* What a difference one year makes. Last year the biggest February NBA trades were:

Contrast that with this February:

* Burnsy wonders if the NBA is encouraging this sort of free-dealing. It certainly looks that way given the questionable inclusions of semi-retired players like Aaron McKie and Keith Van Horn. Not saying it’s a conspiracy, but the NBA must like the sort of exposure that so many big trades bring. Not to mention the new jersey sales.

* Another bad analogy has surfaced in the Arizona media. Dan Haren and Brandon Webb are not the 08’ version of Johnson and Schilling anymore than trading for an aging Shaq is akin to the Suns getting Charles Barkley in his prime, back in ‘93. What’s further fetched? Burnsy says Webb-Haren vs Johnson-Schilling. I agree.

* With Shaq’s debut on the horizon, Suns GM Steve Kerr joined Burnsy. Without even stepping on the court, Kerr said the magnetism of Shaq has already won over many of the skeptical Suns fans, which Kerr says “shows you the power of Shaq’s personality.” Kerr got a first-person look at Shaq at Suns practice yesterday, and said he has made “dramatic” strides in one week, and “made several gorgeous passes” in the workout. As for his minutes on Wednesday, Kerr said “20 sounds about right,” adding that he didn’t think Shaq would play “anymore than half the game.” Kerr also spoke about the Kidd to Dallas deal in its early inception, He said they knew Jerry Stackhouse’s declaration that he would return to Dallas after 30 days was “illegal,” but he wasn’t surprised by those methods since “everybody’s looking for a loophole.” Kerr wasn’t as ecstatic about the Kidd trade as some pundits, saying that they’ll definitely miss Devin Harris and DeSagana Diop. And Kerr really didn’t like the Atlanta trade, but for a much different reason. “Obviously we root hard for the Hawks to lose every night,” Kerr jokingly stated, adding that Bibby wasn’t going to aid the losing effort too much.

* The final 30 minutes of the show were D-Backs heavy: Brandon Lyon joined Burnsy to talk about stepping into the closer’s role. D-Backs third baseman Mark Reynolds talked about potentially stepping the role of cleanup hitter for AZ.