Shaquille O’Neal Traded to Suns.

The Shaq to slow-down the Suns trade is actually happening; Shawn Marion and little-used Marcus Banks for Shaquille O’ Neal.

This has to be a joke. Trading a solid mid-career player in Shawn “the Matrix” Marion who has potential to be spectacular, especially within the Suns’ system for $40M over 2 years in a broken down 25 year old 7-footer? Maybe Grant Hill gave GM Steve Kerr a jones for broken basketball pieces… or maybe he was afraid of the rumor that the Mavericks and Mark Cuban wanted to trade Josh Howard for Shaq I wouldn’t even trade Marcus Banks for Shaq.

This isn’t video game ball, folks. Marion? Howard? For Shaq?!

Miami Herald’s Dan Le Batard thinks there will be more trades, with Jason “White Chocolate” Williams as a trading chip, Ricky Davis, and perhaps Udonis Haslem, as well.

Shawn Marion has wanted out of Phoenix– and a starring role– for a hot minute now. Here’s hoping people remember why he is a spectacular player… maybe the Heat will have a new superstar on their hands to pair with Dwyane Wade.

Duke vs Unc – the Danny Green Dance

Ahh, Duke vs UNC time. When ESPN goes to constant coverage like each meeting is the Superbowl or the Democratic primary (which still didn’t resolve anything) or like the abducted landing with a message from the future.

The storylines are:

Mean Gerald Henderson hit that vulnerable Tyler Hansbrough in the face with a late elbow while going for a basket and busted Psycho T’s nose…

Ty Lawson’s foot injury— will the ankle heel? I mean heal?

Coach K saying it’s water under the bridge…

Dick Vitale returns to scald the ears of listeners with his announcing (and we wouldn’t have it any other way)…

But all I want to see is Danny Green’s famous “Jump Around” dance! I heard Roy Williams on Pardon the Interruption (14:00 mark) defending the dance (note: transcription on that link is inaccurate/ not human-written). Williams even commented that he, too, bops his head to it. A short video:

Also, I’d like to see some good basketball after listening to tonight’s Rutgers/ St. John’s game.

Post-script: If you haven’t read it, go out and get To Hate Like This Is to Be Happy Forever: A Thoroughly Obsessive, Intermittently Uplifting, and Occasionally Unbiased Account of the Duke-North Carolina Basketball Rivalry, by Will Blythe

Giants Superbowl Pics and Injury Talk

Tom Brady’s longtime passing coach/ HS thinks that Brady’s ankle injury caused those floating passes and lack of accuracy. Whine, whine. He made enough passes; and he got slapped around like a pimp’s victim.

Man, I love to see comeuppance in action.

Plaxico Burress, meanwhile, stood by his guarantee and caught a touchdown pass. He waited until after the Superbowl to reveal he sprained his MCL last week, along with the injuries that kept him out of practice all last week. Amani Toomer has a hand injury also; both might need surgery.

The Superbowl victory never gets old. Pictures after the jump.