i think "opportunity cost" is the best way to look at this. No long-term risk. In the short-term, if Shaq can somehow be healthy in April-June, this could prove to be a great trade.
I would have liked to get Tyson Chandler, granted I don't know if he's healthy (hell, even the hornets probably don't know). I still think the Cavs should take on some salary past this season to improve this year's team... granted, we won't find out the answer to that question until July.
Also... just to throw it out there...I would consider trading Z's expiring contract for tyson chandler. why debate chandler vs. shaq when you can seriously get both?!?
i think this is a good trade, not great, but may have been great if they did it before the trade deadline expired last year, oh well.
the cavs still have a few question marks: varajeo, wally? right now, their front court is: Shaq, Z, hickson, and joe smith. i think a lot of what they do will depend on varajeo.
I believe that Shaq should nickname himself the Edmund Fitzgerald because he is the biggest thing in the area, however from a small gale he ends up sinking and out for the season.
This just in, the Cavs traded JJ Hickson for a 1st round draft pick and Fu Shnickens. YES!
First it was a November gale that came early that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald. Let us not forgot that.
Secondly I actually like Z for 20 minutes given his range. The idea of paring Varajao with a center that doesn't score just doesn't seem practical (Chandler or Camby or whoever).
Yes I agree with Laz the Cavs still need a PF and wing player and we should wait and see who they pick up as that's part of the equation.
I think its fair that perhaps that Cavs should have waited and seen if Chandler was healthy but I'm still not certain what else the Cavs could have gotten for this package.
I guess I'm the only one here that sees this as an absolute no brainer. The Cavs give up nothing and get an enormous roadblack to Dwight Howard's second consecutive NBA Finals appearance. What's not to like?
Now, why didn't the Cavs do this in February or March or whenever the trade deadline was? I have no idea. But there's no point in trying to answer that question. The Cavs added O'Neal for next to nothing and now opposing defenses have to worry about defending LBJ, Mo, and O'Neal. That's no small task.
If MJ is behind acquiring Shaq then that's all that needs to be said.
From my understanding (at least from Cleveland reporting) it was Phoenix who shut down the trade at the last moment as their owner wanted to see if the team could make the playoffs (remember Phoenix was still pushing for the playoffs ). Phoenix owner making random decisions and changing his mind, I know unheard of but that would explain why after Phoenix crapped out on the playoffs the fire sale is commencing (the rumor is Amare is expected to be traded to Houston). Otherwise I agree the delay doesn't make sense...
"If MJ is behind acquiring Shaq then that's all that needs to be said."
Indeed. This trade puts me in a very difficult position. As I've said many times, Lebron is the one and only reason why I still care about the NBA. Although I'm not from Cleveland, I root for the Cavs only because Lebron plays there.
On the flipside, it's no secret that Shaq is my least favorite NBA player of all time and that he, along with Deion Sanders, Ray Lewis, Manny Ramirez, Jason Varitek, Brett Favre and Michael Irvin are my least favorite pro athletes of all time.
How will I reconcile my love for King James with my hatred of the fat, crosseyed mental retard? How am I supposed to root for the Cavs now? This development is very troubling.
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To reiterate, however, this trade (objectively) is a total win for the Cavs. Give nothing and get back a guy that is still probably a top-5 or top-10 player at his position. He certainly has flaws in his game now, as the CP-D article states, but the good outweighs the bad. At the end of the day, the Cavs were the best team in the NBA without Shaq last year and only really needed him in the conference finals. Why can't they be the best team in the NBA again and, this time, have Shaq to bruise and abuse Dwight Howard?
Just for a little perspective in the Orlando series in Ben Wallace's 88 minutes the Cavs were -61. In a series that turned on a few close plays (not to say the Cavs deserved to win but it wasn't total domination) Ben Wallace's presence? corpse? on the court resulted in the Cavs being outscored by 61 points. In his place is someone that as MJ correctly points out can bang away offensively and defensively and thereby tire out Howard and limit his defensive roaming (that point is crucial as Howard being able to ignore an anemic offensive player hurts Lebron's driving abilities - hence why Chandler was and should have been a second choice)
The image of Lebron winning a championship and Gutsy finally revealing his Cleveland Championship Haiku should be enough to solve any moral quandary.
Cleveland Championship Haiku? never heard of that, but i think i would follow with a Championship Limerick.
i think this really adds a lot to the team, and i know we gave up two players that providing nothing for our team this year, and even less in the playoffs.
That being said, the cavs still need to keep going.
whats gonna happen to wally?
i think if they do a sign and trade with varajeo and wally, they could get something big. i dont know, my NBA math isnt very good.
I don't think i'm planning a "cleveland championship haiku"... but if we win a championship, i could do that too!
Mighty- you bring up a good point... shaq would keep howard more honest offensively against lebron in comparison to acquiring chandler.
I still am not sure if old-man shaq is going to do much better against howard than ben wallace. there, i said it. i suppose that's the gamble - you can't do much worse, that's for sure and there really aren't many other alternatives (especially at a 1-year price tag).
Also, there are REASONS THE CAVS DIDN'T GET SHAQ IN FEBRUARY. THEY ARE:
1) THE SUNS OWNER IS MOODY LIKE A GIRL
AND
2) THE SUNS SUPPOSEDLY ASKED FOR DELONTE WEST.
getting shaq in february would have thus been bad for the cavs if west was given up. then again, it's hard to say what the facts were of that negotiation. now the cavs truly have a "free" roll of the dice with the shaq-diesel.
Who cares about Wally? He was awful in the playoffs and as an unrestricted free agent provides nothing in terms of trade value. So forget about Wally.
Yes the Cavs need to continue to add. Specifically they need a PF and Varajao would probably be best as he can also play the C against small/fast lineups.
I yield to the floor but I refuse to believe Shaq would yield a -61 if only because his offense is far superior to Wallaces and it becomes a moot point as Wallace is probably going to retire anyway. Let me repeat that # -61 while Wallace was on the floor. I'm sorry but that's just preposterous that Shaq would do that poorly. I'd simply need some shred of evidence to buy that proposition.
I think shaq will do better than -61, I just don't know how much. that's all. I'm sorry that I'm skeptical, but old-man shaq is different than 2006 shaq or 2003 shaq.
Anyway, of course the cavs will continue to make other moves this offseason. I'm just curious if they involve dumping Z.
I just realized something that makes me feel better about shaq - even a marginal improvement would have resulted in additional wins against the magic. plus, a marginal improvement on the inside, where the cavs don't have to double-team, could translate into a large improvement.
Correct Ivan, and thank you Cohen for providing statistical support. Wallace was -61. Even if Shaq goes -20 for the series, thats 40 less points for the Magic in a series in which 4 of 6 games came down to the last shot. That is a huge swing.
Plus, now Kazaam 2 can be filmed in Cleveland!!!!!!
So, Vince Carter to Orlando. Honestly, that trade makes no sense to me at all. Aren't Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter essentially the same player (wing forward with shooting range)? Vince doesn't play a lick of D, doesn't rebound, and is purely a gunner. How will there be enough touches in Orlando to keep them all happy? Plus, with this new money coming in, doesn't that mean that Hedo is guaranteed to be gone now?
Orlando just killed their team, in my opinion.
Having said that, the Nets are now Devin Harris, Brook Lopez and whatever stiff they get at #11 in tonight's draft. That team is going to SUCK next year.
i'm about to post on this... but the nets are in the BEST position for 2010. PG devin harris, C Brook Lopez, SG Courtney Lee... and $40 million in cap space!!!!!!!!!!! that's a lot better than the pieces the knicks are going to have in place going into the free agency of 2010. or anyone else for that matter who has enough room to go for TWO max contracts.
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