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At this point the franchise should be looking past Shaq.. they should use him in spurts and have him come off the bench... That responsibilty shouldn't have any weight requirements...

How can your starting center and point guard be over 35 when you are trying to run all the time. It won't work - Shaq is a bad fit for Phoenix. The league has changed so much that immobile bigs are basically useless... face it Phoenix... let the man be!

QUOTE(#1):

Originally posted 10:11 AM ET  09.12 by Lostwill

At this point the franchise should be looking past Shaq.. they should use him in spurts and have him come off the bench... That responsibilty shouldn't have any weight requirements... How can your starting center and point guard be over 35 when you are trying to run all the time. It won't work - Shaq is a bad fit for Phoenix. The league has changed so much that immobile bigs are basically useless... face it Phoenix... let the man be!

Will is apparently not all that is lost here.

Are you serious? Use Shaq in spurts and off the bench???? I'm speechless. As for Nash, even at 35 nobody in the league can orchestrate an offense, running or half court, like this guy. Not even CP3...yet.

If Shaq iis able to come to camp even close to being in shape, his basketball game will take care of itself. I'll take a 36 year old Shaq over the majority of bigs in the league. If he's ready to play in October instead of January, all the better.

I agree, Hllywd........

QUOTE(#2):

Originally posted 10:35 AM ET  09.12 by Milk man

Will is apparently not all that is lost here.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

Not the same old Shaq but still a post presence offensively (if they get him more than 8 shots a game) and definitely defensively......Might not have the same nleaping ability to block shots but a 7-1 and 320 pound big man will change shots and put bruises on opposing centers......

The biggest problem with Shaq right now is not his conditioning. The man can certainly work out. Its his motivation. Or lack thereof. Last season, on several occasions, he seemd totally disinterested in what was going on on the court. Smiling and seemingly OK when the team was losing bigtime.
I think Shaq is done, mentally. Physically, he's a beast, and he can certainly get in shape, if he wants to. problem is, I don't think he cares any more.
That's why you see him speak more and more about after-NBA drama.

wow. Shaq not in shape for training camp. shocking.

He wasn't even in shape during the playoffs and now is reportedly 10 lbs heavier then that. Shaq is dreaming of an injury so he can sit out and take a pay check. The guys plays for one quarter, gets tired and then pushes and leans on people the rest of the game.

QUOTE(#9):

Originally posted 11:58 AM ET  09.12 by rdmcabee

He wasn't even in shape during the playoffs and now is reportedly 10 lbs heavier then that. Shaq is dreaming of an injury so he can sit out and take a pay check. The guys plays for one quarter, gets tired and then pushes and leans on people the rest of the game.

You think so? Man... I saw a Shaq that looked as thin as I've seen since the Laker days. Nowhere near the Magic days.... but Lakers-shape Shaq is pretty good. Watch that 10 pounds be 10 pounds of muscle, and his first 2-handed dunk of the year results in him tearing down the backboard again. I'll move to Phoenix if that happens to watch more.

For a guy that used to be the most dominant player on the court there are alot of questions.He can impact the game no doubt but I agree with him losing his mental drive.He just does not seem anywhere as hungry as he used to be.You are getting paid ALOT of money for what you are supposed to do not what you have done.But PHX is getting ripped off I guess.I thank shaq for all he has done for my lakers but you gotta have some pride man!!!

Some advice from a lifetime Laker fan don't worry Suns fans he'll still miss his typical 20 to 30 games this upcoming season as well as lots of free throws. Have no fear though, he can still "turn it on when he wants to." LOL good luck with that!!!

Only slightly over weight oh thank the heavens. The fact that a professional athelete is 10 pounds overweight and is getting praised is beyond ridiculous to me.

forget shaq. i read today that he is going to retire after the remaining 2 years on his contract. please don't wait shaq., go now. he's overweight, over rated, ignorant, trouble maker, wife cheatin', can't shoot free throws. o.k., i'll stop there, you get my drift. i just plain don't like this dude. i like kobe.

Very few athletes stay in peak condition year-round (that's why they have training camps).

If he's 10 pounds overweight I don't think it's a big deal. If he's 50 pounds overweight, that's a "[shaq] of a different color."

He's certainly one of the best big men ever to play the game but he's a flawed superstar. He never learned to shoot a freethrow (shame on him) and he needs to stop rapping and stop stalking. He's becoming a caricature of himself.

Boy I miss the "Back" and "Next" buttons right about now.

Let us not forget about how much he is getting paid. With the heart of this team still with Nash and Stoudamiere (spelling?), what else could Pheonix get for the money thrown at Shaq for the next two years? I expect the run and gun nature of Pheonix to change with the new coaching. I agree that this last year the run and gun Suns and overweight, out-of-shape Shaq were not a good fit. Maybe this year with a healthier Shaq and different Sun's style, Shaq can earn some of his money.

Whatever news Shaq is in makes him look so bad. He needs to stay away from those. Other then that, Shaq will be ready. He will not lead the Suns but he will be a very big complement to the Suns plan. All those people that doubted the Suns and Shaq would eat their words at the end of the season. I believe the Suns are way better now then when they had Marion. Teams are more weary of the Suns now and they should take them for granted.

They should not take them for granted.

Big Aristotle is always ready to rumble...I thought that Shaq played well against the spurs last yr...he wasnt guarding tony parker...I mean come on...the man takes all of the blame when they lose ..but he gets none of the credit win they win....I'll take shaq over 95% of the leagues centers..right now...any arguments??