Everybody and their mother has an opinion on the recent Marion for Shaq deal. Because of that, I'll try not to run on too long with this.

First of all, this deal was automatic for the Heat, I think everyone can see that. Even if Marion got injured tomorrow and never played a game in a Heat uniform, they come out ahead because they save about $10 mil on the deal and get Shaq's monster deal off the books. There weren't going to be a whole lot of takers for Shaq, and nobody would be willing to offer a player of Marion's caliber for him. Better player, better contract, easy trade to make.

For the Suns, of course, this is a completely different animal. This is, quite obviously, the not about these two players' current level of production. Marion has clearly been more productive in recent years, and he is a fantastic fit to the Suns system. No, this trade was about more than just what you see on the court. First, no matter what the two of them might say, this was about Marion and Amare not getting along. Marion has long been a tempermental player, but those in the know say that the Phoenix locker room has been particularly uncomfortable this season. So, not only do the Suns get rid of the dissenting party, but they bring in one of the most charismatic figures in sports, and a guy who has tons of championship experience. In terms of team chemistry, you can't make a much bigger swing than that. Second, the Suns are counting on seeing a better version of Shaq than the version the Heat have been getting. They're counting on O'Neal being extra-motivated by a chance to play for a title contender, and they also believe that their top-notch training staff can help Shaq in much the same way they've helped Steve Nash and Grant Hill play at a high level late in their careers. As an unintentional bonus, almost everyone in the media has been killing this trade and calling Shaq washed up. If Shaq still has anything left, that's good news for the Suns, cause an angry O'Neal is a motivated O'Neal, and as Shaq said today, "You just don't really want to get me upset. When I'm upset, I'm known to do certain things -- like win championships."

All that said, was this a good idea for the Suns? Well, I was all set to pan this trade right when I heard about it. I've been as critical as anyone of Shaq recently, and by all accounts, it looks like this is a terrible fit. However, if you believe,as I did and as many within the Suns organization apparently did, that the Suns weren't going to win the title as previously constructed, and if they felt like they needed to get rid of Marion, then is this really all that bad? Chad Ford has an article on ESPN.com talking about all the other better deals that Phoenix could've gotten. However, consider this: you're Phoenix and you know you have a closing window to win a title; you've been punished by opposing post players again and again in the playoffs; you're the team that can't get over the hump, isn't it a decent risk to bring in the Diesel and hope that he can be motivated enough to turn back the clock? With all do respect to Chad Ford (whose work I love), if I'm the Suns I'd rather take a chance on getting a rejuvenated Shaq than make any of those other deals. This really is one of those rare trades that looks incredibly one-sided on paper and after a quick look at the statistics, but becomes a calculated risk when you consider the off-court impact.

Finally, what can we expect from Phoenix now? Well, you'll see a lot more of Boris Diaw, which is one of the reasons Phoenix could make this deal. With the acquisition of Hill, Diaw's minutes have been down this year, and he's a guy who can really help them on the offensive end. Obviously, Shaq is going to struggle against the pick and roll, something that he struggled with even in his prime, but Phoenix's hope is that he'll offset that by providing valuable defense on guys like Duncan, Bynum and Yao, and that letting Amare play more help side defense will improve his defensive play. Whether or not that is actually the case will likely depend on just how motivated Shaq is, and if he can turn back the clock a few years.