Shaq Traded to Cleveland, Suns in Middle of an Eclipse
For the third time in four years, Shaquille O’Neal will be playing for a different team. This one happens to have the league’s MVP and best record- LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In acquiring the 15-time All-Star, the Cavaliers’ owner, Dan Gilbert, and General Manager Danny Ferry now have an answer to Orlando’s Dwight Howard, who steamrolled through Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals. If successful it will also make it tougher for LeBron to leave his home state as he is expected to become a free agent in July 2010.
Even at 37 and not quite the same monster who helped win those crowns with the Lakers and the Heat, O’Neal is still a fearsome figure down low in the paint. In his best performance in four years, averaging 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds for the Suns last season while playing in 75 games, Shaq had good enough numbers to garner an all-N.B.A. third team selection.
Are Stoudemire and Nash the Next to Leave?
It is much clearer how this helps Cleveland, but for Phoenix it appears to be more of a financial move. In half a year the Suns have traded away three essential players – O’Neal, Boris Diaw and Raja Bell. They traded Shawn Marion, once a core player, 16 months ago, in the deal to get O’Neal. For O’Neal, Phoenix received two rotation players, a once-mighty center Ben Wallace and swingman Sasha Pavlovic, plus $500,000 and a future second-round pick.
There is potential that this is the start of a major rebuilding campaign with the Phoenix Suns. Besides Wallace possibly accepting a buyout and retiring and his new team flat out waving Pavlovic to save on salary and luxury taxes, the Suns may also send off stars Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. Nash is in the last year of his contract and Stoudemire has been on and off the shopping list for some time.
In coming to Cleveland, his fifth team in a 17-year career, Shaq opens up the potential to reach the NBA Finals with still another superstar teammate. O’Neal has made the championships with Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade.
When is someone going to tell GM Kerr he stinks!
Short-term run for Cleveland and start of an overhaul for Phoenix.
Brady is right, but this is an overhaul that someone replacing Kerr should take over.
GM Kerr didnt get it done with Coach Porter and slowing down the tempo and he’s starting to wear thin out here.
Does this change LeBron’s game? Imean now he will have a wide body as he runs down through the middle of the paint.