Jermaine O’Neal For Shawn Marion Is A Win-Win
I’m sure The Matrix sold well in Canada tooWhile Jermaine O’Neal and Shawn Marion have been involved in NBA trade rumors all season, this looks like a win-win for both the Raptors and Heat.
As I said on January 23:
“As an Economics minor, it’s simple supply and demand. The Raptors are in need of a small forward, and the Heat are in need of a center. With three 7-footers on the roster, and the sudden emergence of Andrea Bargnani, O’Neal became expendable after the Chris Bosh-J.O. experiment didn’t pan out early in the season. And with Michael Beasley living up to the hype and Alonzo Mourning’s retirement, the Heat are willing to part with Marion to complete their squad.”
First off, don’t be fooled. Bryan Colangelo knows what he’s doing. When he was with the Suns, Marion was an All-Star. At the same time, Pat Riley is no slouch himself. Looking for a center all season, Riley found one that (if healthy) could end up putting up 20 and 10 again in South Beach.
For Toronto, Marion comes off the books at the end of the season, allowing the Raptors financial flexibility to either invest in a hefty contract extension for Bosh or to go after another free agent to try and keep their star happy and in Canada.
For Miami, while O’Neal still has another $23 million coming his way next season, if the experiment works out – pairing him with Dwyane Wade and Beasley – things could be looking good for the Heat for the next couple years and in 2010.
The x-factors here though are Jamario Moon and Marcus Banks. While Moon is making only $711,517 this season and then comes off the books, he has the potential make a name for himself on a Heat team struggling for athletic talent to come off the bench. At the same time, with Jose Calderon currently injured, Banks should have a chance to play right away for the Raptors. Whether they play him or not, they better get used to him, because with an onerous contract paying him close to $10 million over the next two years, he’ll be hard to move again.
What are your thoughts on this trade?
February 13th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Eddie Gill says:
FIRST BITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 13th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Scott says:
All the thoughts are in the previous post. lol
February 13th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Drink the Haterade (KB24 Chip 09) says:
eddie needs to stop posting…
all in all i like the trade for both sides, it makes sense… I’m waitin for the Amare trade to go down
February 13th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
karizmatic says:
The trade is a dumb desperate trade from both teams, JO is not making any sudden return to greatness. The X-factors are more interesting in this trade. Moon could make a nice impact with the Heat. Beasley will probably get the start, hopefully at the 3 he’s not a 4 And the heat can open it up a little. Now the Raptors are without a true center, just a bunch of 7′0 guys who play like 3’s and Marion, they’ll be able to run and Banks might fit in well with them. The biggest thing is the cap room the Raptors get to pursue a real big man if possible.
February 13th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Big V says:
If JO stays healthy, this is a great trade for Miami, at least in the short term. They’ve basically resigned themselves to not participating in the 2010 player auction, so for their sake, they better hope JO pulls his weight (and his contract).
February 13th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Jayo says:
I don’t like the move for either team. Marion seems to play better at the 4. He can’t play there if that’s Bosh’s spot. For Miami, you’re getting a broken down big man who hasn’t been healthy in 3 years. Although it does allow Haslem to play the 4 spot & Beasley to play at the 3. This move might also suck for Utah. With O’Neal taking up the cap space that Boozer wanted. Boozer might not opt-out his deal. Meaning Utah will have to find a way to pay Bozer & Millsap now.
February 13th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
flavur says:
this is a pretty desperate trade but it needed to happen I mean jermaine was doing nothing but taking up chris bosh’s space in the paint while marion’s subpar performance this season and miami’s lack of a center has brought them down to a level of desperation but I think this team helps both parties in a sense where both teams got what they wanted no matter how worn out they might be.
February 13th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Prof. TX says:
I don’t see it as equally win-win. It’s good for Miami, getting rid of duplication at SF and filling a gap in the post. Toronto is going to run into the same problem that Memphis has had: cap space doesn’t mean much if nobody wants to play for your team. Yeah, when Marion leaves in the summer and Bosh leaves next year (if not sooner) they’ll have alot of money to spend on the free agent class. The question is, who will want to be there?
February 13th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Scott says:
I realize in the States, SOME people have a narrow minded view on Toronto as a FA destination, but this isn’t Memphis, Toronto is a global city, that is very diverse.
Ask VC, he had many outside of basketball ventures in the TDot that were clearly money makers.
Add to that that having BC does add some credibility, and I think the perceived lack of FA’s wanting to come to Toronto is a bit of a myth.
As far as I can remember, Zo was really the only guy who actually didn’t want to play here, and for good reason, at the time the team was falling apart, with no credible GM at the helm.
But keep in mind Hakeem Olajuwon did sign here, even if it was an injury ridden tenure he had here, at the end of his career when he could’ve gone anywhere, he came to Toronto.
Keep this in mind as well, Marion could bolster Toronto’s rep if he plays hard and well, ala his Suns days, plus, this is a guy who has lived in warm weather cities his entire bball career, even college, if he likes it here, even if he doesn’t re-sign, it could definitely help.
February 13th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Heat fan says:
@8
Yahtzee!
February 13th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
matthew says:
JO cannot average 20 and 10 no matter the weather. He’s is a 12 and 7 kind of guy now. Just the way it is.
February 13th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
jace says:
o’neal is never healthy…
toronto got the better deal.. marion needs a good point guard to be effective. and they have no real wing player that can defend well. plus he can come in and play the 4 spot some times.. wut we got there is a very active front court. im not sayin theyre going to dominate (cuz theyre definitely not intimidating defensively) but bosh, bargnani, and marion should create some headaches.
o-neal fits the miami identity… but hes been injured so much in the past couple years.. its hard to get excited and optimistic for him. but i guess i should give him the shadow of a doubt, cuz i DO believe he was a great player.
February 13th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
karizmatic says:
I never knew they referred to Toronto as the T dot.
@ Jayo I fully agree Marion cannot play the 3 and even if he could how do you run that? Bargnani at the 4 and Bosh at the 5? All those guys are tweeners who plays some combination of 3 and 4 but none of them is a real 5. Toronto has just traded it’s problem for Miami’s.
February 13th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Scott says:
Luckily, we get out of the problem a year early, lol.
February 13th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Mikey B says:
However you look at it the Raptor’s are now in a better situation then they were an hour ago.
I really think this will boost Toronto to the 8th and possibly 7th seed in the East.
On offense Bargs plays like a Big 3, Bosh a small 5 and Marion can get back to the way it was in Pheonix own the slashing and the paint. Although Marion will line up at the 3 he will play the 4 on offense.
and the Matrix can shut down the oppositions best scorer each night. The twin towers can dominate the paint. I really see this working out for the Raptor’s.
But the biggest winner in all this was Jermaine Oneal ,Where would you rather spend the next 2 years in South Beach or in -30 degree cold winters and a 1.25 exchange rate.
February 13th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Prof. TX says:
Scott,
I didn’t mean anything against Toronto as a city. I just meant that if Marion and Bosh both leave, all the cap money in the world isn’t going to attract a new star if the rest of the team doesn’t look like winning material. The LeBron and Wade level of players will be looking for a team that looks like it could contend for a title, and the rest of the Raptor squad doesn’t look that way yet. KG wouldn’t have been nearly as excited about going to Boston if Pierce and Allen had left town.
February 13th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
control says:
Americans are pretty stupid when it comes to talking about Toronto…the salaries are all US figures so exchange rate don’t mean shit. Toronto has a cheaper cost to live than smaller US cities (though, cost of living don’t mean shit to someone pulling in a few mil/year). Toronto is the 4th largest city in North America, and is top 5 biggest market in North America. The sponsorship opportunities include not only Toronto but all of Canada, so getting paid on the side ain’t a problem at all.
Talking like someone won’t sign with Toronto if they are offered the right contract is just stupid, the NBA is about getting paid, first and foremost.
February 13th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
karizmatic says:
You are right about getting out of the problem a year early though, and who knows, maybe they can formulate some type of high scoring run and gun offense.
February 13th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Ashlov says:
Umm, hi.
By making this trade, the Heat become a MAJOR player in the 2010 auction. JO’s massive contract expires in 2010, and by getting rid of Marcus Banks, they removed more 2010 salary.
If you think that upgrading to JO from Jamaal Magloire, Joel Anthony, and Mark Blount was a bad idea, think again. We had no real shot blocker, no low post player, and even though JO isn’t what he used to be, he’s a big upgrade for us.
The Heat have plenty of small forwards to replace Marion in James Jones, Jamario Moon, Yakouba Diawara, and Dorell Wright. Even Beasley can play some small forward, even though he’s really a power forward with a finesse game.
Anyhow, if the Heat can snag one of the big stars in 2010 to match up with Wade and Beasley, the Heat are going to be a dynasty.
February 13th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Scott says:
@Prof Tx,
Understandable about luring a high end FA if we lose Bosh, however, we’d have the big cash next year and it actually gives us a chance to bring in a good FA to impress Bosh enough to convince him to stay. Which is easily a better gamble than holding onto an aging JO, who at 2010 really wouldn’t be much of a bargaining chip.
February 14th, 2009 at 12:26 am
Lady Luck says:
I think that Miami took a huge risk on O’Neal when it seems that they could have gotten a lot more in return for Marion. Jermaine is nice….when healthy. Yes, they need a center, preferably on the court in a uni, not on the sidelines in a nice suit.
February 14th, 2009 at 2:03 am
nick says:
the main reason players don’t come to toronto is cause of the differential in income taxes. If i am not mistaken, i believe players get taxed about 15-20% more in canada then they would in the usa.
February 14th, 2009 at 4:40 am
knocks says:
I’ll keep this short, as I’ve discussed my feelings re: Marion in some other thread:
This is like trading doo-doo for shit.
Win-win situation.
February 14th, 2009 at 11:39 am
QQ says:
Why are people suddenly saying that this is a win-win situation when the players traded did not really contribute to their respective teams?
When Marion was traded to the Heat last season, people were saying that he will compliment Wad with his athleticism and hustle. Last time I checked, that NEVER happened. Most of the time, he looks lost in offense.
When JO was traded to Toronto, cats were saying that he will be a formidable partner to Bosh, that he will EASILY average 20 and 10, because now, he can work freely in the paint. Last time I fucking checked, that bitch ass was never able to play because of injuries, and when he played, he’s nothing like what people are saying he will be.
Damn. Win-win? Are we fucking watching the same NBA or something?
February 14th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
George W Kush Sr says:
JO will have some game where he puts up 20-10, but he will not average that. 16-8 maybe, but forget about 20-10.
And what makes you thinks Marion is sticking around after this year? So they traded Ford for JO, and then JO for Marion who leaves at the end of the season and Banks. So we really just trade Ford for Banks, great trade !! Its definetly a win-win.
I agree with QQ, are watching the same shit here? How is this a win-win? The raps lose big time
February 14th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Mikey B says:
Just when I thought you couldn’t get any dumber, you go and do something like this… and totally redeem yourself!
Good job BCo, he just got rid of 2 of our biggest headaches.
23 million dollars next year and the dumbest starting 3 in the NBA.
My only question is how did Brian Colangelo keep a straight face when Pat Riley said only if you throw in Moon.