Jun 25, 2009 | 1:12AM | report this It appears the Cavaliers traded Ben Wallace (about to retire) and Sasha Pavlovic for Shaquille O'neal. The move was strictly a cap-clearing move for Phoenix - and a push by the Cavaliers to win now. I'll keep this one short, and let all you Kobe lovers sound off on the move. But first, I want to answer a few questions (for the handful of non-Kobe lovers out there)
1.) Why didn't the Cavs make this move at the trade deadline?
3 reasons:
- First, because the Suns wanted Wally Szczerbiak and Sasha Pavlovic, and were unwilling to take Ben Wallace. At the time, Wallace gave no indication that he would be retiring before the 2009-2010 season, and the Cavs did not want two huge bad contracts on their hands, completely eliminating any flexibility for 2009-2010.
-Also, at the trade deadline, Pavlovic was injured and the Cavaliers would have had absolutely no wing players - meaning: LeBron would either play 48 minutes, or they would have had an undersized SG playing SF or rookie big filling in. Not good when you are fighting for HCA. It may sound silly in retrospect, but Wally was actually playing quite well at the time, and because of this the Cavs were able to sustain their winning ways despite some significant injuries.
-Finally, at the time of the trade deadline, the Magic (the only team the Cavs really matched up poorly against in the East) had just lost Jameer Nelson (supposedly) for the season. They did not foresee the Magic picking up Rafer Alston and losing to them in a series.
2.) Does this move WORK for the Cavs?
Maybe. Obviously, if Shaq produces like he did last year in Phoenix, this is a steal for the Cavs. However, I have a lot of reasons to think last year was part fluke, part Phoenix has the most ridiculous medical staff in the history of pro-sports. But let's look at how this move works.
1.) If (and that's a big if) Shaq can stay healthy, Shaq really brings a lot to the table for the Cavs. Even though they have a lot of holes, the one that no amount of effort, grit, or practice could cure this season was the lack of a body to defend Dwight Howard 1 on 1. Basically, when the Cavs chose to play him straight up with either Z, Wallace, or Varejao, Howard absolutely went off. Compounding matters was Howard flukily finding his stroke from the FT during the ECF. When the Cavs doubled Howard, the floodgates opened for every one else, and no matter which poison the Cavs picked, it killed them. Shaq is a big enough Body that they won't need to double Howard in post up situations.
2.) Shaq fits with the Cavs second unit! This year, the Cavs bench (which played the first half of the 2nd and 4th quarters) consisted of Mo Williams jacking up bad shots all over the court. They really ahd no semblance of an offense. Without Lebron on the court, the Cavs were almost -9 points per 48 minutes. Shaq would fit perfectly with this team. He could get his touches and it really wouldn't disrupt anything since NOTHING was going on in the first place.
3.) Shaq and Z are both old! Wait, this sounds like a negative, and I guess it is, but there will be no fighting for playing time. The Cavs were thin on the front lines this season, especially after Ben Wallace got injured. If Big Z and Shaq split the center position they will both be in their comfort zone as far as minutes are concerned. In addition, since these two players are literally polar opposites, it gives the Cavs some interesting flexibility. Need a big body? Need to open up the paint? You have a guy for each occassion.
4.) Future Flexibility intact! Shaq comes off the books at 20 million a year in the summer of 2010. If he doesn't pan out, he's a 20 million dollar expiring contract that some team would LOVE to have. His contract doesn't extend through 2010 so it doesn't hurt the Cavs flexibility when you know what comes around. From the man, Brian Windhorst:
"Second, because O'Neal is on the last year of his deal it would give the team immense flexibility for the future. If the experiment to match him with LeBron James did not work he could be traded by February's deadline. If the Cavs aren't able to reach their goal of winning a championship O'Neal would come off the books and the Cavs would be in position to attract one of the big name free agents in 2010."
How will this move HURT the Cavs?
If Shaq is injured and the Cavs fail to trade him by the trade deadline, then they went through the 2009-2010 season without upgrading much in spite of losing two hugely valuable trade assets in Sasha and Big Ben. Since those players gave the Cavs next to nothing this season (esp in the playoffs) it really shouldn't affect them too negatively, it's not like they gave up a core player. I would say, the Cavs got worse on defense, since Shaq really can't guard the pick and roll anymore, but quite honestly, Big Ben was really a glorified statue out there this year. He had a few moments where he was geared up, but his legs just never were right. I feel bad for the guy because he is one of my favorite players, but he really didn't contribute at all. Lastly, Sasha could find his own, but I don't think he was ever going to blossom in Cleveland. Not with LeBron playing SF. Honestly Phoenix is a great place for him. He will be given the green light and when he gets some burn he can surprise you.
How will Kobe fans React?
LOL. Well, LeBron just got finished with one of (if not the) single greatest individual playoff performances of all time and Kobe fans are trolling the far reaches of the net with LEBRON BLOWS. So this is sort of a pointless question to answer. One thing is for sure, Shaq could get hurt in the preseason, play 5 minutes a game for the Cavs, while LeBron averages 35, 8, 9 on 55% shooting and if the Cavs found a way to get through Boston/Orlando/San Antonio/LA they would forever shout out "LeBron can't win without Shaq". Just like they did with Wade (who absolutely dominated in the Finals while Shaq did next to nothing), Kobe fans will have their own angle. A non statistical angle to be sure.
What now for the Cavs?
The Cavs still have holes to address. Fortunately, they won 66 games last year and if Shaq can stay relatively healthy, they actually have a BETTER team this year. They also addressed maybe their biggest glaring deficiency - interior size. I will be interested to see if they resign Varejao. I think they will, especially since there will be very few players in the FA market this year. Their next biggest weakness is an athletic perimeter defender with length - Delonte and Mo's shortcomings compounded matters against the lengthier teams like LA and Orlando last year. I think the Cavs will target a long athletic SF/PF in this year's draft. I'm not exactly sure what their situation is right now with flexibility and such, but if they have the means, they will also try to trade for an athletic swingman. If they can't do that, they may shell out their full mid-level + bi-annual on one. I like Ariza, but I don't know if he would leave the Lakers. Of course, I guess it depends partly on his ego. In Cleveland Mo Williams became a hero this year. In LA, every single Laker gets dogged anytime the Lakers lose and Kobe gets all the credit when they win - so we'll see if he decides to stay loyal or take the money elsewhere.
Will this move hurt the Cavs chemistry?
Haha no. Absolutely not. I don't care what Shaq's M.O. is. LeBron is the leader of this team, and he's the best leader in the league, maybe one of the best of all time. The Cavaliers to a man love playing with him and they know he's the boss. Shaq will be no different. He is already friends with LeBron and won't mind sharing the spotlight. If he plays even remotely well he will be adored in Cleveland. Hell, Big Ben regularly got standing O's for taking charges - while in Chicago he was booed out of town even though he put up better numbers. This is also a contract year for Shaq and he has said he wants to keep playing for a few years. This might also be his last chance to win a title, so I think if he was ever motivated, he would be this year. Honestly this is the LEAST of my worries - my biggest concern is his health. I could see him being injured for 3/4 of the year and being a non-factor in the playoffs. But I have no question he will fit in the locker room.
Sound off!
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