SHAQ AND KIDD TRADE LIVE BLOG
Perhaps it's too early to speak to the wisdom of these trades but it's not too early to see how each team is going to utilize each player.
The early exit polls are in....
For Shaquille O'Neal.....
One quarter into the Laker/Suns matchup Shaq started with a raquous entrance and left halfway through the first quarter having played 3 minutes with no points and no rebounds. Trainers reported to ESPN that they plan on letting him go for 5 minute spurts, which makes sense. They involved Shaq in the high-post game (and so did LA offensively) and he has yet to do more than set a solid screen. He does look more "interested" and a bit more lively than he did in Miami. So no big suprises here, we'll report when we get a better feel for his role.
For Jason Kidd....
In the Mavs/Hornets game in New Orleans it's an interesting dynamic brewing early on. Jason Kidd finished the first half with a line you might expect...4 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds. He had 3 turnovers in the first half and caused another handful. The turnovers aren't a big deal since he's just learning where to be on the court.
It's amazing watching Jason Kidd as the entire Dallas offense has deferred to him. It got me thinking though about Avery Johnson. He's been a pretty vocal teacher and he's never really had a strong veteran presence other than the also-deferrential Jerry Stackhouse.
In other words, it's been Avery's ship to skipper and I wonder how Avery's lack of coaching experience has translated into mental transgressions on the floor. Not because of the X's and O's, though, but because of his intensity. Maybe a part of the problem with Dallas not having a leader on the court is that nobody has had the ability to lead with Avery being such a dominant leader himself.
With Jason Kidd on the court he is about the same age as Avery and has twice the playing accolades of anybody on the court, including Avery. Avery is going to have a tough time telling Jason Kidd "how it is" and it seems, at least initially, that you may see a calmer, gentler Avery Johnson. If the Dallas squad can take the lead of its new captain, maybe that will equate to toughness and playoff victories.
****UPDATE****
Jason Kidd wrapup....
Jason Kidd has been a relatively uneventful pickup for Dallas in this game. They're currently down by 14 in New Orleans and we're in garbage time. The lead was as big as 20. Watching these 2 teams on the same floor is an athletic mismatch, even with Jason Kidd. Dirk got his points tonight with 31 on 11-21 shooting but still can't break down defenders with the dribble. His shots are becoming increasingly difficult and while he's getting to the line he doesn't command respect from the defense. Chandler and West drew one-on-one assignments all night and it seems like the Hornets (and the rest of the league) are content to let Dirk shoot-away. Kidd was outclassed by Chris Paul all night, but in the short-term is an upgrade over Devin Harris because of the intangibles.
I still hate this trade though. Dirk Nowitzki is not the player that you bank your future on.
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Halftime with Shaq O'Neal.....
Going into Halftime the Lakers are putting a whoopin on the Suns, which is a testament to how good Kobe Bryant is, has been, and how 1 addition offensively has put them in a strong position to win the West. But back to Shaq....the Phoenix brass can live to breathe another day with solid production out of what they would call a "get back into shape" run for Shaq. He's gone for 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in 12 minutes, nothing special. But he has been an "active Shaq" participating in the screen and roll game, on one play hitting a cutting Stoudamire from the high post. We think he'll be able to continue to pass well out of the high post due to his experience passing out of double teams in the past and be a big-bodied screener as cutting teammates use him out of said screen.
On other plays he has looked inept offensively showing poor footwork and touch shooting the ball. However, he has a few hustle plays under his belt, a dunk, a block, and the Lakers have been been forced to account him. That alone changes the dynamic of who the Suns are, but I'm not so certain with the turnovers and offensive ineptitude that this is an upgrade.
I'm sure we'll hear Phoenix talk positively about this introduction into the lineup and pundits split 50/50. With that said Shaq has less than 30 games to get into shape and get onto the same page as teammates. While that is not out of the question he doesn't seem to have the impact that justifies getting rid of Shawn Marion, no matter what the supposed locker room problem he was.
Like Dallas it smells like a desperate team that missed its window. Hey, didn't Sacramento just make a trade as well? Oh yeah, they were getting rid of their last dinosaur....
****UPDATE****
7 minutes and change to go in the fourth and a couple of obversations....
Shaq has played above his performances in Miami and been on the end of a couple of impressive plays. He dove for a ball that even a young rookie might have thought twice about diving for. He's definitely trying to make an impression tonight. Statistically, he's played 30 minutes so far and has 6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 turnovers. ESPN reported that he had 21 touches at the beginning of the fourth. He's looked composed when passing the ball aside from the aforementioned offensive troubles.
ALERT....Nash just fed Shaq for an alley-oop that brought the house down. Kobe just nailed a 3 to put the Lake-Show up by 4. This might be a game for the ages.
Amare Stoudamire has gone for 33 points and 15 rebounds. Shaq's presence has certaintly contributed to that.
Watching these 2 teams tonight is one of the most interesting things I've seen on the hardwood in a while. Both teams have been fairly stable in terms of playing style for years....Phoenix runnin and gunnin....LA standing and watching Kobe create. Now Phoenix is making a concerted effort to enter it into the post via 2 players now (Shaq and Amare) while the Lakers are entering it into Gasol whenever they can.
Gasol has played an incredible all around offensive game (24 points on 12-18 shooting). His litanny of post-moves complimented with the ability to shoot the jumper is bad news for the rest of the league. He hit a running hook-shot to close the 3rd reminiscent of Kareem.
Gasol was seen blaming a bad pass on a cutting teammate which I bet was the reason he wasn't loved in Memphis. I'll put the over/under on when Kobe puts a stop to that at 14.5 days.
ALERT....Shaq just slammed another one and took a pass on the block with a drop stop inside to a 5 foot fadeaway jump shot make. It was on Pau Gasol but it's a good sign nonetheless.
Kobe just was the recipient of a BS goaltend call and Shaq spinted ahead of all of the players back on defense. He's certainly committed to this team and Bill Walton is right.....Miami should ask for a refund on some of his enormous salary.
One thing I don't want to forget to add is that the Lakers second squad starting the fourth quarter of Farmar, Sasha, Turiaf, Gasol, and Radmonovich outplayed Phoenix's first squad (minus Nash) for the first 2 minutes forcing Phoenix to take a timeout. For all of the Phil Jackson detractors out there something has to be said for his ability to assemble the mental fortitude within his teams. The main reason the Western Conference is scared of the Lakers are 2 things: 1) Their "big/starting" lineup of Fisher, Kobe, Odom, Gasol, and Bynum can both outrebound and out-quick you. 2) Their bench has gained confidence and even if all 5 starters are sitting they can put a finger in the dike, if not outplay you.
Shaq just put his mark on the game. He has 15 points and 9 rebounds and has been critical to pulling Phoenix within 2 with 3 minutes left. My previous remarks having pundits claiming this was a successful trade at 50% liking it and 50% not liking it has shifted to 100% of them will like it, but also question Shaq's ability to stay healthy and do it over the duration. None of them, however, will claim his ability to deliver in the playoffs.
Kobe just went over 40 points for the 90th game. He played the first 36 minutes of the game without rest.
O'Neal is on the court in the last 2 minutes. Phoenix believes that he is going to help them win this critical statement game.
Nash took an ill-advised driving runner from 18 feet (he seems to be doing more things of the head-shaking variety in his old age) and the hard rebound landed in Fisher's hands who sent it to a streaking Bryant who shoveled it to the trailing Gasol for the dunk to put LA up by 6. Gasol, Kobe, and Odom all cheered like they knew like they had secured not only this game, but their first taste of being the lead dog for a while (and in the case of Odom and Gasol...ever).
Phoenix has lost this game down by 5 with seconds left. The look on Steve Kerr's face says it all. He lost a lot in this game tonight and no matter what the spin is, he has to face the fact that they are 5-12 against the rest of the Western Confernce playoff teams (if the season ended today).
All in all, I think Shaq did a good job tonight of proving his heart and taking the pressure off of Amare Stoudamire. In fact, with the presence of another servicable big man it dawned on me that the biggest problem isn't Phoenix's lack of a big man inside.....it is the lack of defense coming from Steve Nash. Not being able to stop and pressure the ball is killing them.
I'd call tonight a draw for both Shaq and Kidd, but both franchises get low marks for swinging for the fences when neither player is going to substantially improve them in the most competitive Western Conference ever.
The early exit polls are in....
For Shaquille O'Neal.....
One quarter into the Laker/Suns matchup Shaq started with a raquous entrance and left halfway through the first quarter having played 3 minutes with no points and no rebounds. Trainers reported to ESPN that they plan on letting him go for 5 minute spurts, which makes sense. They involved Shaq in the high-post game (and so did LA offensively) and he has yet to do more than set a solid screen. He does look more "interested" and a bit more lively than he did in Miami. So no big suprises here, we'll report when we get a better feel for his role.
For Jason Kidd....
In the Mavs/Hornets game in New Orleans it's an interesting dynamic brewing early on. Jason Kidd finished the first half with a line you might expect...4 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds. He had 3 turnovers in the first half and caused another handful. The turnovers aren't a big deal since he's just learning where to be on the court.
It's amazing watching Jason Kidd as the entire Dallas offense has deferred to him. It got me thinking though about Avery Johnson. He's been a pretty vocal teacher and he's never really had a strong veteran presence other than the also-deferrential Jerry Stackhouse.
In other words, it's been Avery's ship to skipper and I wonder how Avery's lack of coaching experience has translated into mental transgressions on the floor. Not because of the X's and O's, though, but because of his intensity. Maybe a part of the problem with Dallas not having a leader on the court is that nobody has had the ability to lead with Avery being such a dominant leader himself.
With Jason Kidd on the court he is about the same age as Avery and has twice the playing accolades of anybody on the court, including Avery. Avery is going to have a tough time telling Jason Kidd "how it is" and it seems, at least initially, that you may see a calmer, gentler Avery Johnson. If the Dallas squad can take the lead of its new captain, maybe that will equate to toughness and playoff victories.
****UPDATE****
Jason Kidd wrapup....
Jason Kidd has been a relatively uneventful pickup for Dallas in this game. They're currently down by 14 in New Orleans and we're in garbage time. The lead was as big as 20. Watching these 2 teams on the same floor is an athletic mismatch, even with Jason Kidd. Dirk got his points tonight with 31 on 11-21 shooting but still can't break down defenders with the dribble. His shots are becoming increasingly difficult and while he's getting to the line he doesn't command respect from the defense. Chandler and West drew one-on-one assignments all night and it seems like the Hornets (and the rest of the league) are content to let Dirk shoot-away. Kidd was outclassed by Chris Paul all night, but in the short-term is an upgrade over Devin Harris because of the intangibles.
I still hate this trade though. Dirk Nowitzki is not the player that you bank your future on.
———————————
Halftime with Shaq O'Neal.....
Going into Halftime the Lakers are putting a whoopin on the Suns, which is a testament to how good Kobe Bryant is, has been, and how 1 addition offensively has put them in a strong position to win the West. But back to Shaq....the Phoenix brass can live to breathe another day with solid production out of what they would call a "get back into shape" run for Shaq. He's gone for 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in 12 minutes, nothing special. But he has been an "active Shaq" participating in the screen and roll game, on one play hitting a cutting Stoudamire from the high post. We think he'll be able to continue to pass well out of the high post due to his experience passing out of double teams in the past and be a big-bodied screener as cutting teammates use him out of said screen.
On other plays he has looked inept offensively showing poor footwork and touch shooting the ball. However, he has a few hustle plays under his belt, a dunk, a block, and the Lakers have been been forced to account him. That alone changes the dynamic of who the Suns are, but I'm not so certain with the turnovers and offensive ineptitude that this is an upgrade.
I'm sure we'll hear Phoenix talk positively about this introduction into the lineup and pundits split 50/50. With that said Shaq has less than 30 games to get into shape and get onto the same page as teammates. While that is not out of the question he doesn't seem to have the impact that justifies getting rid of Shawn Marion, no matter what the supposed locker room problem he was.
Like Dallas it smells like a desperate team that missed its window. Hey, didn't Sacramento just make a trade as well? Oh yeah, they were getting rid of their last dinosaur....
****UPDATE****
7 minutes and change to go in the fourth and a couple of obversations....
Shaq has played above his performances in Miami and been on the end of a couple of impressive plays. He dove for a ball that even a young rookie might have thought twice about diving for. He's definitely trying to make an impression tonight. Statistically, he's played 30 minutes so far and has 6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 turnovers. ESPN reported that he had 21 touches at the beginning of the fourth. He's looked composed when passing the ball aside from the aforementioned offensive troubles.
ALERT....Nash just fed Shaq for an alley-oop that brought the house down. Kobe just nailed a 3 to put the Lake-Show up by 4. This might be a game for the ages.
Amare Stoudamire has gone for 33 points and 15 rebounds. Shaq's presence has certaintly contributed to that.
Watching these 2 teams tonight is one of the most interesting things I've seen on the hardwood in a while. Both teams have been fairly stable in terms of playing style for years....Phoenix runnin and gunnin....LA standing and watching Kobe create. Now Phoenix is making a concerted effort to enter it into the post via 2 players now (Shaq and Amare) while the Lakers are entering it into Gasol whenever they can.
Gasol has played an incredible all around offensive game (24 points on 12-18 shooting). His litanny of post-moves complimented with the ability to shoot the jumper is bad news for the rest of the league. He hit a running hook-shot to close the 3rd reminiscent of Kareem.
Gasol was seen blaming a bad pass on a cutting teammate which I bet was the reason he wasn't loved in Memphis. I'll put the over/under on when Kobe puts a stop to that at 14.5 days.
ALERT....Shaq just slammed another one and took a pass on the block with a drop stop inside to a 5 foot fadeaway jump shot make. It was on Pau Gasol but it's a good sign nonetheless.
Kobe just was the recipient of a BS goaltend call and Shaq spinted ahead of all of the players back on defense. He's certainly committed to this team and Bill Walton is right.....Miami should ask for a refund on some of his enormous salary.
One thing I don't want to forget to add is that the Lakers second squad starting the fourth quarter of Farmar, Sasha, Turiaf, Gasol, and Radmonovich outplayed Phoenix's first squad (minus Nash) for the first 2 minutes forcing Phoenix to take a timeout. For all of the Phil Jackson detractors out there something has to be said for his ability to assemble the mental fortitude within his teams. The main reason the Western Conference is scared of the Lakers are 2 things: 1) Their "big/starting" lineup of Fisher, Kobe, Odom, Gasol, and Bynum can both outrebound and out-quick you. 2) Their bench has gained confidence and even if all 5 starters are sitting they can put a finger in the dike, if not outplay you.
Shaq just put his mark on the game. He has 15 points and 9 rebounds and has been critical to pulling Phoenix within 2 with 3 minutes left. My previous remarks having pundits claiming this was a successful trade at 50% liking it and 50% not liking it has shifted to 100% of them will like it, but also question Shaq's ability to stay healthy and do it over the duration. None of them, however, will claim his ability to deliver in the playoffs.
Kobe just went over 40 points for the 90th game. He played the first 36 minutes of the game without rest.
O'Neal is on the court in the last 2 minutes. Phoenix believes that he is going to help them win this critical statement game.
Nash took an ill-advised driving runner from 18 feet (he seems to be doing more things of the head-shaking variety in his old age) and the hard rebound landed in Fisher's hands who sent it to a streaking Bryant who shoveled it to the trailing Gasol for the dunk to put LA up by 6. Gasol, Kobe, and Odom all cheered like they knew like they had secured not only this game, but their first taste of being the lead dog for a while (and in the case of Odom and Gasol...ever).
Phoenix has lost this game down by 5 with seconds left. The look on Steve Kerr's face says it all. He lost a lot in this game tonight and no matter what the spin is, he has to face the fact that they are 5-12 against the rest of the Western Confernce playoff teams (if the season ended today).
All in all, I think Shaq did a good job tonight of proving his heart and taking the pressure off of Amare Stoudamire. In fact, with the presence of another servicable big man it dawned on me that the biggest problem isn't Phoenix's lack of a big man inside.....it is the lack of defense coming from Steve Nash. Not being able to stop and pressure the ball is killing them.
I'd call tonight a draw for both Shaq and Kidd, but both franchises get low marks for swinging for the fences when neither player is going to substantially improve them in the most competitive Western Conference ever.
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