Marion: 'Time for me to move on'

[duncan228]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0925marion-ON.html

Marion: 'Time for me to move on'
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic

Shawn Marion trade talk is one thing. A Marion trade request is quite another.

Marion is fed up with another summer of the Suns considering to trade him. Marion is irked that the team is not willing to talk about a contract extension. After eight years in Phoenix, Marion wants to leave the Suns and has let the team know in recent weeks.

"I'm tired of hearing my name in trades," Marion said by phone from his Chicago home Tuesday night. "I love my fans in Phoenix but I think it's time for me to move on."

Marion, the highest paid Suns player, has two years remaining on his maximum-level contract - $16.4 million for this year and a $17.8 million salary if he did not opt out before the 2008-09 season. He said the Suns' unwillingness to extend his deal is "only a part of why" he wants to leave but would not confirm that he has asked for a three-year, $60 million extension, saying, "The numbers aren't important."

Suns General Manager Steve Kerr declined comment.

There are two known trade suitors in the Utah Jazz (for Andrei Kirilenko, if not others) and the Los Angeles Lakers (for Lamar Odom and a teammate), with Marion showing an interest in the latter because of a friendship with Kobe Bryant.

"Regardless of everything that went on with the extension, I'm tired of hearing my name in trade rumors," Marion said. "It's time for me to move on. I felt like they tried to force my hand to Boston with the (Kevin) Garnett stuff."

In June, there was the possibility of a three-way trade sending Garnett to Phoenix, a Boston pick package going to Minnesota and Marion to Boston with a contract extension but the Marion camp killed it.

"I haven't done anything wrong," said Marion, a four-time All-Star. "I leave it on the floor night in and night out. Sometimes, it's just time, and it's time to go. "It's been like a nightmare. It hurts me making this phone call. It's hurting me in my stomach."

Marion said he has no problem with any of his teammates but did not want to comment on the Suns staffers, saying, "It's just a bad marriage. I'm not talking about anyone. It's just time for me to go."

He said he has talked to Kerr, Coach Mike D'Antoni and Managing Partner Robert Sarver.

There is a strong possibility that no trade occurs this week and Marion is asked to come to work Monday, the mandatory reporting date, and join the quest for a championship.

"I'll do what I've got to do," Marion said, noting he would show up no sooner than required. "I'm a professional. I'm not bitter. I love the fans but I've got to take care of me."

With Boris Diaw expected to be in today, each Suns player but Marion will be in Phoenix this week for the voluntary workouts. Some, like Grant Hill, Steve Nash and Amaré Stoudemire, have been coming into the arena for weeks.

Marion, 29, pulled himself off the USA Basketball roster for a second straight summer this year. He cited the plantar fasciitis in his left foot ("I played all season with that," Marion said Tuesday) in early July, when talk of his dissatisfaction with the lack of extension talks began to surface.

In Kirilenko and Odom, the Suns are looking at versatile forwards with different skill sets and financial factors.

Kirilenko, who is even more disgruntled with Utah this summer, is a former All-Star coming off a career-worst season, but is a great defender with a knack for shot-blocking. He does not shoot well from the perimeter but is a crafty scorer inside at 6 feet 9 and can run the floor. Kirilenko, 26, is due $63 million over the next four years. That would give Phoenix some instant relief but create later payroll issues.

Odom, who is 6-10 and 27 years old, is a superb passer and good shooter who can play various positions but has been inconsistent, depending on how assertive he plays. Odom has two years remaining on his deal at $13.2 million this season and $14.1 million in 2008-09.

[lurker]

No one will ever appreciate Shawn as much as Shawn does.

Trade the whiny bitch.

[JamStone]

He makes over $16 million next year. What team wants him at that price? What team has the pieces to move in exchange for him? He's ass out.

[mavsfan1000]

What a whiny bitch he is. He gets paid a ton by them and yet he thinks he should be extended? I hope they dump him to a crappy team. lol

[monosylab1k]

They'd never do a deal with Dallas, but I'd LOVE to have him here. Despite being a whiny bitch who can't dribble, he's a fucking beast. He's exactly what the Mavs need - somebody who does alot of little things and is constantly in movement on the court. The Mavs are way too stationary on offense and Marion would help that tremendously.

Unfortunately he'd probably be an even bigger whiny bitch in Dallas. I'd still trade Josh Howard for him in a heartbeat.

[SenorSpur]

What a whiny bitch he is. He gets paid a ton by them and yet he thinks he should be extended? I hope they dump him to a crappy team. lol

Interesting point. It would serve him right if he got traded to a fringe playoff team or worse yet, a lottery team.

Funny you bring this up. Below is an excerpt from an upcoming ESPN Mag article on ESPN,com about Marion, in which the writer asked him for his opinion on a similar scenario.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=espnmag/marion
ESPN The Magazine: The Invisible Man
By Chris Palmer
ESPN The Magazine

And that could be Marion. He has the juice to force the issue and demand a trade to another NBA town, one in which he'd be the center of attention. So what about it, Shawn? Would you rather be a 30-point scorer and an MVP candidate on a lesser team, say, one only flirting with the postseason, than the sidekick to the sidekick in Phoenix? "Wow, that's interesting," he says thoughtfully, as if he's never entertained the prospect before.

Marion pauses nearly 10 seconds to concentrate on the question. Only the muted sound of late-afternoon traffic outside the two-story living room breaks the silence. He fiddles with the remote as if it holds the answer. "I've never been asked that," he continues. "That would be an interesting situation to be in, to really show people what I can do.

"But we'd be in the playoffs, right?"

[Chris Childs]

I swear someone needs to beat the shit out of this faggot Marion

[Samr]

Funny you bring this up. Below is an excerpt from an upcoming ESPN Mag article on ESPN,com about Marion, in which the writer asked him for his opinion on a similar scenario.
[then the ESPN The Mag quote]


Are you sure that piece hasn't been published elsewhere before? The title sounds extremely familiar, as well as the content of the article and especially the "But we'd still be in the playoffs, right?" quote from Marion. I'd almost bet money that I've seen that article elsewhere. I'll do a search for it later.

[Xylus]

Man, this Marion situation is depressing. I absolutely love what this guy brings to the team. He can rebound, defend, run the floor, shoot the 3 (though he's no marksman), he's all hustle, and he scores 20 points a night without a single play run for him. He's like the perfect role player. Sure, his stats tend to drop off a little in the playoffs, but Amare and Nash usually pick up the slack anyway.

This whole situation makes me sick, and nothing good will come of it. Odom and Kirilenko, while great players in their own right, just don't fit with the Suns like Marion does. He's such a talented guy.

He's overpaid, but not grossly overpaid. I think he's definitely worth 13-14 mil. a year.

[Sportcamper]

Rumor has it that he is tired of playing with the selfish players on the Suns...
He could be headed to the Lakers where team play is appreciated...

[Xylus]

Rumor has it that he is tired of playing with the selfish players on the Suns...
He could be headed to the Lakers where team play is appreciated...
:lmao

[TheTruth]

Man, this Marion situation is depressing. I absolutely love what this guy brings to the team. He can rebound, defend, run the floor, shoot the 3 (though he's no marksman), he's all hustle, and he scores 20 points a night without a single play run for him. He's like the perfect role player. Sure, his stats tend to drop off a little in the playoffs, but Amare and Nash usually pick up the slack anyway.

This whole situation makes me sick, and nothing good will come of it. Odom and Kirilenko, while great players in their own right, just don't fit with the Suns like Marion does. He's such a talented guy.

He's overpaid, but not grossly overpaid. I think he's definitely worth 13-14 mil. a year.
LOL, no way is he worth 13 - 14 million a year. NO WAY IN HELL.

[Sportcamper]

The Lakers & Suns are talking... (http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=277553)

[Xylus]

Why not? A 20-10 guy who plays great defense, rebounds extremely well despite being a natural small forward, picks up everyone else's slack, fills up the stat sheet, hustles every night, plays 80-82 games just about every season, averages 18 and 11 in the playoffs.

If Marion was being paid $13 mil, the Suns wouldn't have this luxury tax problem.

[Xylus]

The Lakers & Suns are talking... (http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=277553)
I can't believe this trade might actually go down.

The Suns better get more out of the trade than just Odom. A lateral trade like that is a slight step down for Phoenix, simply because Marion is the better defender.

[monosylab1k]

Odom's injury history is perfect for the Suns. LOL they're gonna trade away the one guy who never gets hurt. They live in constant fear or Nash's back turning into mush and Amare's knee, so they help their team out by getting Grant Hill and maybe Lamar Odom. :lmao

[Sportcamper]

I can see the Lakers throwing in Kwame making the Suns a shoe-in for the NBA finals....

[yourcheatinheart]

fucking shit to the whole fucking thing.

[yourcheatinheart]

fucking shit to the whole fucking thing.

[exstatic]

Why not? A 20-10 guy who plays great defense, rebounds extremely well despite being a natural small forward, picks up everyone else's slack, fills up the stat sheet, hustles every night, plays 80-82 games just about every season, averages 18 and 11 in the playoffs.

If Marion was being paid $13 mil, the Suns wouldn't have this luxury tax problem.
Anytime your third option makes more than $10M, you're going to have LuxTax problems. He can't create anything for himself or anyone else, so YES he is grossly overpaid. He's a 20/10 guy because the Suns put up about 150 shots a night. Put him in a slightly slower offense and he's a 14/8 guy.

[Xylus]

What are you basing that off of? The problem with that argument is that Shawn Marion has been putting up 20 and 10 his entire career, even before Nash arrived in Phoenix in '04. In the 3 years prior to Nash's arrival, Marion averaged about 20 points and 9.7 rebs.

That pre-Nash offense, by the way, scored 15 fewer points than today's Suns. It was a much slower, much less effective offense, yet Marion still put up the same stats.

Marion will get those numbers regardless of the team's offensive tempo. Any drop in statistics will be minor.

[Samr]

Rumor has it that he is tired of playing with the selfish players on the Suns...
He could be headed to the Lakers where team play is appreciated...

It is one thing to be a biased homer (I certainly am), but you, sir, take the cake for the most absurd statement this off-season. My hope is that you are being extremely sarcastic; if you aren't, then how is that GED working out for ya?

[JackArse]

Are you sure that piece hasn't been published elsewhere before? The title sounds extremely familiar, as well as the content of the article and especially the "But we'd still be in the playoffs, right?" quote from Marion. I'd almost bet money that I've seen that article elsewhere. I'll do a search for it later.

actually that quote is from an espn magazine article from last year. they reprinted it at espn.com due to the current situation.

as i said before.. see ya. don't let the doorknob get your ass on the way out.

shawn is a great scrappy player. most players would love to say.. i don't have any plays run for me because i can get all my points without needing a play.
or.. would figure that 3 all star appearances, constant magazine articles (granted, these are all on how whiny he is), being the highest paid player when you're the 3rd best option on the team, being invited to play for the olympics twice (and then turning it down) and teams constantly asking for you in trade talks would be enough for someone to make them feel appreciated. but apparently not for ol marion.

he still has 2 years left on his contract (2nd year is an option) and he's bitching about an extension not being talked about. plus he wants 3 years 60 mil.. fuck that.

[Lp26]

If they have to trade Marion, and the options are Odom, and Kirelinko.

I'd go with Andre. I actually think he'd be awesome in that offense, and compliment Amare well w/ his shot-blocking/defense. He had an off year in UTAH due to many issues. He was a beast on the Russian team. He would absolutley thrive in that tempo.

It's kinda hard to judge him after last year since Deron Williams admitted he didn't pass to him on purpose at times.

The only downside is the attitude (and the $$) but you could take it 2 ways. I mean he did care enough to cry, and D'antonio is not at all like Jerry Sloan. He might do better in an unstructered game, and he will have Nash.

It seems like the best option at this point. They're both unhappy,they both want out, and they both make wayyy more than they should.

[Samr]

actually that quote is from an espn magazine article from last year. they reprinted it at espn.com due to the current situation.



Oh I didn't mean anything against you or ESPN re-publishing the piece. For the sake of my sanity, though, I was just wondering if it was indeed written a while back. I knew it was either that, or I had gone crazy and was experiencing false deja vu. It was just one of those things that just drives you nuts until you get an answer.

[JackArse]

nah, wasn't saying anything like that, was just reaffirming your thoughts.

as for getting either odom or kirilenko.
i think i would prefer kirilenko, but honestly, i think the only reason marion has even brought this up.. is because LA is now involved. this probably isn't a big enough city for him.

the other problem is.. deron williams, boozer, okur and marion. does the rest of the west really wanna deal with that? at least with dealing with the lakers, they're still looking at a 7-8 seed probably. and even then, how long til marion gets pissed off there since no one is going to pass him the ball.

[Samr]

Odom as a Sun scares me, as a Spurs fan. The Spurs just do not match up well with him, unless maybe Bonner can manage this year.

On the other hand, Kirilenko as a Sun makes me laugh for about five champ-.... I mean, minutes. I think Kirilenko would make a great addition to the Suns, because he brings more defense to a team who would be trading away its best defender to get him, never mind the fact that the defense he brings is in the POST (trading away Kurt Thomas will be shown to be HUGE mistake, book it). That being said, I do not think he could really hurt the Spurs, especially in the playoffs.

So, my take:

Trade for Odom = fewer regular season wins, but better in the playoffs against Spurs

Trade for Kirilenko = more regular season wins (that's all they care about anyway, right?), but Suns get annihilated so bad in playoffs against Spurs that Stern lets them bow out after three games

[Walter Craparita]

The Russian ratings that Ak47 would bring to the Suns alone would overload the entire league. Suns would be awarded ratings championship before the season started imo.

[RonMexico]

Odom is the better decision... he's quite talented when motivated.

[Findog]

Odom is the better decision... he's quite talented when motivated.

But would the Suns trade with a division rival? I don't see it.

[dbreiden83080]

Good trade his ASS. Bowen has whipped him so hard he has had enough i guess. Spurs repeat title chances just went up with Marion either getting traded or not happy that he is in Phoenix.

[SenorSpur]

Good trade his ASS. Bowen has whipped him so hard he has had enough i guess. Spurs repeat title chances just went up with Marion either getting traded or not happy that he is in Phoenix.

Agreed.

From the looks of things and unless something drastic takes place, don't look for the Suns to trade this guy.

[LakeShow]

Agreed.

From the looks of things and unless something drastic takes place, don't look for the Suns to trade this guy.

He's not going to let up. They will eventually have to trade him. IMO

[jmard5]

But would the Suns trade with a division rival? I don't see it.

Well the Spurs did something like that... sometime ago.

[Cry Havoc]

Honestly, the Suns only have a year or two more to win a title with Nash anyway. Does anyone want to guess what happens to the team when he gets old?

So Marion leaves. Big deal. Make him play this year like the pansy he is, and ship him at the end of the season before his contract expires, unless a good deal comes along before that.

And just think... the Suns could have dumped Amare for KG, and made a serious title run this year with two very good defenders on their team. Now they might not have any left.

[Axl Van Dam]

Rumor has it that he is tired of playing with the selfish players on the Suns...
He could be headed to the Lakers where team play is appreciated...

:dizzy Team play is appreciated by The Lakers. Yeah right. Tell that to Kobe. :dizzy

[Reggie Miller]

:dizzy Team play is appreciated by The Lakers. Yeah right. Tell that to Kobe. :dizzy


Maybe they are using the word in a different way. For instance, instead of "Team play is valued [appreciated] by the Lakers," it should read "The Lakers really appreciate the rare occasions when they get to enjoy some team play and actually touch the ball..."

Yeah, that was TOO easy.

[SenorSpur]

Rumor has it that he is tired of playing with the selfish players on the Suns...
He could be headed to the Lakers where team play is appreciated...

No offense, but that is a laugher. :lol That's like going from the bonfire to the frying pan.

Shawn Marion can't have too much "on the ball" if he feels as though life would be better for him on the Fakers. He should have a conversation with Paul Pierce sometime.