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TrueBlue
Posts: 29144
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Joined: 9/20/2006
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Man the writing is on the wall By Sean Deveney, Sporting News
Posted September 25, 2007
Shawn Marion, L.A. Laker? If he has his way, that will happen.
According to a league source, the Lakers and Suns have been in discussions about a deal -- a blockbuster deal -- that would send the four-time All-Star to Los Angeles to play alongside Kobe Bryant. The Suns would get forward Lamar Odom and perhaps some salary-cap filler in return. The main obstacle appears to be Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who needs to OK the deal. Asked to handicap the likelihood of the deal going through, the source said, "50-50."
Upon hearing this, I caught up with Marion this afternoon by phone. He confirmed that he spoke with Bryant over the weekend, but added, "I've been friends with Kobe for a while, so we talk here and there, anyway."
Still, Marion was enthusiastic about the potential trade. "Why wouldn't I be?" he said. "You have a great organization, great ownership there with the Lakers. I don't see no problems with playing there."
This, it appears, would be a good fit for everyone. It has been a rocky summer for Marion and the Suns, who drafted him out of UNLV in 1999 but have been unwilling to give him a contract extension. Marion is the highest-paid player on the team, and he can opt out of the final year of his deal and become a free agent next summer.
One sticking point with the Suns was that Marion was told that if he does opt out, he will not be re-signed. Another goes back to before the draft, when the Suns had a deal in place to send Marion to the Celtics -- Boston had agreed to extend his contract if the trade went through. "I didn't like that," Marion said. "It was like they were trying to force my hand by taking the Boston deal. I have been with this team my whole career. I was like, 'Wow."
I asked if the team's refusal to give him an extension played into his unhappiness with the team. "It was part of it," Marion said. "It's not like that was the last straw or anything. It was just part of everything that has gone on. People have made assumptions about me, but I don't think all those people know everything that has gone on."
For the most part, though, Marion declined to talk about his unhappiness with the organization. "There's been things that have been said in the media, but I don't want to get into all that," he said. "That's not going to accomplish anything. Most people don't know what goes on behind closed doors. The way I look at it is, I love Phoenix, I love the fans. I love my teammates. Don't let anybody tell you that I don't. Some of the stuff that has happened is messed up. But pointing fingers and all that, I am bigger than that."
As for the potential Lakers-Suns trade, Odom would fit well in Phoenix's up-tempo offense. He is an excellent rebounder who can run the floor and handle the ball, like a point-forward. With the addition of small forward Grant Hill, the Suns clearly are looking to add players with ballhandling skill to take pressure off point guard Steve Nash, especially in the postseason.
Marion is not a classic big-man fit for Phil Jackson's triangle offense, which might be the source of the Lakers' hesitation. But, in some ways, he offers Jackson more than Odom, who has played alongside Bryant for three seasons. Both Odom and Bryant have put up nice numbers in those years, but the two just don't seem to mesh. Odom operates best running the floor and with the ball in his hands. But when you play for the Lakers, the ball is going to be in Bryant's hands. Odom has been professional about that, but this is a guy who has averaged 4.6 assists per game in his career. He belongs in a ball-sharing system.
Marion is different. He can excel without having plays called for him, and he gets the bulk of his points off turnovers and offensive rebounds -- in other words, he can be productive even if Bryant dominates the ball. He also can make 3-pointers and is a strong finisher. But the biggest difference will be Marion's defense. He's among the best defenders in the league, and he and Bryant should give the Lakers a fearsome pair of defensive wings. As important as the triangle is to Jackson, the most frustrating part of the coach's return to the Lakers in the last two years has been the team's shoddy defense.
Some will point to the Phoenix run-and-gun system when it comes to Marion's gaudy numbers (18.8 points and 10.0 rebounds in his career). But he had some of his best years when the Suns were a halfcourt team and Stephon Marbury was the point guard. And there also is this to consider: Marion is among the league's most durable players, missing just 15 games in those eight seasons. Odom is coming off shoulder surgery and missed four weeks with a sprained MCL last season.
"I think I would fit right in," Marion said. "People talk about the triangle offense all the time, like it is impossible. But it's an offense. Wherever you play, you have to learn the offense. It's not that complicated. You pass, you cut, you slash. Offense is offense. And I would love to play with Kobe."
Still, a change would be tough for Marion. "I wanted to retire a Phoenix Sun," he said. "That would be nice. I think everyone would like to play their whole career for the team that drafted them. But sometimes it comes to the point where you just have to take that step and move on. It's like a bad marriage. It doesn't matter who's right or wrong, both people should just move on."
Of course, there's just one catch: The Lakers might turn down the deal. That would mean that when training camp opens next Monday, Marion would still be with the Suns. Would he show up? "I am a professional," he says. "I will be where I am supposed to be." http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn...c.php?t=277553LMFAO @ the Bio [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephon_Marbury[/url]
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9/25/2007 10:43 PM
