Shaquille O'Neal Is Going To Bring Some Heat To The Phoenix Suns

In one of the most improbable trades in NBA history, the Miami Heat traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com.

Who would have thought that trading Shaquille O'Neal would have been so simple? The Miami Heat, other than the obvious fact that they are a very bad team, have terrible team chemistry issues. Pat Riley and Shaq were not getting along. Likewise, Shawn Marion wasn't mixing well with his team either.

The Suns have been plagued by well-chronicled concerns about their chemistry for nearly two years, generally focusing on the occasional dissatisfaction voiced behind the scenes by either Marion or Stoudemire. In the locker room as well as the front office, sources told Stein, there are factions that have believed for some time that one of them would eventually have to be traded for the Suns to reach their full potential.

Marion asked to be traded before the season but has rarely mentioned that declaration since, with many Suns insiders believing that he went public with that request mostly as a protest response to being mentioned in trade rumors for years.

O'Neal turns 36 in March and has been plagued by a persistent hip problem that has cost him 14 games this season. He refused to speak with Miami reporters after Tuesday's practice, while Riley insisted that O'Neal would soon undergo an MRI after missing the Heat's past six games.

And when he has been healthy, O'Neal is averaging a career-worst 14.2 points and 7.8 rebounds, while the Heat's demise has deepened after they followed their historic comeback from 2-0 down against Dallas in the 2006 NBA Finals by absorbing a first-round sweep by Chicago last season.

Marion, a four-time All-Star, is averaging 15.6 points and 9.8 rebounds this season, while Banks is putting up 5.2 points and 1.0 assist per game.

Obviously, Marion and Wade will fit will together. But, what can Shaq offer the Suns? Though this seems on the surface to be a terrible trade, the Suns are hoping to get out of Shaq at least 20 minutes of offensive and defensive pressure in the paint that wasn't there when Marion was playing for them. Now, they have a huge center that can compete with Tim Duncan and the Spurs or Andrew Bynum on the Lakers. They can still run up and down the court with their fast paced offense, but when all else fails, just throw the ball to the big man under the rim.

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 Miami Heat Are Ice Cold No Longer

Dwyane Wade scored 35 points, Mark Blount added 10 of his 19 in the pivotal fourth quarter, and the Miami Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 98-96 on Saturday to snap a 15-game skid -- the longest in the NBA this season and the second-longest in franchise history.

"You don't like to be part of that every day," Riley said. "So they're just happy this thing is over with."The scene at the final buzzer was championship-caliber.

Horrible Heat Moments
Miami's 98-96 win over Indiana on Saturday snapped a 15-game slide, the second longest in Heat history. Back in 1988, Miami ended a 17-game slide with a one-point win over the Clippers. Here's a look at Miami's futility:
	Dec. 14, 1988	Jan. 26, 2008
Losing streak	17 games	15 games
Franchise game number	18	1,568
Opponent	at Clippers	vs. Pacers
Won by	1 point	2 points

Indiana's final play started with 5.8 seconds left, when Wade knocked the inbounds pass into the backcourt. Andre Owens picked up the ball, got just over halfcourt and released a desperation toss that wasn't close.

And with that, Heat relief.

So what if Miami only improved to 9-33, the worst record in the East? For the first time since Dec. 22, the Heat could leave a game happy.

Now that the Heat snapped their 15 game losing streak with a win, I'll laugh if they lose their next game.

Here's A Replay I Never Thought I'd See In Basketball

The Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat must replay the final 51.9 seconds of their game last month because the NBA said the official scorer ruled incorrectly that Shaquille O'Neal fouled out. This will be the first time since 1982 the league has sent teams back on the court for a replay.

Usually in baseball when rain delays or cancels a game, depending on how much of the game was played and the content produced in the game, sometimes the rest of the game or whatever innings were remaining are played on another date. However, I never heard of this happening in basketball, especially over someone fouling out. I could understand this happening if the stadium collapsed or some disaster struck, but not because someone mistakingly ruled Shaq fouled out when he didn't. I mean, would it really make a terribly big difference if Shaq played the last 52 seconds of the game?

The Hawks won 117-111 at home in overtime Dec. 19. The NBA said Friday the replay will be held before the teams' next scheduled game -- March 8 in Atlanta. Play will start from the time after O'Neal's disputed sixth foul.

The Hawks also were fined $50,000, with commissioner David Stern ruling the team was "grossly negligent" in failing to address the mistake.

The protest is the first granted by the NBA since December 1982, when then-NBA commissioner Larry O'Brien upheld a request for a replay by the San Antonio Spurs after their 137-132 double-overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers the previous month.

The Spurs and Lakers finished the game in April 1983, with San Antonio winning 117-114.

I guess the Heat figure that every possible win is a must, but I can't see their season turning around, especially with the East only getting better.

Shaquille O' Neal Travels To Los Angeles For Medical Treatment

Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal flew Monday to Los Angeles to seek medical treatment for a hip injury that has sidelined him the past five games.

You know, everyone likes to poke fun at the New York Knicks for what a disgrace they are (including myself), but do people realize that the Miami Heat are far worse than them?

O'Neal's departure two games into a five-game trip is the latest setback for an injury-plagued team that has the worst record in the Eastern Conference at 8-26 and has lost seven games in a row. O'Neal had said Sunday he had hoped to return to the lineup Tuesday at Minnesota.

He bruised his left hip Dec. 22 when he dived for a loose ball and slid into the scorer's table during a win over Utah. He aggravated the injury in a Dec. 26 loss at Philadelphia and hasn't played since.

The hip injury and a sore left knee have contributed to the least productive season of O'Neal's 16-year career. He is averaging 14 points and 7.8 rebounds in 29 games.

Injury layoffs have been common for O'Neal in recent years. He missed 39 games last season, when he underwent left knee surgery. He sat out 21 games during the Heat's 2005-06 championship season because of a sprained ankle and sprained thumb.

The Heat lost O'Neal's backup, Alonzo Mourning, for the season when he tore two knee ligaments in a Dec. 19 loss at Atlanta. Dwyane Wade, Jason Williams and Dorell Wright have all battled injuries recently.

Shaquille O' Neal Adds More Fire To The Heat

In a season where the Miami Heat are on the complete opposite side of the winning spectrum with a 4-14 record, the last thing they need is for one of their star players to start mouthing off.

Well, now the Heat have to deal with the wrath of Shaq

Shaquille O'Neal once again is less than pleased with his role in the Miami Heat's offense and, once again, he let everyone know it.

After the Heat's 14th loss in 18 games to start the season, a 112-106 loss to Portland on Thursday night, O'Neal said his teammates need to feed him the ball more.

Several weeks ago, teammate Dwyane Wade called O'Neal out for not being motivated enough to turn his game around and shake Miami out of a lousy 1-8 start.

But, O'Neal said Thursday, his game is fine and the Heat would be better if they looked for him more often. "If I'm taking 20 shots a game, and I'm only making two, then you can say my production is going down," O'Neal said, "but I'm still shooting 60 or 65 percent from the field. So they've got to find better ways to get me the ball. It should be simple."

Maybe I just don't understand this quote, but if Shaq says he is taking 20 shots a game and he is only making 2....wouldn't that be a shooting percentage of 10%? Why would you want a player who says he is going to only make 10% of his shots?! Think before you talk Shaq. Then again, I'm just breaking his quote down using logic.

Shaq and Dwayne Wade are doing a decent job....its everybody around the Heat who are playing poorly and I don't think old fossil Shaq can be the difference maker for this team. Last year they started off poorly and made the playoffs, but with the East becoming better and better, their season can't be saved this year.

Through Thursday, O'Neal is shooting 59 percent from the floor while averaging 15 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

Around the NBA 11.14.2007

• T-Mac just left the game with what looks like a pretty bad elbow injury. He was driving to the rim when he was fouled. He went to the free throw line and shot them left-handed. The report just came in that he has a sprained right elbow (shooting elbow). He will not return to the game, and he is being sent to the hospital for a MRI.

• LeBron James recorded a triple-double. However, the rest of his team decided to take the night off. He carried them down the stretch to force overtime against the Orlando Magic, but the Cavs feel in overtime. The real story, LeBron looks like a really good player. Oh wait, you guys knew that already?
  

• The Boston Celtics are in a class of there own. The Nets put up a great fight for the first 3 quarters, but the Celtics are just to strong. The 'Big Three' had what could be considered an off night, and they still found a way to pull away in the end.
  

• Stephon Marbury and..... who cares? Just sit him on the bench.
  

• The Flash has returned. D-Wade played for the first time this season. Unfortunately, he played in a Miami Heat jersey, therefor his team got embarrassed. However, Wade looked really sharp. I would look for him, in the upcoming weeks, to start to take control of this team and lead them to a couple of W's.
  

The Heat Have Something to Celebrate - Dwayne Wade Is Back At Practice

After six months, Dwayne Wade's surgically repaired knee (which was operated on May 15th) survived its first real test without any harm whatsoever. During Wade's first practice with the Miami Heat, rookie center Joel Anthony launched his giant 260-pound frame towards Wade as he headed towards the basket. Wade didn't mind this at all. In fact, he was curious to see how he would handle getting fouled again. Well, he got more than he bargained for because he not only got fouled, he got tackled.

The positive news is Wade stated there was no problem or injury related to his left knee after practice Monday. The negative news, however, is that Wade is still determining when his return date to the Miami lineup will be.

Wade should take enough time as he needs to recover to 100% percent, but not too much time. The Heat need him back badly as they are in shambles right now. Smush Parker hasn't played the past two games, leaving rookie Daequan Cook and third-string guard Chris Quinn to experience significant playing time. Wade brings to the Heat the explosive power on offense, which they have been lacking as their ppg has dipped in Wade's absence. The Heat are ranked #23 in the ESPN's power rankings standings after an 0-3 start in week one AND if you think that's bad.....the Heat are on a 16 game losing streak if you factor in exhibition and playoffs.