I can't lie. Boy, was I shocked when I first heard whispers of the Shaquille O'Neal trade to the Suns. My initial reaction, like many of you was, are you kidding me? What would the Suns want with an almost 36 year old injured center who's best years are clearly in the rear view mirror. As this story developed, I was even more amazed that head coach Mike D'Antoni and his entire roster (except for the stunned Shawn Marion, who found out watching TV) were 100 per cent behind the trade. I was also suprised that General Manager Steve Kerr wasn't thrilled with the idea when it was first presented to him. His head coach and his team convinced him it was the right move. I'm still not convinced 5 days later.

Shaq comes to the valley at 312 pounds with 11 or 12 per cent body fat. Still, that somewhat lean body has taken an unbelievable pounding over his 16 year career. I saw video of his first Suns practice and Shaq Daddy has a long ways to go with his conditioning. He was huffing and puffing long after the realitvely short one hour session. His cardio will definitely improve but his running and gunning days are all but over even though he promised to make people like me quote: "eat their words". I hope he proves me and thousands of others wrong. Unfortunately we won't get to see O'Neal anytime soon. It would be a miracle if he plays before the all star break.

If the "Diesel" eventually plays as well as he conducts news conferences, we could be in for a big treat. I'm just not sure he can walk the walk after talking the talk. Let's not even get into the potential salary cap implications (40 million over the next 2 years). It's a huge gamble for that elusive ring but in the words of Coach D'Antoni, you (fans and media) said we can't win without a big man and now we can't win with a big man. SHAQ ME! gcruz@kpho.com

Gary Cruz
CBS 5 Sports Anchor