Shaquille O’ Neal Goes to Cleveland for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic
So now it is a LeBron James-Shaquille O’ Neal Show! Though the deal has been only consummated in principle, the trade will be made official this Thursday barring any problems on the players (such as medical, etc.). Aside from Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic, the Phoenix Suns will also reported get the 46th pick at the 2009 NBA draft.
The Cleveland Cavaliers thus beefs up their middle, a position that Zydruna Ilgauskas has sorely left hanging. The Cavs were actually eyeing Tyson Chandler as well but settled for which deal would come first. Obviously Shaquille O’ Neal was the better option mainly due to salary cap issues.
For the Suns, their transition back to the run and gun game seems to be all but official with the departure of O’ Neal. Dismissed coach Terry Porter tried to convert the Suns into a defensive team but all his work obviously went for naught. By the time the Phoenix Suns realized the mistake, they were groping for form to make the playoffs. As we all know, they never did get to the playoffs despite having Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Jason Richardson in their team.
Will Shaq be the missing link to LeBron James and the Cavaliers quest for an NBA title? Well if you look at the history of the Diesel, he has been a key figure towards giving Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade a championship ring. Could Cleveland be next? Well there is one problem if ever…Shaq is no longer as young as he used to be. That could prove to be the gamble Cleveland took for this trade.
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