And the Phoenix Suns are getting killed because of it.

Tony Parker has 30 points going into the 3rd quarter.

Shaq Trade Already A Bust?

Phoenix have always been a mediocre defensive team and Shaq makes them worse.

Following the trade that brought Shaq to Phoenix, I listened to countless NBA "experts" reason that Shaq's presence in the paint would improve Phoenix's "team defense" and each time I thought to myself, have these guys seen Shaq play the past 8 seasons?

As early as 2000, Shaq was terrible at defending the pick-and-roll. Eight years later, he's even worse.

So what did the Lakers do? Nearly every offensive possession when Shaq was in the ball game resulted in a high pick-and-roll with Shaq's man (Gasol) setting a pick for Kobe Bryant or Derek Fisher. Each time, the ball handler or the man setting the pick (Gasol) was wide open for a jumpshot or a rolling cut into the paint.

Kobe Bryant was 16-25 for 41 points. Pau Gasol was 13-19 for 29 points. Both players shot above 60%. The Lakers, as a team, shot 57 percent. Many of their shots resulted from the Suns defense having to overcompensate for the defensive liability that is Shaquille O'Neal.

And it's not going to get any better.

Every powerhouse team in the West has a dynamite guard who will exploit Shaq's inability to defend the pick-and-roll. Tony Parker, Baron Davis, Jason Kidd, Tracy McGrady, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, & Allen Iverson will have field days against the Phoenix Suns.

So this is what it boils down to -- will Shaq's leadership skills and offensive impact be enough to compensate for his defensive shortcomings?

One game was all I needed to see.

The Most Valuable Player is presented to the NBA player who receives the highest point total from a panel of chosen sportswriters. These sportswriters cast a vote for their first, second, and third place selections. First place votes receive five points, second place is worth three points, and third place is worth one point. The player who receives the highest point total is then awarded the distinction of Most Valuable Player.

The MVP has historically gone to the best player on one of the teams with the top record in the NBA. No player whose team has won less than 50 games has won the award in the past 25 years.

The Most Valuable Player Award is one of the greatest honors in basketball. It should be regarded with distinction. It shouldn't be a popularity contest controlled by PR much like the ridiculousness that has become the NBA All-Star Game.

The distinction of MVP should not blindly award the best player on the best team. The voting panel needs to do their job or a new committee or criteria should be developed in order to guarantee that the NBA player who is of the most value to his team receives the credit that he rightly deserves.

Team success should not be the barometer by which an individual player is considered to be of most value to his team. Rather than award the title of Most Valuable Player to the best player on the top team, it should go to the NBA player who is of most value to his particular team, with less significance placed upon that team’s win-loss record. Basketball is a team sport. No one player can win consistently without the luxury of a quality-supporting cast.

The value o####reat player encompasses a myriad of basketball intangibles that sadly, are not always guarantors of victories.

Nowhere is this more evident than the Most Valuable Player Award tallies of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. Bill Russell won the MVP award in 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, and 1965. The Celtics won the NBA championship in every one of those seasons but 1958.

Wilt Chamberlain didn’t enter the NBA until the year after Russell won his first MVP. Chamberlain was MVP in 1960, his rookie season, and again in 1966, 1967, 1968. Wilt was 1st team All-NBA every season he was MVP. [Read]