It’s Official!
June 26th, 2009 | by Ward Peterson |Shaq is a Cleveland Cavalier. Hold on…..let me take this in for a bit longer…….Shaquille O’Neal is a Cleveland Cavalier! Dang, that feels good!
As the deal to bring Shaquille O’Neal to the Cavaliers became a legitimized dream to Cavs fans on Thursday, the landscape of the Eastern Conference of the NBA received a dramatic facelift…..even if only for the 2009/2010 season. Already picked by many as Most Likely To Advance to 2010 NBA Finals, the Cavaliers gave a dramatic “Take that!” to the rest of the conference by acquiring one of the most dominant big men to ever play the game. Ummm, excuse me….Mr. Superman? (i.e. Dwight Howard). We got your kryptonite right here!
It was no mystery, and you didn’t have to be NBA coach, to see how much the Cavaliers were at a disadvantage last season against some of the league’s best big men. That fact wasn’t lost on Cavaliers management or ownership either, and they addressed that problem with a Big Diesel hammer! Now, instead of having to send help to defend against those same big men who frustrated the Cavaliers in 2009, the 37-year old O’Neal will be dominating the paint at Quicken Loans arena (and an arena near you soon…..get your tickets early!) like no Cavalier ever has. That will leave the rest of the Cavaliers, who already were the best defensive team in the NBA in 2009, to do their work one-on-one. Offensively, the Cavs have now added some pick-and-roll (Shaq) to their pick-and-pop (Big “Z”), and when O’Neal is on the floor, will be able to play off the big man to create more shots. Speaking of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, it is more than likely that the addition of Shaq will mean “Z” will be coming off the bench. Entering his likely last season in the NBA and the final year of his contract, my hope is that “Z” enjoys the additional rest and will relish in the ability to be a part of a true championship caliber team, and be one of the best big men coming off the bench. When most teams are going to anyone who is tall when their starting center needs some rest, the Cavaliers will be in the enviable position of bringing in a guy who is 7’3” and still is a good defender and a solid shooter. “Z” needs to know he will still get plenty of minutes.
Did I mention that SHAQ IS A CLEVELAND CAVALIER! I did? Sorry ‘bout that.
There is so much to love about this deal. The addition of Shaq to a team led by LeBron James, that was one big man away from competing in the Finals, is a slam dunk. There is so much more to love about the deal as well though.
#1 – The Cavaliers gave up very little. They gave up Ben Wallace who by his own self admission had lost a step and was seriously contemplating retirement; they also sent the Suns the Serbian, Sasha Pavlovic who struggled to find playing time in 2009 until LeBron asked for him to see the floor in the playoffs; and, they sent the Suns their second-round draft pick in 2010 and some cash. For O’Neal? In a heartbeat!
#2 – The Cavaliers did not mortgage their future to do make this deal happen. Shaq has one more year left on is contract. After next season, the Cavs can bring him back, or they can let him bring his show to another town if that’s what he wants. Add in Z’s expiring contract and that’s a cool $31 million to play with if Shaq doesn’t want to stay in Cleveland. Not only will they have the cash to bring James back, they just might be in the mix for some of the other key free agents, i.e. Chris Bosh.
#3 – Cavaliers management knows about the LeBron clock I discussed in a previous blog, and they answered the bell. In an interview after the trade, GM Danny Ferry stated that the deal was meant to bring a championship NEXT SEASON! With 2010 looming and James still undecided on where his kingdom will be after that, the Cavs HAD to make a splash and do whatever they could to win it all….next season…..to prove to the The King how committed they are to winning, and just maybe give him that ring he so strongly desires.
#4 – Shaquille O’Neal is angry! Shaq has and always will be driven by his angst. Whether it be ripping Stan Van Gundy and pretty much calling him a choke artist, or rapping about how Kobe should see how his….ummm… backside tastes, or his interview at last season’s All Star game where he almost sounded as if he was ticked that people aren’t giving him his due, Shaq draws motivation from his doubters. He’s already won three rings with Kobe Bryant, and one with Dwyane Wade. Ya’ think it fuels his diesel to have a chance to win one with LeBron? Puh-leez!
#5 – It’s SHAQ, dude! The man is one of the most charismatic and entertaining stars of the NBA. I still crack up when I watch that ESPN commercial where he is playing Scrabble with ESPN’s Stuart Scott and some other guy (sorry….Shaq steals the show….does it matter who the other guy is?).
To that effect, I will close this blog with some of my favorite quotes from the new starting center of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Shaquille O’Neal:
“Our offense is like the Pythagorean Theorem. There is no answer.”
“The stats win nothing. I’m still sexy. I’m still great.”
“Kobe always tried to be a hero. But you know, as the saying goes, a hero ain’t nothing but a sandwich.”
“I’m tired of hearing about money, money, money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok.”
“Before I became the ‘Great Test of the West,” I was the ‘Beast of the East.’”
On behalf of Cavs fans everywhere, Welcome Back, Beast Of The East!
Tags: Cavaliers, Shaq, Shaquille O'Neal
