The Phoenix Suns torpedoed their run-and-gun offense and playoff hopes in 2008 by trading for Shaquille O'Neal. Now they're hoping that another trade for a veteran big man named O'Neal will turn Phoenix in a new direction this time.
The Suns announced Wednesday that they had signed Jermaine O'Neal, rounding out a team that is rebuilding around Michael Beasley and a crop of young players after veteran point guard Steve Nash went to Los Angeles via a sign-and-trade deal.
O'Neal, who has played 16 seasons in the NBA, most recently suited up with the Celtics. His time in Boston was marred by injury and ineffectiveness, though, as he played just 49 games over two years and missed most of 2011-2012 with a wrist injury that led to season-ending surgery.
O'Neal was once a powerful scorer and the franchise player for the Indiana Pacers, averaging as many as 24.3 points and 10.5 rebounds a game at different points in his Pacers tenure. A career 13.7 points- and 7.4 rebounds-a-game contributor, he has also played for Miami, Toronto and Portland, where he began his career after being picked 17th in the 1996 draft. He is a six-time All-Star.
