The circuitous Phoenix-area perspective on this Shaq acquisition may be defined by the decision-making protocols contained in Malcolm Gladwell's best-selling book Blink, which — in a regrettably brief nutshell — encourages readers to trust their gut instincts. When the Shawn Marion-and-Marcus Banks-for-O'Neal deal was first proposed, Arizona sports-talk radio hosts estimated the negative feedback at around 80 percent.

How could the aging, injured and plodding center — just two years removed from winning a ring in Miami — fit in Coach Mike D'Antoni's warp-speed offensive system? How could the system flourish without Marion? Is a team that believed it was one playoff-game suspension away from reaching the Finals last season giving up on its basketball philosophy?

But it didn't take long for O'Neal's personality and promise of rejuvenation — teaming up with encouraging testimony from new coaches and teammates — to dramatically swing public opinion.

By the time the hated Los Angeles Lakers rolled into Phoenix for Shaq's first game as a Sun, local supporters were convinced that O'Neal would provide the inside muscle we assume is acquired to win a championship.

Please note that despite Tuesday's survival win at Portland, the assimilation process still seems to have hit a few snags. Before taking a hard look at what's gone wrong on game nights, let's visit the statistical evidence.

We'll begin with defense, which was expected to be upgraded thanks to Shaq's presence as goalie. Before the trade, opposing post players were having alarming success against mild low-block-area resistance put up by Amare Stoudemire.

However, those who were seduced by O'Neal's boyish charms failed to notice that Marion had been the Suns' most versatile (if not best) perimeter defender. At 6-foot-7, Marion was able to defend three positions at a high level of effectiveness, rebound like a power forward and run the fast-break lanes with the swiftness of a guard.

As a unit, they coughed up 119 points to a Philadelphia team that was playing its second road game in as many nights. This inability or unwillingness to stop the opposition inspired the following post-game comment from D'Antoni:

"At some point, we're going to have to play some defense sometime."

Without Marion, an already-suspect defensive perimeter is even less equipped to use the shot clock as an ally in pressuring the ball, choking the passing lanes and creating a pace that juices the Suns' offense.

Before the gut-check at Portland, the recent ease of their defensive surrender had caused D'Antoni to question his team's effort and remind everyone that having a soft reputation should not require his players to continue playing that way.

"We're trying to figure things out without putting in the necessary effort," he said.

This condemnation should not fall on the doorstep of O'Neal, even though Shaq has yet to fulfill that loud promise to make his new teammates better and teach them how to play at a championship level. Although the 7-foot-2, 320-pound center seems a bit fitter than even he expected to be, Shaq has lost the explosiveness that made him a dominant player. He still must prove he can walk at least part of the talk.

For the moment, the fluid battle cry around Phoenix — especially inside the franchise — is that the Suns are wise and talented enough to figure things out in time for O'Neal to be a force during the slower-paced playoff rounds.

While it would be foolish to dismiss great players like Nash, Stoudemire and their buddies after seven games, it also should be noted that the Western Conference offers little margin for temporary error.

And if it doesn't quite work out this season, the Suns' next big challenge will be avoiding future losses with Shaq eating up their cap space.