Remember when David Robinson was injured (allegedly) in the ’96 – ’97 season to propel the Spurs to the bottom of the standings and top of the draft board?  We’re looking for guys that would have that kind of effect on a season.  In order, the top 5:

5. Joe Johnson – It’s hard to convince some people that anybody on a 37-win team could possibly be considered indispensable, but after JJ’s playoff performance against the Celtics last season, it’s hard not to be convinced.  The Hawks could win 45+ this season, but if JJ goes down you’ll hear more about the Hawks in Letterman’s punch lines than you will in SportsCenter highlights.

4. Steve Nash – Nash was never the best player.  He won back-to-back MVP awards for the sole reason that he is indispensable.  It’s not hard to figure out why Amare Stoudemire is so well known for his power dunking.

3. Dwight Howard – Just looking at Orlando’s roster you’ve got to wonder how they managed to win 52 games last season.  Howard, like Shaq in his prime, is a classic example of a guy who makes his teammates that much better just by drawing so much defensive attention.

2. Lebron James – Lebron does it all and the Cavs would certainly have fallen flat on their face in the past without the King, but things might finally be a little different this season.  With Mo Williams in town, a little bit of the burden is lifted off Lebron.  Just a little.  He’s still indispensable.

1. Chris Paul – Paul showed how indispensable he was last season surprising the basketball world by taking the Hornets to 56 wins and a #2 seed in the West.  David West is nice.  So is Tyson Chandler.  But, this team is lottery material without Paul.

Who do you think has that Tom Brady-esque quality of indispensability?

The Suns, on the other hand, gave up some young, athletic talent in Shawn Marion to get the lumbering Shaquille O’Neal. Time is not exactly on Shaq’s side and how nice would it be to see him paired with his former nemesis? The Suns didn’t win a title with their up-tempo style and now that Shaq is there and D’antoni is gone, why not give up Amare and transform into a veteran, half-court team? Nash likes to run, but I’m sure he won’t exactly have a problem getting easy buckets for the big men in the halfcourt either. And, Shaq and Duncan still both command double teams so it’s be a shooter’s paradise in Phoenix. Not to mention, Phoenix would have the best interior defense in the league.

I went over to RealGM’s trade checker to see if the deal works and it doesn’t when you make the trade straight-up because of Timmy’s salary, but the Suns would just have to add one more player, perhaps their draft pick Robin Lopez.

So, what do you think? Do you want to see the run-and-gun Spurs vs. the boring Suns next season?