Sports Talk with MC

I don’t know about you guys, but I really do think that Shawn Marion should stay put in Phoenix.

Firstly, the Suns wouldn’t want to see Marion walk for $17M, whether they get a Richard Jefferson or an Andrei Kirilenko back. Why so? Because the Net and the Jazz players mentioned in the last sentence don’t quite have the health card, and the understanding of Mike D’Antoni’s European setups like Marion does. Second, Marion does so much more than just score from inside-out and rebound. He is a terror on D, with his long arms and uncanny quickness. There’s a reason why the man has been a beast in NBA Fantasy Hoops over the last two seasons. To make a long story short, talentwise, I don’t think any team out there can supply Phoenix with a better fit, in accordance with the system they have in place, and the position Marion tends to play.

Marion is a superstar, but so are Nash, Barbosa, and Stoudemire. He’s obviously feeling the strain of being pushed into the background by the a former two time MVP, and current NBA Sixth Man of the Year, and, most likely, a future MVP winner. The thing is, can Marion actually become a squad’s go-to-guy, ala-Lebron, or Kobe? Or is he what Cedric Maxwell or Dennis Johnson was to Bird, Parish, and McHale? I think that Marion’s probably a better player that DJ or Maxwell, but then, I think that he’s truly more of an all-star “2″ rather than an all-star “1″. I believe that he’d be able to carve out a more well-rounded, impressive, resume as the “2″ as opposed to being forced into the role of a “1″.

Because basketball is a business, however, we’re just going to have to wait and see how the ball bounces on this one. Whatever happens, the loser here will probably be the Suns, who are set to lose a true “do-it-all” cager, in exchange for, potentially (or most likely), someone who is a little more one-dimensional.

C’mon, Matrix, stick around. For your own good and those in good ol’ Arizona.