I have just finished musing on whether or not to invent my time and money into Lost Odyssey. Immediately upon my completion, I find this bunch of craziness. Apparently, the Western conference got tired of hearing how the East is evening up, talent-wise, so they’re sucking out every All-Star not belonging to Detroit, Boston or Orlando.  Didn’t know the West was shopping in the seniors section, though.

Shaq to the Suns has obviously scared the bejeezus out of Mark Cuban, so he put together a package which basically proves Cuban’s knowledge of the fact that the Dallas Mavericks are going to suck in two years’ time. He knows they need to win NOW, or it’ll be a long road back to the top. Why else would he mortgage the future of his team  (TWO first-round draft picks along with Devin Harris?) for a man who is both a future Hall-of-Famer and a knee bruise away from being a wash-up?

At least the Suns trade made sense. The Suns got Old Man O’Neal, but they only gave up a reserve player and Shawn Marion, who was in a contract year, anyway. Granted, Steve Nash is aging, his contract is up in 2009, and he is the glue of the current Suns team, but Amare Stoudamire is NOT aging, and aside from some injury concerns, Steve Kerr should have no trouble retooling the Suns around him.

Nobody is happier right now than Dirk Nowitski, who won’t have to do everything himself anymore, and granted, it has been common knowledge that the Suns have needed a true point guard since Nash departed for the Suns.  Now they have one of the best point guards not NAMED Nash. But the price was Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, DeSagana Diop, Devean George, Maurice Ager, two first-round picks and $3 million. Is it too much? Ask again in June.