--Despite Phoenix's earliest postseason elimination since missing the playoffs in 2004, general manager Steve Kerr felt his acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal leaned much more toward the "genius" side of his self-fashioned rating system than "moron."

Kerr said the trade was a success and delivered many of the desired results -- even if beating the Spurs in the first round wasn't one of them.

"Shaq brought an awful lot to our team. He was terrific," Kerr said. "He played very well and added a totally different dimension. (Coach Mike D'Antoni) and I are on the same page in terms of Shaq, the impact he's made and what he can make in the next couple of years. We struggled for the first couple of weeks, and then we really started to play well. I thought Mike did a good job of making that adjustment.

"But we're also out in the first round of the playoffs. So if the results determine if (the trade) was a success or not ... that's for you (media) to determine. We know our potential is there for being even better with a training camp and a full regular season next year."

--While much of the talk during the final week of the season was that a matchup with the Spurs would be favorable to the Suns because of O'Neal's impact, it turned out to be just the opposite because of their guile and experience.

"The timing couldn't have been worse for us," guard Raja Bell said. "At some point, you have to understand the Spurs are champions for a reason. We were a team still tinkering with offenses and defenses because of personnel changes. We might have escaped the first round against a team not as poised and as experienced. It was the wrong team at the wrong time.

"We still had a chance to win the series. We can match them in the talent area. But when it came to familiarity and cohesion, we were at a disadvantage."

QUOTE TO NOTE
"If you look at our guys, they can all be very effective. Grant (Hill) had a great year, although the timing of his injury was rough. Shaq (O'Neal) was very, very effective for us. Steve Nash was an All-Star this year, and I bet he will be an All-Star next year. We're not a team that's looking to build for 2015, but we feel with this group we can be really good for the next several years." -- Suns GM Steve Kerr

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