NBA
Phoenix is going to look a lot different now. When you pick up Shaquille O’Neal, it changes everything. Whether they were trying to keep up with the L.A. Lakers or trying to make a final push for a title, the Phoenix Suns traded Marcus Banks and four-time All-Star Shawn Marion to the Miami Heat for O’Neal.
Questions abound about how the super swift Suns will be affected by the addition of a slow running Diesel. It will be O’Neal’s fourth team in 14 NBA seasons, but he’s been slowed even more by injuries lately.
The Suns had the best record in the West when the trade was made, but they want a championship and, of course, hope to get to the finals for the first time since Steve Nash joined the team and transformed them into the speedy, electric team they have become.
College basketball
One of college basketball’s most controversial, and the winningest, major men’s coach stepped down last week. After over 42 years, Knight handed the job at Texas Tech to his son.
In 2005, Pat Knight was appointed his father’s successor, but this change’s coming midseason like it did was very unexpected. Knight won more than 900 games with Army, Indiana and Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are up and down this season with a 12-8 record, but Knight said he wanted his son to have the opportunity to work with the team the remaining 10 games of the season.
