Shaq to Nash: 'I will not let you down'

well he did tell Miami that he would bring them a championship.


http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0206shaqlatest.html



Shaq to Nash: 'I will not let you down'

Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 6, 2008 11:53 AM
Shaquille O'Neal is on his way to Phoenix, literally.

O'Neal's physical exam is the only prerequisite for Phoenix's acquisition of O'Neal for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to take place today. O'Neal is on a flight to the Valley this morning and is scheduled to arrive midday.

The expectation is that O'Neal will pass the physical and a trade call will be placed with the league to consummate the deal by the end of the day. O'Neal could even be in attendance at US Airways Center tonight for Phoenix's 7 p.m. game with New Orleans.

Although O'Neal has been out with a hip injury, there is a belief that he will pass the physical because he is in great condition and is said to be at 312 pounds (down from his listed 325 pounds) with low body fat.

He seems to be a motivated player too, having jumped on a plane this morning after talking to several of the Suns, such as Steve Nash and Amaré Stoudemire, on Tuesday night.

"I will not let you down," O'Neal told Nash on the phone.

O'Neal's soon-to-be former teammates are in Detroit today.

"Nothing has been completed," Heat coach and President Pat Riley told the Miami Herald today. "These things have backed up before."

The Herald, which broke the trade's news Tuesday, also quoted Heat star Dwyane Wade, saying, "I have no reaction because I don't know the truth. Until that time comes, this is the NBA. I'm not surprised at anything."

Phoenix will have to sign another player after completing the trade because it will be one man shy of the league's 13-man roster minimum. Richie Frahm would likely be a possibility because he spent training camp and preseason with the Suns and was recently with the Clippers.

O'Neal's former Lakers teammate, Kobe Bryant, was quoted in today's Los Angeles Times as saying, "I know he likes warm weather. Other than that, I don't think too much about it."