How does that ever-popular saying go? If it ain?t broke, don?t fix it.

The high-flying 34-14 Phoenix Suns are currently sitting in first place in the Western Conference and are currently on the brink of dealing away one of their three franchise cornerstones, a super-athlete known as The Matrix, in exchange for a washed-up 35-year old big man who labors down his hallway in the morning just to get a cup of coffee.  And yet, for some reason, I love every bit of this trade for the Phoenix Suns.

While it may appear the Suns are tinkering with a winning trio of Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, and Amare Stoudemire, the facts indicate that this crew is not equipped to win a championship.  They have continually fallen short in the postseason, and it is often because they are exposed by having nobody to patrol the paint to slow down prolific inside scorers.

However, once Shaquille O?Neal dons the purple and orange, how many little guards are going to want to penetrate the paint when they see not only The Diesel waiting for them but also Amare Stoudemire.  Yikes.

This move immediately changes the tempo of the team.  Having Shaq slowly moving up and down the court will no longer enable the fleet-footed Suns to jack up shots with 19 seconds left on the shot clock.  Coach D?Antoni will now have to run the offense through Steve Nash and Shaq which will spread the floor to an extreme he has never been able to with Amare and Boris Diaw in the paint.  Steve Nash will be able to run circles around the court, knowing that he can expect an open man on the perimeter always waiting to connect from downtown.  And if not, he can surely find one of his two giants in the paint to throw it down.

It is true that Shaq is getting up there in age and definitely does not come at a discount price ? but how often does a team get a chance to acquire a super-talent like O?Neal?  When he was dealt to Miami, his competitive flair and desire to prove people wrong resurrected his career when he helped the Miami Heat capture their first-ever title.  Can he do the same for the Phoenix Suns?  

As for what they gave up to acquire the four-time champion, Shawn Marion has been Mr. Tears for the past year now, whining about no longer being the first or second star on the team.  He has continually made remarks insinuating that he would opt out of his $17M player option after this season because he believes he deserves more money ? despite the fact he is already the highest paid player on the team.  

In addition to Marion, they are able to finally ship one of their biggest free agent mistakes, Marcus Banks.  Banks is on the payroll for another $17M, and his contract doesn?t expire until the end of the 2010-11 season.  That?s a generous amount of money for a guy who is averaging 5.2 points and 1 assist for his 12.8 minutes in only half of the team?s games.  Plus, in hindsight, the Miami Heat eventually gave the Lakers a heck of a lot more in the last deal that involved O?Neal, a deal that now is structured as Shaq for Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, and Jordan Farmer after last week?s Lakers-Grizzlies' trade.

On the surface, it would appear that this is a senseless trade for the Phoenix Suns especially if The Big Fella is not healthy enough to produce.  But they have already proven that they were not going to win if they kept the same roster that has continually fallen short of reaching the NBA Finals.  

In a season where huge names are constantly being rumored to be dispersed throughout the NBA landscape, the Suns knew they had to make a significant splash to improve their interior defense and intimidation, otherwise they could surely expect to be watching the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, or Utah Jazz celebrating on the floors of the US Airways Center as they once again didn?t have the pieces to succeed.

Shaq gives them a proven winner, a ferocious beast in the paint, and a charismatic leader who can be the difference in the desert.  

Yes, if Shaq gets hurt and is collecting his $20M in 2009-10 on the sidelines, and the Suns are still sitting without an NBA title banner hanging from the rafters ? this deal might prove to be one of the worst decisions the Phoenix franchise has ever made.  

No risk, no reward.  Besides, who says this Phoenix Suns' team wasn?t broken in the first place?  The playoffs always indicate otherwise.

Feel free to contact Jason M. Williams with your thoughts.  He can be reached at Jason.Williams@RealGM.com for comments or questions.