The sports fans of Cleveland are more hopeful now than they were immediately after the Orlando Magic eliminated their beloved Cavs in seven games to win the Eastern Conference Finals. That's because Cleveland GM Danny Ferry is bringing The Original Superman, The Big Diesel - Shaquille O'Neal - to ride shotgun with Lebron James.
Ferry didn't have to give up much to get Shaq - just Ben Wallace, Saha Pavlovic and a pick. The pick is almost a throwaway. Wallace and Pavlovic have expiring contracts - so who knows if either one will ever suit up for Phoenix. The Cavs got one of the best centers in history for nothing. It wasn't highway robbery. It was a salary dump by a Phoenix team that knows Shaq - at the age of 37 - won't fit with the return to their old run and gun scheme under coach Alvin Gentry.
Shaq might have been a bad fit for the Suns, but he might very well be just what the doctor ordered for the Cavs.
He might be 37, but he played 75 games last year and was very effective. His 17.8 points per game was the highest number he'd put up since the 2006-07 season. And the 75 games he played in were the most he's suited up for in a long time. It seems like Shaq has a handle on how to prepare himself for a full season at his advanced age.
His addition to the Cavs gives them something they have been lacking for years. A bona fide big man. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao (both of whom have player options for next season) are okay, but no one will ever confuse either one of them with being any kind of threat. Shaq may not be the same player we saw in Orlando and Los Angeles, but he has more than enough left in his tank to be Robin to Lebron's Batman. Mo Williams becomes the third threat on this team, which is probably the role he is best suited to playing (although he was an All-Star last season, he disappeared at times in the playoffs).
Shaq is also smart enough to keep his large ego in check. Yes, he took Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard to task during the playoffs, but consider that a lot of people have had their 'issues' with Van Gundy, and Howard - who I am a huge fan of, hasn't become as dominant as Shaq was at the same age. Shaq didn't need time to develop when he came to the NBA in the early 90's. Howard needed a couple of years - he still has a ways to go before he can be rightly compared with O'Neal. I can overlook Shaq's outbursts and tweets because I know he's smart enough to realize he isn't what he used to be.
He knows there isn't as much sand in the hourglass as there once was. He knows that he isn't a go to guy anymore - at least not the way he used to be. He deferred to Dwayne Wade without any problems in Miami. He knew where he stood in Phoenix (behind Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash). He knows what his role will be in Cleveland. He won't rock the boat to satisfy his ego.
All of that being said, I'm not sure how long the Lebron-Shaq Show will be running with the Cavs. My gut tells me it's a one year thing. The Cavs are doing everything they can to show Lebron some love in the hopes he will stick around after next season. They know they have weaknesses they need to address. That's why the trade was made.
But I don't see this as a long term venture. Shaq has one year left on his deal. He'll make $20M next season. I doubt the Cavs will give him the extension he reportedly would like. They - at the end of the day - are a small market team, and while they have enough money to try and keep Lebron around, they don't have unlimited resources. And, by the time O'Neal's contract expires, he'll be thirty-eight and not worth the money he once commanded - especially in this economy.
So, to me at least - and I admit I could be totally off-base here - this is a one year deal for Shaq on Lake Erie. Which puts more pressure on the Cavaliers than they've ever faced before.
Make no mistake, the Cavs need to win the NBA Championship next season for this to be a success. Anything less will be considered a failure. Anything less, and Lebron leaves as a free agent next summer (which he might do even if they win). Anything less and coach Mike Brown - who has reportedly been on the hot seat over the last month - will be off the hot seat and on the unemployment line.
It's an all or nothing gamble for the Cavs. And there isn't a big window of opportunity here.
The clock is ticking.
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