Shaq To Make Debut Against Kobe

After two weeks of sitting in gym clothes on the bench, Phoenix’s big acquisition is finally ready to play. Tonight, Shaquille O’Neal is expected to make his long awaited debut as a member of the Suns, and he couldn’t have picked a better game to make it in. The Suns will host their division rival Los Angeles Lakers, who have been picking up steam in the Pacific Division for some time now. The Suns and Lakers have developed a budding rivalry, one that is only going to get more heated now that Shaq and Kobe are on opposite sides. Phoenix has coasted to division titles for the last three years, but they are headed for a dogfight in the final 30 games of this season. Leading the season series 2-1, the Lakers have a chance to take control of the division and wrap up the all-important tiebreaker between the two teams that sit atop the division only one game apart.

As important as this game is for that reason, the Diesel’s first game with his new teammates only adds more fuel to the fire. No one in the entire league has a personality as big as Shaq, or an ego as big as Kobe, and now these two will be standing in front of each other in one of the league’s most compelling divisional races. Tonight’s game may be the last meeting of the year, but there’s a good chance that these two teams will see each other in the playoffs at some point for the third straight year. Since his trade from the Heat, the blockbuster deal has been scrutinized tirelessly with no consensus on whether this deal is idiotic or genius. The majority believes for a fact that this deal is plain stupidity, but a consensus can’t be agreed upon until we see Shaq in action. Through all the heated discussions, O’Neal has insisted that he would be ready to play for the high octane Suns, and that his fitness would not slow down a championship contender. Now, we finally get to see if he was telling the truth.

Thanks mostly to the arrival of Pau Gasol and the departure of Kwame Brown, the Lakers finally appear to have the weapons to make a run at Phoenix’s throne. Fresh off a solid 7-2 mark in the franchise’s longest ever road trip, the Lakers now have a shot at catching Phoenix with a win in tonight’s game. Bryant’s once disheartened spirits have been uplifted immeasurably; its hard to believe that just four months ago Kobe wanted out of LA and blamed the team’s misfortunes on the deficiencies of GM Mitch Kupchak. Bryant criticized Kupchak for his inability to make the team better. Now, Kupchak is the toast of the town for Bryant and his teammates, thanks to one of the most lopsided trades in recent memory. Even without improved youngster Andrew Bynum, there is an air of confidence surrounding this team, something that hasn’t been present since Kobe and Shaq were teammates.

Without the departed Shawn Marion, and with Shaq on the bench, there’s definitely been a lack of size in Phoenix’s rotation lately. With the exception of Stoudemire, the Suns have had nobody to provide any quality production inside. Stoudemire has been forced to adjust to being “the guy” all of a sudden, drawing all the attention from opposing teams in the blocks. This is a new feeling for Stoudemire, who has always had Marion running with him to keep teams honest. This team isn’t getting any younger, and the lack of depth is a major cause for concern for a team that forces its starters to play such heavy minutes while running a vigorous offensive attack. O’Neal is nowhere where he needs to be physically, and it will be interesting to see how coach Mike D’Antoni uses his brand new 7-footer out of the gate. It will be easy to overuse the 16-year veteran, especially when you consider Brian Skinner and Sean Marks are the alternatives at center.

Shaq says he’s ready to rock and roll; the media still thinks this trade is just big a joke. We’re about to find out who’s right, beginning tonight.