LeBron and Shaq: Can Cleveland Handle These Two Together?
It appears that the Cavs have pulled the trigger. According to reports Shaquille O’Neal is now a Cleveland Cavalier. Gone are Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic, along with the Cavs second round choice in Thursday’s draft and $500,000.
Brian Winhorst broke the story shortly after midnight, and Chris Broussard wrote the story for ESPN-
The trade gives the Cavs a player they’ve coveted since February. With center Zydrunas Ilgauskas starting to break down, adding Shaq to the roster gives them a dominant force in the middle. The Cavs were obviously unhappy with their ability to defend Dwight Howard in the playoffs and bringing Shaq into the fold should help. O’Neal averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game last season and made his 15th All-Star game.
Check back in the morning for reaction from the WFNY staff.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:54 am
He’s going to bring a great dynamic to a team is already tons of fun to watch! I’m glad we didn’t get Rasheed, he would have killed this team.
June 25th, 2009 at 2:11 am
How soon before I can go and get a Cavs Shaq jersey? I am stoked about this trade. We need another piece, but am not sure how we get another one. It should be interesting to see who we might be able to convince to take the midlevel exception now. Maybe Lebron and Shaq can pitch the idea to someone who should make more. I don’t know. But for one night at least, I am happy.
June 25th, 2009 at 2:26 am
The name we are hearing most is Matt Barnes. If they can resign Andy and bring Barnes in for the MLE, this team is better.
June 25th, 2009 at 2:51 am
Does anyone think the cavs will trade up still in this draft? I still think they need to get younger role players to go around Lebron. I can see them going to like 12-18 range still. A young big guy in the rotation would be nice, also one of the PGs in the draft (Flynn, Curry, Holliday, Lawson) would look nice on this roster.
June 25th, 2009 at 2:54 am
Does the WFNY staff think the second round draft choice is significant?
I was not thrilled about the idea of this trade earlier in the year; but after the playoffs, it’s hard not to see this as a positive move. And we got Wallace’s contract out of the way and Sasha’s bench warming, too. Both had small parts to play, but on balance, Shaq offers a more compelling piece to the team’s puzzle.
That’s my first impression. Look forward to the input from the WFNYers. (Wiffneys?)
June 25th, 2009 at 3:04 am
@ Bobby and Phil- tough call right now on the draft. First off, this was not supposed to be a deep draft, so the second round pick doesn’t really mean squat imo. If they think they can land Matt Barnes and resign Andy (those are still big ifs) then I see them going Guard in this draft. Look at the roster. The only Guards we have signed for this season are Mo, Delonte and Daniel Gibson. Will Tarence Kinsey’s DUI turn out to hurt his chances of coming back? Even if he does return, that doesn’t leave much room for injury or error in the back court.
June 25th, 2009 at 3:54 am
great move. GREAT move. makes a lot of sense in the present, and doesn’t tie us down in the future. now if we could just get artest….
June 25th, 2009 at 6:15 am
This early morning run is gonna be fun, picturing the Big Pierogi trucking down Ontario Street.
June 25th, 2009 at 6:18 am
The crux of whether this works for me is if Shaq gets motivated by the chance at another championship run. If he now works his ass off to get/stay in shape for the upcoming season, he could really make a difference. If he comes in looking like a tub o’lard that can only play every other day and can’t get back on defense in transition…welll….it could be bad.
I do like having another All-Star on the team though.
June 25th, 2009 at 6:51 am
Also, the Christmas game against the Lakers just took on a whole new dimension…are we going to get a Shaq puppet soon?
June 25th, 2009 at 6:55 am
I think this story officially takes the spotlight from USA Soccer and relegates it back to the cellar from which it came.
June 25th, 2009 at 7:21 am
So far Bill Simmons has summed up my feelings best via his Twitter:
sportsguy33: Cleveland’s trade for Shaq was like someone buying homeowner’s insurance 4 weeks after losing everything in a house robbery.
It certainly won’t be boring with the Big Cuyahoga in town. I just hope Danny Ferry has more up his sleeve than this.
June 25th, 2009 at 7:21 am
@ Eli: I had the exact same thought. Kobe & Gasol vs. LeMVP & The Big Perogi (or The Big Burning River, The Big Lake Effect, The Big Perch?)!
This certainly helps heal the ECF wound, and I am now Excited about the CAVS again!
June 25th, 2009 at 7:58 am
Eli, Shaq is a proven winner. Not only will he be playing for his 5th championship, but he could become only the 3rd player ever to win with 3 different teams.
I get what B.S. is saying, but I don’t think it’s accurate. If this trade could have happened before the trade deadline it would have. The suns asking price has come way down since then.
By no means should we start printing banners yet, but it’s hard not to be excited about the possibilities.
June 25th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Shaqtastic. I’m going to miss making fun of the lethargic Sasha!
June 25th, 2009 at 8:05 am
@ Glaumdawg – I know, and I was so pumped about the USA game.
June 25th, 2009 at 8:23 am
What do you know? Shaqtus. 29 points.
June 25th, 2009 at 8:32 am
This trade might force me to reconsider my long-held conviction that Cleveland will never win another championship.
Naaaaaahhhhhhhhhh.
June 25th, 2009 at 8:42 am
We need a nickname contest now, WFNY. The Big ______??
June 25th, 2009 at 8:55 am
@7: That is what I like most about the trade. It’s a “win now w/o killing yourself later” move.
June 25th, 2009 at 8:57 am
splashing cold water.. or maybe just a different opinion: i would rather have gotten chandler. shaq’s gonna be great… for one year? maybe two? and maybe we’ll get a ring… but we’re in position for bulls-like dynasty… would rather build for that.
look how fast the celtics got old.
June 25th, 2009 at 9:03 am
What did we give up to get him? Pretty much nothing. Can’t see why anyone wouldn’t be geeked about this.
June 25th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Very ambivalent right now. Wonder if this move is “all heat and no light.” Will be a huge p.r. splash, Shaq sure knows how to win when he feels like it, and it will be weird to see the first big man in the paint with inside moves since Larry Nance, but …
Anyone remember that Shaq doesn’t always play well with the other children or teachers when he isn’t getting the ball where or how often he prefers? Or that he did a crappy job defending Howard (if this is an opponent-specific move)? I’m imagining Mo bringing the ball across the time line, Shaq is backing into the paint with his hand up, LeBron is circling behind Mo and also motioning for the ball, and Mo’s head is on a swivel.
I’m still mulling this over.
June 25th, 2009 at 9:09 am
I agree Omega!!
June 25th, 2009 at 9:13 am
We have “King James,” but let’s hope the nickname isn’t “The Court Jester.”
June 25th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Chandler is signed for a big contract for anoth year, so he’d be on the books for 2010 and would really hamper our ability to sign anoth bigname talent.
Plus, Chandler is so overrated. He had one good year playing with Chris Paul, after years and years of mediocrity. I’m more inclined to figure that the good year was a fluke than think he’s blossomed into something good.
June 25th, 2009 at 9:33 am
What’s Wally’s situation? Is he leaving?
June 25th, 2009 at 9:41 am
I like the deal overall. I don’t know if Shaq is ultimately the final piece of the championship puzzle, but I think he is going to come in very motivated to prove that he’s still a player and that he can get that 5th ring to one-up Kobe’s 4th. The Cavs still need to add a backup PG (could be done tonight at the draft) and an athletic swingman (maybe Barnes with the MLE?).
What I like the most about the deal though is that it’s pretty low risk. First of all, we gave up spare parts and loose change for the guy, so to the extent it doesn’t work out, we can’t say we gave up too much for him. (As for that second round pick, Ferry can easily buy one back tonight with Gilbert’s money if there’s someone he’s interested in.)
It’s also low risk because Shaq only has one year left. If the thing is an absolute disaster, Ferry can always turn around at the deadline and deal Shaq’s $20 million expiring deal. And if it works out, the Cavs haven’t made a long term financial commitment to Shaq and are free to spend their money in 2010 however they like.
The only potential criticism I can envision is that Ferry has basically put all of his trading chips in the Shaq basket. The Cavs may make other moves (possibly starting tonight), but in terms of trades, this is likely the start and the end of it. There is likely to be no under the radar Mo Williams type deal this offseason. So in that sense, Ferry has probably sacrificed the ability to chase other players who might later become unexpectedly available. I think that was a risk Ferry was willing to take though given the upside of this trade and the flexibility it leaves the Cavs with in the offseason.
June 25th, 2009 at 9:55 am
@21
Let’s walk before we run. I’m not concerning myself with multiple championships until we have ONE.
June 25th, 2009 at 9:58 am
I’m stoked about this trade too, but I’m not trying to get a Shaq jersey lol. He is likely only going to be with us for 1 year.
He does need a nickname though… for Cleveland winters my buddy Dave suggested the Abominable Snowman… or in shaq lingo… the Abominable Shaqman. Or the Shaqominable Snowman
June 25th, 2009 at 10:05 am
@ #29 – but I like to run!!!!
June 25th, 2009 at 10:12 am
I think we should call him the Big Erie.
June 25th, 2009 at 11:03 am
[...] I was tired last night, and I went to bed at 10:45 pm. I had no clue a Cavaliers trade was imminent. So when I woke up this morning, I looked at my phone and was surprised to see a bunch of texts and emails waiting for me. I knew something had happened. Before I could even check the first text message, I heard the news on ESPN. The Cavaliers made waves overnight as they traded Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace, a 2nd round pick, and some benjamins to the Suns for Shaquille O’Neal. [...]