SHAQ TO JOIN LEBRON IN CLEVELAND

In what will likely be the biggest blockbuster transaction of the NBA offseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired future Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal.  The Cavs sent Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, a 2^nd round draft choice in 2010 and cash to the Suns in return for ‘The Diesel’.  Shaq has won four NBA championships—three with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles and one with Dwayne Wade in Miami.  Cleveland his hoping that he’ll get #5 with reigning MVP LeBron James.

Aside from the loss of a couple of role players, there’s really not a lot of downside for Cleveland.  They’ll pay him $21 million this year, but it’s the last year remaining on his contract.  If things work well, they can talk business with Shaq after next season.  If things don’t pan out, he’s an unrestricted free agent and the two sides can walk away.   Obviously at age 37, Shaq isn’t the monster force he was earlier in his career when he rivaled the all time greats like Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul Jabbar for sheer dominance.  Still, he’s coming off a solid season where he averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds while missing only seven games due to injury.  

Most importantly, however, even slowed by knee problems Shaq is arguably the most dominating physical presence in NBA history.  At 7’1” 325 pounds, ‘The Diesel’ can cause trouble for any of the big men in the NBA and particularly on the defensive end.  Of course Cleveland has a specific target in mind for Shaq—Orlando’s Dwight Howard.  LeBron James issued the following statement about the prospect of playing with the Hall of Fame center:

"Shaq is an incredible ball player and a four-time NBA champion. I have a lot of respect for him and his game. It will be a real honor to play with Shaq as my teammates and I look forward to another great season with the Cavs."

Cavs GM Danny Ferry was very candid in his comments after the trade—the team wants an NBA title and they want it now:

"This move and our goals are aligned with what our players want, including LeBron, to win a championship and win it this year. We don't want to be patient."

Ferry added his specific thoughts about Shaq and how well he’ll mesh with LeBron:

"He is a force. Always has been, still is. He's a wall that's around the basket -- a tall, long wall. On offense, he's going to get double-teamed. He's a great passer and a great receiver. They both badly want to win. Our team and organization want to win. With that leading the way, everything else is going to work out."

For Phoenix, the Shaq trade was a straight up salary dump.  They plan to buy out the $1.5 million guaranteed to Pavlovic, and may negotiate a buyout with Wallace as well allowing him to retire.  All told, the Suns will save $10 million US from the move without factoring in the undisclosed cash payment they received in the deal.