Lebron Can't Win Without Shaq

[BlueintheFace]

or so says Danny Ferry...just kidding

The Big Cactus is headed to Cleveland. Danny Ferry has made his big move. This will likely be the move that makes or breaks his career as Cleveland's GM. Way to keep the Duke Basketball legacy strong Danny.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4285489

[CameronBornAndBred]

I'm sooooo looking forward to Shaq's diva attitude and how it plays in Cleveland. My guess is, not well. I think DF made a mistake here.

[SupaDave]

Nope - Shaq is at the point in his career where I don't think he'll mind being Robin. He gets to play with history this time around...

[Bob Green]

Shaq is over the hill and not the answer in Cleveland. I don't understand this move at all.

[FireOgilvie]

Shaq is over the hill and not the answer in Cleveland. I don't understand this move at all.

I was thinking that too at first. Then, I realized that they only lose Ben Wallace and Pavlovic. Shaq fills a huge need for Cleveland in the post... a huge body that can take up space, get easy points, and have a good shot at defending Dwight Howard.

[Greg_Newton]

I was thinking that too at first. Then, I realized that they only lose Ben Wallace and Pavlovic.

Yeah, wow. That's basically equivalent to giving up nothing. I wouldn't say it's the move to put them over the top, but given how important next year is for the Cavs, that's a steal.

I wonder if that is the only move Mr. Ferry will make this summer? I know folks were speculating he might make a play for Villanueva or Boozer, and I wouldn't think that Wallace or Pavlovic would have been breaking points in those negotiations. A package of Ilgauskas, Hickson, and their 1st round pick perhaps? Ilgauskas just seems like such an awful fit for a Lebron James-led team, and I could potentially see Utah going for that.

[ice-9]

It's an excellent trade. Shaq was a bit under the radar this past year but he did very well on the Suns with 18 points (shooting 61% from the field) and 8 rebounds per game. He even made the All-Star game.

Shaq is the kind of player that might have only a marginal impact over the season, but come playoff time his size can be a difference maker. The Cavs certainly could've used him against the Magic.

[BlueintheFace]

Guys, Shaq was arguably Phoenix's best player down the stretch last year. He is still a force.

[Maxwell1977]

Apparently they've got the money. Wallace is going to retire and they don't want Sasha. Shaq supposedly wants to play some more - he'll be a good soldier.

[dukeENG2003]

Not QUITE as one sided of a trade as the Gasol deal for the Lakers, but close. . .

You just know Shaq wants to get up one championship again on Kobe, he can't talk all the trash he does and have the same number of rings. . .

[whereinthehellami]

Not a big fan of Shaq. He has never impressed me as a hard worker. Gifted yes but not a hard worker. Lebron seems to have both qualities. I don't see this as a good marriage. Seems like they settled for plugging up the middle instead of trying to find the winning formula.

[SupaDave]

Not a big fan of Shaq. He has never impressed me as a hard worker. Gifted yes but not a hard worker. Lebron seems to have both qualities. I don't see this as a good marriage. Seems like they settled for plugging up the middle instead of trying to find the winning formula.

Have you ever seen this guy in person? YOU try keeping that body in shape. He's been in the NBA how long now? Size might get you there but it wont keep you there.

[CDu]

Shaq is definitely still a useful piece and will make Cleveland better assuming that last year wasn't his last hurrah. He's certainly not dominant anymore, but he can still be very effective down low. He moves Ilgauskas to the bench, and basically replaces him as the plodding big man on defense. He does provide better post offense than Ilgauskas by a long shot.

The problem Cleveland still has is that they're really slow up front. They have literally no versatility in their frontcourt. Against bigger, slower teams (or inferior teams) they can get away with it, but teams with more athletic PF (like Orlando, LA, etc) will still give them fits.

They could also use a bigger wing player to complement James.

Getting Shaq is a positive step, but he doesn't solve all the problems for Cleveland. As is, they're still putting an inordinate burden on LeBron to dominate.

[allenmurray]

It's an excellent trade. Shaq was a bit under the radar this past year but he did very well on the Suns with 18 points (shooting 61% from the field) and 8 rebounds per game. He even made the All-Star game.

Shaq is the kind of player that might have only a marginal impact over the season, but come playoff time his size can be a difference maker. The Cavs certainly could've used him against the Magic.

Bingo. He can rest all season - he isn't needed until the playoffs. There he can make a difference.

[calltheobvious]

The 'Shaq is unfit and lazy' meme is complete nonsense. That the man can still contribute at all is an orthopedic miracle.

SupaDave said as much far upthread, but the point bears repeating and expanding. Human joints aren't designed to take the kind of stress that Shaq puts on himself with every step he walks, to say nothing of what happens to his knees and hips every time he runs or jumps.

I agree with Kenny Smith, who likes to say that there's a finite number of miles and jumps in every pair of legs. Shaq could arguably have been more fit at times during his career, but the work that it would have taken to get there is not without opportunity costs; i.e. if Shaq were the fitness freak that say, David Robinson was, his knees would likely be completely cooked by now rather than just 80% cooked.

[HK Dukie]

Many don't cheer for Shaq because he is the goliath. But he is a pretty good guy. I didn't like him early in his career but he has won me over.

The one concern I have for this trade is that Shaq, while still pretty good down low, is pretty slow and might clog the lane when Lebron drives. A faster post can get out of the way and potentially pull away a defender for half a step to make a bit easier for LeBron. That said, LeBron is good enough for it not to matter much but driving teams can use a faster post. For shooting teams the post just needs to clog space and get those Offensive rebounds.

That said, I do believe the trade is a positive because it will force teams to gameplan against more than one player.

[COYS]

Many don't cheer for Shaq because he is the goliath. But he is a pretty good guy. I didn't like him early in his career but he has won me over.

The one concern I have for this trade is that Shaq, while still pretty good down low, is pretty slow and might clog the lane when Lebron drives. A faster post can get out of the way and potentially pull away a defender for half a step to make a bit easier for LeBron. That said, LeBron is good enough for it not to matter much but driving teams can use a faster post. For shooting teams the post just needs to clog space and get those Offensive rebounds.

That said, I do believe the trade is a positive because it will force teams to gameplan against more than one player.

Considering that Shaq is going to play in bursts and is a solid passer out of the post who is used to playing with players who rely on driving lanes for a lot of their points (Kobe, D-Wade), I actually think his effect on driving lanes may prove to be less than anticipated. He also does a great job of sealing off the lane, so it may even prove beneficial in preventing help defense from sliding over to cut Lebron off. I actually really like this trade if only because they didn't give up anything of value for him. They still have time to make another move or two. While I would have wanted someone like Richard Jefferson to be a second scorer with size from the wing, this trade does improve the teams chances against Dwight Howard and the Magic, so I understand it. They still have time to make a move for a guard with a little size to run with Mo Williams on the Perimeter. We'll see if that actually materializes.

[devildownunder]

There is no downside here that I can see.

Shaq is a physical presence inside offensively and defensively. He can rest the entire regular season if he wants, playing only enough to get a feel for his new teammates. Cleveland needs him to show up for 16 wins in the postseason, that's it. The Cavs center rotation now includes Shaq and Z, that's awesome -- even at this advanced stage of Shaq's career. Imagine how this year's east conference finals would have been different had dwight howard had to contend with Shaq instead of just Z and company. Plus, all of Shaq's salary now comes off the cap after this season, leaving Cleveland tons of room to sign another star player to keep LeBron happy and in town after next season.

Some have suggested that Shaq will clog things up and hurt the Cavs offense. I don't see that happening. the showtime Lakers had no problems operating around an aging Kareem at the end of his career. He just got his rest trailing the others down the floor whenever they had a break and rotated out of the lane whenever other guys made their cuts to the basket.

I don't think this move guarantees a title for Cleveland but I think it makes them the favorite.

[devildownunder]

They still have time to make a move for a guard with a little size to run with Mo Williams on the Perimeter. We'll see if that actually materializes.

That would be checkmate on the rest of the league if it were somebody with legit pg skills.

[UrinalCake]

I was thinking that too at first. Then, I realized that they only lose Ben Wallace and Pavlovic.

They also give up a first round draft pick and some cash. I thought Shaq was pretty deferential to Wade when he won in Miami, and he knows he's no longer the primary option on any team. I like Shaq and hope he shows he still has something left in the tank.

Is anyone else baffled by the concept of "expiring contracts"? It's like you overpay a guy, then after a couple years he all of a sudden becomes really valuable because you can trade him to another team that just wants to dump his salary to clear out cap space. I wish someone would pay me to just sit around, waiting for my contract to expire 8-).