What might have been
Have you ever made a joke based on a past reality that at the time made you laugh but as you thought about it more and more you got increasingly sad about what might have been? Yesterday Phoenix Stan created a post asking people to sarcastically come up with a 140 word solution to the Suns title hopes this year. My answer was to go back in time and make the trade that would have sent Amare Stoudemire to the Timberwolves for Kevin Garnett and with that my downward spiral that led to a sleepless night and a very difficult morning began.

Of all the mistakes that the Suns' front office has made (and they've made a few to go with a few things they got right, too) I think this is the one that makes me want to kick myself in the throat - which, believe me, would hurt and be humiliating simultaneously. At the time of the trade talks, the majority of fans and the front office were opposed to this trade. Here we had this promising and raw young talent who had yet to tap into his full potential and we weren't about to trade him for a guy that would be on the backside of his career. We all know the story, we kept Amare and Marion and finished the season with another disappointing playoff exit. The next season we shipped the Matrix out and brought in Shaq while KG went to the Celtics. The result, the C's put up another banner and we had yet another disappointing playoff exit dealt to us by the Spurs.
So what if we had made that trade? What if we brought in KG and substituted him for Amare the last two years? Just imagine a defense that had KG down low, Marion doing his thing and Bell locking guys down. Isn't that a line that more than makes up for Nash's defensive deficiencies? On the offensive end you bring in a guy that doesn't demand shots but who can spread the floor just as well as Amare and who knows how to finish down low, too. You also have Nash who is one of the clutch players in the L. Then imagine the possibilities if the guy formerly known as "the Kid" transforms Boris Diaw a la Kendrick Perkins. Remember, the C's were a little hesitant to let go of Al Jefferson knowing that they'd have to rely more on Perkins. Now look at the beast Garnett has created. What if KG were able to cause Diaw to make half the transformation that Perkins has made? Just imagine the run-n-gun offense anchored by a solid defense. Imagine the intensity level of a Steve Nash and KG both hungry for their first title! Is there any way the Suns don't win the title?
For those of you who like me are ready to throw your head through your monitor, relax - I offer you an alternate version to the story. Remember in Back to the Future II when Biff gets his hands on the "Sports Almanac" from the future? Marty finishes what he goes back in time to do only to return to the future and discover that everything is messed up. Then we fast forward to 2015 when Biff has single-handedly destroyed the city and is knee deep in murder, gambling and cocaine. What if Garnett was never supposed to come to Phoenix? What if we made the trade only to watch him and Nash break down physically while Marion continued to grow more and more frustrated? What if instead of becoming a beast, Diaw collapsed into himself the first time KG got in his face for being soft? So, while it's fun to imagine what might have been, lets just try and focus on the here and now because hey, it could be worse - we could be the Sonics...er...um...well the team that was taken from Seattle anyway.
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On the reality side IF that trade happen:
Phoenix is the Defending Champion at this season…
by spoiled on
Jan 6, 2009 10:25 AM MST
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Hmm..
Hard to belive what might have been. I luv the Big Ticket but, just b/c the C’s won the title last year w/ him doesn’t mean it happens here in PHX. Remember the C’s had a 9-10 player rotation and all effective coming off the bench. Coach D didn’t run his rotation that way, subbed 8 at the most and never stressed defense! Last year are Suns were not a well rounded team, which is something were trying to perfect here this year. I dont’t know its just hard to say what might have been b/c the situation could be different here for Big Ticket.
by JuicyJuice on
Jan 6, 2009 11:50 AM MST
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KG trade would have blown up in the C's face...
If the Suns hadn’t gift-wrapped them Rajon Rondo.
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
by Hawk42 on
Jan 6, 2009 1:11 PM MST
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That "what if" game
a favorite form of self-mutilation for Suns fans everywhere…flog away
Blogging Suns Basketball
by Phoenix Stan on
Jan 6, 2009 1:12 PM MST
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Shaq
I’d prefer Shaq and KG, giving us a true center, not Diaw.
Shaq
KG
Hill
Richardson
Nash
Same bench as now.
So pretty, just switch out Amare for KG.
"I'm a man who discovered the wheel and built the Eiffel Tower out of metal and brawn. That's what kind of man I am. You're just a woman with a small brain. With a brain a third the size of us. It's science." - Ron Burgundy
by J-Gao on
Jan 6, 2009 1:42 PM MST
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Great post.
But now I want to cut myself.
by Mike Lisboa on
Jan 6, 2009 1:52 PM MST
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Jo Johnson
I think trading him is what hurt us the most. When it think of things we could have done/should have done, I think of him and how he broke his face and the next thing I knew he was a Hawk. If we keep him, we don’t have Diaw or a draft pick we couldn’t use for years because it was freakin’ protected. What we would have is a title or two because Johnson is a beast and would have gotten us past Dallas and San Antonio the next two years when the Eastern Conference teams were tastey cup cakes.
But Atlanta flat out stole him. Ask them if we could reverse the trade (Diaw and a first rounder to Atl for Johnson to come back to Pho), and I bet they would laugh until they cry.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
by SunDolphin on
Jan 6, 2009 3:40 PM MST
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Oh, please don't rake this up
It makes me cry everytime I see JJ drop 25 with 8 dimes, with excellent all-around play, and we watch the French Tissue grab 4 rebounds whilst getting abused in the post by guys under 6’6.
J-Rich isn’t even as good as JJ, AND we had to give up Diaw + Bell for him. D’oh.
If we had traded KG for Amare, we would get another guy who is hopefully a solid role player, cos we could argue that Amare had the upside and youth, and KG’s salary costs about 6 million more, enough to net us one of the T-Wolves mid-level guys. Who aren’t much good, but would still help to form the bench, anyway.
Shaq
KG
Tucker(I prefer Hill with the 2nd unit)
JJ
Nash
by felixthm on
Jan 6, 2009 11:06 PM MST
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I'm sorry
It makes me cry too.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
by SunDolphin on
Jan 7, 2009 4:11 PM MST
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Dude, that was painful to read =(
I get your point but you are giving KG way too much credit. He was (is) a big part of what the Celtics are doing in the league but we also have to give credit to the coaches and bench players who also make the team succesful. But I agree that the Suns would have been better having KG rebounding and blocking shots and scoring 15PPG than having an offensive beast that looks like a 5 year old on the defensive end….
"Basketball doesn't build character. It reveals it"
by PanamaSun on
Jan 6, 2009 8:37 PM MST
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