Yeah. That Just Happened.
I dreaded the Shaq to Phoenix trade. I knew what it symbolized. The end of SOL. The destruction of Amare’s confidence. The resignation of Steve Nash. The downward slide of Matrix. It was contrary to every effective train of thought.
This? This I actually like.
Let’s be clear. There’s only one personality that matters in Cleveland and we all know who that is. So there’s a void there for Shaq to fill. To be the Other Personality. The veteran legend. You can’t do that on a team built on philosophical constructs comprised of guys who read Nietzsche and write poetry. You can do that on a team that does camera poses during intros.
From a spacing standpoint, it’s brilliant. The low post control that Z can’t assert, Shaq can. You have three effective rebounders now, and a guy who you can at least put on Howard without cringing. You have Mo Williams, Delonte West to be the sparkplug, Varejao and Shaq to do the dirty work, and James to shine. James knows Shaq won’t be there long. And that’s totally fine. He’s willing to let Shaq run his mouth as long as he delivers a title. And for Shaq, it’s a chance to redeem his image and further the idea that he’s the one that takes young guys to the next level.
Let’s go ahead and start a 72 hour countdown for the first bomb Shaq drops on Phoenix. Somehow, Kerr will manage to avoid his wrath, but I doubt Amare and Nash go unscathed. Nash is more likely because of the previous feud, his general attitude, and the fact that Shaq knows Nash won’t fight back.
You have to believe Phoenix has something else additional planned in the next few months. Nash-Richardson-Hill (?)-Amare-Lopez is not what Kerr will want to go to war with in a contract year for him. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Phoenix in another trade by the end of the night tomorrow.
Cleveland, embrace the big fella. He’s all yours.
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The Cavs just got brutalized on the P&R by Turk and Rashard so they add the single worst P&R defender in the league. Bravo, Ferry! I keed, I keed. Shaq is definitely an upgrade over the zombie who used to be known as Ilgauskus when it was still human.
This should be a good trade for the Cavs, but I definitely disagree that “from a spacing standpoint, it’s brilliant.” You’ve got to be a little worried that Shaq will just camp in the lane, making it that much harder for LeBron to get clear paths to the rim. Part of what makes Z such an effective frontcourt player with LeBron is that Z’s perimeter game pulled defenders away from the lane making it easier for LeBron to drive to the rack.
Maybe Shaq will stay out of the way (like he did at first with the Suns), but it’s gonna be on Mike Brown to come up with something offensively to make sure things don’t get too clogged down low. This is gonna be especially difficult if the Cavs re-sign Varejao, who really has no offensive game whatsoever and is also only effective if he’s right near the rim. Nevertheless, Cleveland really didn’t give up anything to get Shaq, and Shaq’s contract comes off the books next summer, so even if he never played at all it would still be safe financially.
There is something that nags at me though: Shaq’s health. Remember how bad he looked towards the end of his stint with Miami? Remember how so much credit was given to the Suns’ trainers for suddenly rejuvenating and healing him? If there’s any truth to all that stuff, then is it a concern that Shaq will suddenly revert to the guy he was for the last two-plus years with the Heat?
Also, will Shaq be extra motivated now that he’s again with one of the top three wing players in the game? Will he be extra motivated because it’s a contract year? Will any of that cause him to want to do too much, to get more credit, or will he be willing to be a “team player”? I think the biggest problem with Shaq nowadays is that at his age (38 in March) you just really aren’t too sure what to expect.
kneejerk – they got brutalized because they had to throw 2 to 3 guys at Howard. Make Howard work, and he’s MUCH more ineffective. That was the main source of their problems. (And BTW, Hedo is gone).
I agree with Yams though. The Diesel is a wild card.