The Matrix Revolutions

Since its all the hype right now, lets talk about this seemingly very real possibility of the Matrix himself, Shawn Marion, coming to Toronto. I don't like his character. I know he is very talented athlete and player, he can do wonders for our defense and fast-break, and of course, add something the Raptors severely lack in - athleticism. BUT, again, I don't like his character. This guy was living a dream playing in Phoenix with Steve Nash and Stoudemire, and as Bill Simmons once said in one of his articles, Shawn Marion should be thanking God every night that Steve Nash and Mike D'Antoni ever walked into his life. Instead, he started whining about not being in the spotlight enough and even more ridiculous - that he also should've been considered an MVP candidate. Are you kidding me? Steve Nash brought out the best in him with his run-and-gun style and selfless team play. Amare Stoudemire would warrant more of an MVP vote than Marion. So he cries about not getting enough touches and didn't wanna play second, or I guess third banana on a team and then goes to Miami. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Marion can't create his own shot for shit.

Now don't get me wrong, again, he's a GREAT piece to have, if he can open his eyes and see that he's not a #1 option, or #2 for that matter. He brings a lot to the table, and I'm hoping he realizes now that "hey you know what, I'm not that prolific scorer that I thought I was."
Acquiring Shawn Marion for Jermaine O'Neal is a good or bad deal depending on what Colangelo is trying to achieve. Is it just for salary purposes, and to experiment and see if this works out? If so, then fine. But Shawn Marion is far from the answer for our glaring need of a scoring small forward. Dude can't create his own shot and his jumpshot makes Jamario Moon's look smooth.

There's further rumours that after getting Marion, Colangelo is looking to trade Calderon for Nash. Are you out of your fucking mind? This is the equivalent to Cuban trading Devin Harris for Jason Kidd last year. No, I'm not saying Calderon is anything close to as good as Harris is, but you get my point - trading a young, promising point guard for an old, about-to-be-out-of-the league one. For all his defensive discrepancies, Calderon is one heck of a point guard. Yes, you're right, he probably couldn't stop Robert "Tractor" Traylor from blowing by him, but he's still one of the more top-tier pg's. Which brings us back to the Matrix. Marion's strength offensively is fast-break, and we all know Jose isn't that type of point guard. So what, you're gonna get Nash just so we can run that for a year...maybe 2? The whole point is to grow into a contender with our young, promising squad and have a bright future, correct?

I'm all for Marion coming to Toronto for the right reasons. But if Colangelo and co. are seriously expecting him to be that slashing wing we so desperately need, than he needs to get off the crack. And that's as much on Marion as it is on Colangelo; if Marion's attitude has changed then this may work. And I guess with the shitstorm of a season we've had, why not try it right? It just looks gloomy, naturally, for us Raptors fans. The Matrix Reloaded in Miami, and has been a disappointment there so far from what I've read, and coming to T.O would be the Revolution.