A few games have gone by and many fans of the Phoenix Suns have asked the question: was “the trade of the decade” really necessary? The team was rolling well just as it was, wasn’t it? Others have gone so far as to say that the trade was probably the worst of the decade. Though opinions may differ, the facts are real. Let's begin to look at the focus of most attention – Shaquille O'Neal.

O'Neal’s numbers haven’t changed much by the transfer. O'Neal also tends to put up quite irregular numbers, which makes it hard to discover a pattern and to tell when he is up and when he is down. But there are two things that can be spotted as changes in his stats:

1. He has only had one steal in nine games (0,11 steal/game), while he had 0,53 steals/game in Miami this season.

‘... fans must have patience. Because over the last few years it hasn’t been the pre-season that has been the problem for the team. It has been the playoffs.’


2. His rebounding numbers have increased. With the heat, he rarely got over 10 rebounds in a game. He now has 10+ rebounds in four of his nine games.

These numbers don't tell us much for a couple of reasons. The most important reason is the short time in which these numbers are measured. But they are nevertheless important.

So let’s leave these stats and look at other factors. For example, how does O'Neal influence his team members and the progress of the team? Well, the criticisms haven't come from nowhere. The Suns were 37-16 before the trade and after the acquisition of O’Neal they are 3-6. One of the three wins was over Boston Celtics, the best team in the league, but in that game they only scored 85 points which is a season-low for the team.

The number one argument against the trade was the difference O’Neal would make to Phoenix Suns’ up-tempo style of play. The Suns are experts at fast-break points and they deliver these with great finesse. Many believed that this would cause a problem because O’Neal would slow them down. After seeing a couple of matches, I would say that O’Neal is adapting pretty well to the offense. He has said he will do everything to follow the tempo of the team and his dedication has paid of.

To my understanding, his biggest problem is to adapt to one of the best teams in the league’s style of play, coming from the worst team. The Suns must now also make a few tactical changes, beginning to play with low-post (which they never normally do) instead of focusing on the wings. To add to all of this, O’Neal is still feeling his injury.

The number one argument for the trade was the defensive presence O'Neal gives to a team. The Suns were one of the worst teams defensively over the years, which generated a demand for a defensive threat. In addition, there were talks about Shawn Marion creating a bad atmosphere in the team. This obviously catalysed the trade.

The defensive improvement in the team maybe hasn’t shown particularly yet, but this doesn’t seem to be a problem for many yes-sayers to the trade. They predict that O’Neal’s experience and real defensive talent will show in the playoffs. He will give the Spurs' Tim Duncan, the Jazz’s Carlos Boozer and the Nuggets’ Marcus Camby a tougher job. (All of these are big opponents in the west). And while O’Neal is taking the center position, Amare Stoudemire can be placed as number four and really dominate the forwards. Stoudemire’s numbers are the only ones increasing in the team since the trade.

So even if we haven’t seen much anticipated progress in the Suns play, fellow fans must have patience. Because over the last few years it hasn’t been the pre-season that has been the problem for the team. It has been the playoffs. Every time over the last couple of years they have had a chance to take a title, but always seem to fail. They needed a change this year. And even if the change isn’t really showing yet, I would give it time. Because this might be a late bloomer.