I loved the trade.

The Suns “experiment” with Hedo Turkoglu failed. When I was asked whether the Suns were a playoff team I said I didn’t know. I didn’t know because I had no idea how the newcomers, especially Turkoglu, were going to come together and play with the chemistry that last year’s team played with. This team was not coming together; and because they weren’t coming together they weren’t going to the post-season.

But this is what happens when you compete; this is what happens when you are a doer and not a sayer. Sometimes you’re going to be successful and sometimes you’re not. The Suns, to their credit, realized they needed to do something. Their mea culpa is Suns fan’s gain.

So they did something about it.

The Suns got bigger, stronger and tougher on defense and on the boards. But more than this, they were able to get somebody to take Turkoglu’s contract off their hands! And let’s face it: Turkoglu’s contract hovered like dark clouds on the horizon of Planet Orange.

Gortat gives them big body that will play some defense and rebound. Ding!!!!!! He also is an effort guy and that will be good for Lopez to watch. Lopez has seemingly taken a step back this year and his injury didn’t help. Maybe watching another big man bang away and eat up his minutes will remind him of what it was like to play with effort and desperation.

Also, and this is no small thing with Hedo now gone, maybe Goran Dragic can get back to becoming Steve Nash’s heir apparent.

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