Sam Smith

Can you be right when everyone says you are wrong?

Welcome to the world of Steve Kerr and the Phoenix Suns.

"If it works I'm a genius," Kerr joked playfully Wednesday during a press conference about the shocking and controversial trade of Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks for Shaquille O'Neal. "If it doesn't, I'm a moron."

The problem for Kerr is that he's not getting THAT Shaquille. He's getting THIS Shaquille O'Neal.

The one we've all seen — or at least all of us but the Suns — slogging around the basketball court this season, the few times anyway he wasn't hurt and unable to play, fouling out of almost every game because guys were driving right by him, long unable to explode, now not even able to light the fuse on his once bombastic game.

"Does he have any gas left in the tank?" asked Suns coach Mike D'Antoni, who helped revolutionize the NBA with his team's speed racer game. "You've debated it for the last 24 hours and come up with, 'No.' I think you are wrong. I think he will make a profound difference with our team."

And so goes one of the greatest gambles in NBA history.

The Suns, with the best record in the Western Conference and a serious championship contender the last three seasons in averaging 59 wins, officially broke up their so called Big Three Wednesday to add O'Neal, seemingly a shadow of what he once was, a comet that once streaked across the basketball world and is now dying out quickly.

The critics were awakened by this:

• Shaq can't play anymore.
• He's not going to be satisfied just being a defensive player and inbounder.
• He's too slow to keep up with the Suns speed and fast break.
• Western teams play small and who will he defend?
• He's out of shape and always injured.
• D'Antoni doesn't like a postup or halfcourt game, which was Shaq's specialty when he was the Big Diesel.
• He was complaining about his touches even in Miami.
• Are you taking the ball out of Steve Nash's hands to run offense through Shaq?
• Shaq didn't defend the pick and roll even in L.A.
• Marion was the Suns best defender.
• It's just an overreaction to the Lakers getting Pau Gasol and the Mavericks reportedly trying to get Shaq in their game, which does feature more half court.
• And last but not least, where's the beach for his Ski-do?

It does strike of desperation, some internal acceptance that the Suns cannot win the way they are constructed despite their constant denials and the window is closing fast with Nash turning 34 on Thursday. And the notion is when you act out of desperation, you act badly.

But I know Steve Kerr, and he is no Michael Heisley.

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Heisley is the Memphis owner who ordered Gasol dumped to save money.

Kerr's a basketball guy, a good one, and a competitor.

He's been on five NBA championship teams, and hit big shots. He's traded barbs with Marv. He knows pressure and success.

It's been something of an inside story this season that Kerr and D'Antoni have disagreed some on what leads to success. The Suns are small, the loss of Kurt Thomas just to remain below the luxury tax could pose a problem, especially in the playoffs. Kerr has seen success, and it never looked like Phoenix.

Not that he was intent on breaking it up. After all, one can make the case the Suns never truly were beaten on the court. They lost in the playoffs in 2005 without injured Joe Johnson. The next season it was without injured Amare Stoudemire. Last season, they evened the Spurs at 2-2 and about to go home when Stoudemire and Boris Diaw walked off the bench and into another disappointing playoff loss.

But Kerr believes the way to ultimate success comes through penetration of the painted area. Even with Michael Jordan, the Bulls teams relied on it and, of course, the Spurs did.

Yes, Marion was always cranky, but if you trade all the cranky guys you wouldn't have enough players to field a team.

This is what Kerr is saying: We'll be fine in the regular season. Marion is good, but, geez, do you see the way he shoots? With Grant Hill and Boris Diaw to go with Stoudemire and Nash the Suns still have plenty of offense. Raja Bell defends. The Spurs and Mavs are up and down. Andrew Bynum is out for awhile with the Lakers. We'll be fine. The playoffs are what it's all about for this team. When the Suns come up against Tim Duncan or Bynum or Carlos Boozer or whatever big man they previously had to start doubling and running all over the court to recover, Shaq will be there.

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D'Antoni likened it to the 1987 championship Lakers, the last Showtime Lakers with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at 40 years old as the trailer on the break, settling in when it comes into the halfcourt, not needing double team help on defense despite his age and declining quickness.

Why not us? Why not now?

Stoudemire moves back to power forward where he belongs, and where there will be less pressure to rebound and defend, not his specialties or real interests. Their threes and twos are fine and now they can match up big and small. And the Suns medical staff says they'll improve flexibility and explosion for Shaq. I'd laugh, except they've had Hill healthier than anytime in the last eight years.

I've watched O'Neal too much this season to believe it will work.

But I've known Kerr too long to doubt him. I've long told him he's the luckiest man in the world. But it's not luck when it happens all the time. He was too slow, too small, couldn't dribble well enough or run fast enough to even think about being a bigtime college player. He became a longtime pro. He hit big shots to win championship games. He walked into high profile media work and an executive job. I've never seen something Kerr tried and believed in not work.

It's a heck of a leap of faith, but he's proven us all wrong many times before.

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