The Cross Over Movement Blog

When Phoenix acquired Shaq, I wrote on my other blog:

PHX has the best training staff in the country. They keep Steve Nash upright; Amare Stoudemire practically performed a miracle with his quick return from microfracture surgery. What if the Suns’ staff can work wonders with Shaq, and Shaq gets to 85% of his normal Shaqness…Has there ever been a trade determined by the success of a team’s athletic trainer?

Phoenix was the first strength and conditioning staff to adopt the National Academy of Sports Medicine philosophy. Now, most NBA teams require or prefer their strength coaches to be certified as Performance Enhancement Specialists through NASM (I completed the NASM-PES certification in 2006). More than a blanket certification, the NASM-PES is a philosophy of training focused on building all aspects of athleticism and not just maximum strength.

I spoke to a source with the Suns today and it confirmed my initial belief: according to the source, after five days, Shaq is more flexible than ever. When the Suns did an MRI on Shaq, nothing showed up. However, Shaq had never done extensive flexibility training (what was he doing with the MMA fighters last summer?). His ankles and hips were very tight. Under the direction of the Phoenix training staff, he is working on these issues which should lead to improved on-court performance.

I have not seen Shaq play all season. However, with one of my players, tight hips leads to poor balance, lack of explosiveness and poor shooting. She struggles to stop on-balance when shooting because she cannot bend properly because of the tightness. Imagine playing in the NBA with poor balance and explosiveness. Now, imagine Shaq playing without these issues hindering his performance.

Is the improved flexibility enough to return his explosiveness? Maybe, although he is a big guy with a lot of miles who has absorbed a beating throughout his career. Is it enough to keep him on the floor for the last half of the season? Probably. Phoenix’s trainers are the best in the business (well, Arnie Kander with the Pistons, too) and if the Suns manage to win the championship this year, Steve Kerr will get a lot of the credit, but the athletic training and strength and conditioning staff will deserve the lion’s share if Shaq performs as my source expects after hearing the reports from the training staff.

Edit, 2/15: The Arizona Republic confirmed my post:

Suns trainer Aaron Nelson said Shaquille O’Neal’s flexibility has “vastly improved” since his arrival in Phoenix…”There isn’t any arthritis in his hip causing his problem,” said Dr. Thomas Carter, the club’s orthopedic surgeon. “He is in better structural condition than the vast majority of NBA centers. It was just soft tissue - flexibility and strength. And those guys (on the medical staff) have done a great job with him.”

Nelson said O’Neal has improved with every practice. “He’s been able to jump a little higher and move a little quicker,” he said. “He’s worked hard. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do.”

From TrueHoop:

“Learning is a skill. Being a student is a skill,” [Grizzlies Head Coach Marc] Iavaroni said. “You have to seek out wisdom. You have to take notes. You have to set goals.”

And, Rasheed Wallace as the voice of reason:

Whether it is with a young frontcourt player like Amir Johnson, or the rookie backcourt of Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo, Wallace has been in turns either in their ear or on their backs, constantly prodding them to, as he says, “Just play.”

“I am just trying to get them to play instead of them being so mechanical,” he said. “They are out there like, ‘If I make a mistake I am coming out.’ Nah, just go out and play. Be yourself and play your game. If you make a mistake or take a bad shot, it’s not the end of the world. Just play through it.”