Shaquille O’Neal’s star is on the wane. The Big Cactus is 35 years old and coming off his worst season since joining the league in 1992. His arrival in Phoenix wasn’t enough to get the Suns past their archrivals from San Antonio. Maybe Shaq should pack it in.

Except, why would he? O’Neal may be ancient in NBA terms, but he’s still a better than average center. His 17.17 Player Efficiency Rating was right up there with Tyson Chandler (17.56 PER). O’Neal’s production should drop a fair amount next year at age 36, but David Robinson was still good for 14.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game at that age.

O’Neal also has the chance to win a title with the Suns, presumably with a new coach who can sympathize with Steve Kerr’s makeover. And there are 40 million other reasons to stay that Shaq has coming over the next two years.

Pending a physical examination, it looks like Miami Heat All-Star Shaquille O’Neal is on his way to the Phoenix Suns where he’ll join the likes of two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire, among others. And for Shawn Marion…well, let’s hope he can get used to the Heat. (It’s a wet heat in Miami and a dry heat in Phoenix, I know.)

Does adding Shaq to the Suns do much for their depth or defense? Let’s hope so. O’Neal still has a 60% accuracy rate from the field, but at 350 pounds I don’t know how fast he’s going to be able to run ‘n gun it.

Forget for a moment that “The Shaq Attack” ain’t getting any younger or that he’s a little on the heavy side for a pro basketball player. By adding some serious star power like Shaquille O’Neal to the roster Phoenix fans have one more reason to show up and cheer their team on to victory. And who knows…maybe the Diesel will bring some of his famous celebrity friends to a game every now and then.

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