Now Lebron James Wants A Blockbuster Trade For The Cavs?

Like nearly everyone else, Cleveland's Lebron James was shocked by Shaquille O'Neal's trade to Phoenix.

"Unbelievable," James said after practice Wednesday. "That's all I got. It's unbelievable."

O'Neal, one of the league's top centers for more than a decade, was traded by Miami to the Suns for forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks, a blockbuster deal that rocked the league like one of Shaq's backboard-bending dunks.

It was the second jaw-dropping swap involving All-Star players in days. Last week, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired 7-foot center Pau Gasol from Memphis, a trade that may have forced the Suns into retooling their team in order to stay ahead of their nearest competitor in the Pacific Division.

With the Lakers and Heat acquiring superstars, Lebron James is starting to wonder when the Cavs will acquire a superstar (with no disrespect to Lebron's teamates) of their own.

James recently said he would love for general manager Danny Ferry to make a run at New Jersey point guard Jason Kidd, who has made it no secret that he wants the Nets to dish him off before the Feb. 21 trading deadline.

When James was asked if being paired with Kidd, his teammate last summer on the U.S. national team, could win the Cavs their first championship, Cleveland's superstar delivered an answer as resounding as any of his powerful slam dunks.

The Cavs are going to have to compete with the Dallas Mavericks, who are also interested in acquiring Jason Kidd.

The Cavaliers would like to add another star player to complement James, who's having an MVP-caliber season. Larry Hughes hasn't been what Cleveland had hoped since Ferry signed the oft-injured shooting guard to a five-year, $60 million contract before the '05 season.

James was asked if it's necessary for a team to have multiple stars to win an NBA title.

"It helps," he said with a laugh. "It does help when you have guys on the team that are perennial All-Stars or can go out there and produce every night and you know what you're going to get."

Reminded that Kidd was still available, James grinned.

"I know that," he said.

James, too, knows that adding another big player can lead to problems.

"It can mess up the chemistry a little bit and it could take a little longer for them to fit in, maybe not," he said. "The reward is you get a good player. Like the Lakers, they got a guy [Gasol] who has averaged 20 [points] and 12 [rebounds] for his whole career. Last night, Kobe Bryant gets six points and the Lakers win by 15, that's the reward.

"It all depends on what caliber of player you are getting and how fast he can adjust to the new system."

If the Cavaliers stand pat and don't make a trade, James is confident the defending Eastern Conference champs are still good enough to win it all.

"As long as I'm healthy, we're going to give ourselves a chance to win," he said. "No matter who is out on the court with me."

From James' comments, you wouldn't be able to tell if he wants another superstar on his team or not. However, it is clear that James is happy and confident with the way things are now.

Will Shaquille O'Neal Be Traded To The Suns For Shawn Marion?

This is the rumor going around.

The Miami Heat's season has come to this: Shaquille O'Neal may be on the trading block.

Citing two sources close to the situation, the Miami Herald reported on Tuesday that the team has told the center that he should be prepared for a possible deal.

The Herald goes on to report that a trade of O'Neal to the Phoenix Suns for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks has been discussed. One of O'Neal's representatives told the newspaper that they were informed that talks with Phoenix were ongoing and serious.

ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports that this scenario has been rumored for a week, but it will not work without major modifications due to financial restraints.

The Heat have a league-worst 9-37 record and have lost four straight. O'Neal has missed the last six games with a sore left hip. Heat coach Pat Riley said on Tuesday that O'Neal will undergo an MRI.

I can't possibly see this trade happening for 2 reasons. First, Shaq is getting up there in years and pretty soon he'll be obsolete. He'll retire as a Heat player. The Heat need to draft or acquire a young center to replace Shaq and keep Shaq on the bench as an experienced back up at best. His days as a player are numbered. Second, I can not see the Suns breaking apart that magnificent team, which is led by Steve Nash, Shaun Marion, and Amare Stoudemire. To break those guys apart (especially for someone like Shaq) would be just plain dumb.

The Phoenix Suns Are An Offensive Scoring Machine

The Denver Nuggets scored 59 points by halftime. In normal circumstances, most teams would love to have 59 points by halftime. However, when you look across the scoreboard and see that you're playing the Phoenix Suns, who had 78 points by halftime, suddenly 59 isn't as impressive.

Shawn Marion scored a season-high 27 points, had six blocked shots, and hit five of Phoenix's 20 3-pointers to lead the Suns to a 137-115 romp over the Denver Nuggets in a matchup of division leaders Monday night.

Marion made 11-of-15 shots and grabbed 14 rebounds before leaving with 4:23 to play. The five 3-pointers, all of which came in the first half, matched a career-high. He equaled his career high with the six blocks. It was the fifth time Marion has had five 3s or six blocks.

Marcus Banks, who has played his way back into the Suns' rotation, made a career-high seven 3s -- in eight attempts -- en route to a season-best 23 points. The 20 3-pointers matched a franchise record and were one shy of the NBA record set by Toronto on March 13, 2005.

Grant Hill added 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Amare Stoudemire had 20 points and 10 rebounds as six Suns reached double figures.

As you can see, the numbers and stats for the Suns are staggering. I could keep going on and on (and I haven't even mentioned Steve Nash yet). The Phoenix Suns are a powerhouse offensive team. They are like the New England Patriots or Indianapolis Colts of football. They can score at will.

Its all very impressive, but there's a problems with this team. Every year I'm almost convinced that this is the year where they finally make it to and win the NBA Championship. However, they really need to work on their defense. That's the problem. If this team is as good as the numbers show, then why haven't they won the NBA Championship yet? If they had a better defense, this team would be unstoppable.