a defensive presence in the paint where he is consistently putting up great numbers in the blocks department.
But if Riley is looking for a player that just rebounds consistently and blocks shots, he doesn’t need to look any further than his current center Joel Anthony who has been doing just that for the Heat so far this year. If Pat Riley is seriously considering this move it is a sure sign that the Heat are close to 100% positive that Shawn Marion is not willing to resign with them, so they are trying to move him before he just signs elsewhere without the Heat getting anything in return.
What would Bryan Colangelo and the Raptors be getting in this deal?…..Instant success…
For those of you that have been watching the Raptors this year, what has been their biggest weakness? Perimeter defense! Especially against the many high scoring shooting guard and small forward superstars that seem to populate virtually every NBA team these days. There is no better or more versatile defender in the NBA to guard those positions than Shawn Marion. The guy is freakishly athletic with both size and speed, and he has the veteran know how to stop guys straight up. The bonus you get with Marion, is he is one of those guys who doesn’t need a lot of plays called for him on the offensive end either. He’s a clean-up specialist, and a very consistent perimeter shooter as well (which he never really gets sufficient credit for).
There has been a lot of talk about Marion’s statistics having dipped ever since he was separated from selfless point guard Steve Nash, who has long been given credit for inflating Marion’s numbers with his great passing. If Marion did get shipped to Toronto, what better way to rejuvente Marion to fantasy stat stuffer than to couple him with the only point guard in the NBA who has a game that somewhat resembles that of Steve Nash, i’m talking about Jose Calderon. They both are selfless to a fault, have great court vision, shoot ridiculous efficiencies from all spots, and love to throw the lob pass. This is exactly the type of point guard Marion needs to play with to excel.
Most critics of this potential trade will talk about the dangers of once again weakening the much improved Raptors interior by shipping out O’Neal, but with the improved play of Andrea Bargnani over the last few weeks on the inside and outside, it will certainly take the sting off for the Raps. And when you really think about it, the Raps have improved their interior this year, but for what? A worse record?
It may be time to shake things up again…..
I like this trade for the Raps, hate this trade for the Heat. Only time will tell. What are your thoughts?
