If All Else Fails ...

Nobody is quite sure how the Shaq trade is going to work out in the Land of the Sun, but one thing is for sure ... the Diesel's presence in Phoenix is making things interesting.

After his debut against the Lakers on Wednesday, nobody could tell for sure whether he's going to be able to keep up (looks a little bleak), whether he can turn Amare Stoudemire into a solid defensive player (looks really bleak), or even whether he can make Phoenix better. But one thing is for sure, Shaq is interesting.

Whether it was diving on the floor for a loose ball or trying to pull the rim down on a dunk, he got our attention. Arriving at work the next morning (Veritas Prep, in Malibu, California - gotta represent!), it didn't matter if you were a former employee of the Detroit Pistons, a guy that only watches the Suns, or even someone who hates the NBA (we have all three), people wanted to talk about Shaq.

The co-owner of our business (as well as a successful film producer), Chad Troutwine, led a rousing discussion on the Suns-Lakers game, one that lasted quite a bit longer than our usual sidebars. And this afternoon, we're probably going to chat a little bit about the upcoming Suns-Celtics game.

So even if this thing goes south, it has people talking. That counts for something.