Trade Shawn?

I just came across a post discussing whether or not the Suns might be looking to trade Shawn Marion.

I added my comment as SWL.

To quote:

SWL
I can't believe these comments.

I have never heard Marion whine about not getting minutes. He is not asking to be traded. Most of this is 3rd hand information.

I also can't believe all this disrespect for Marion's ability. He is THE most versatile player in the NBA.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2006-10-24-versatility-chart_x.htm

Based on the Roland rating he is the 2nd (to Nash) most effective player on the Suns.

http://www.82games.com/0607/0607PHO.HTM

The site 82games.com, which is all about NBA stats, gave Marion there vote for Defensive Player of the Year last year:

http://www.82games.com/dpoy.htm

The bottom line is that Marion is one of the top players in the league PERIOD. He does lots of little things that other superstars do not do.

There is only one ball in basketball, and only one player can have it at a time. The other four players need to be doing something useful for the team. That is where Marion shines. He gets his points without plays being drawn up for him.

He is also the MOST consistent player on the team. Amare and Nash are both more up and down than Shawn.

You can say that Shawn is making too much money. Some would say all of these guys are. You can maybe find a way to trade him (while saving some money), but you will be hard pressed to get back the value he brings to the team in a single player.

The final thing we should consider is that Shawn has been a Sun the longest. He has put in his time under different coaches with different players and has never complained to my knowledge. I, for one, respect that.