Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 12:50 am  |  196 responses

Shaq To Cleveland? Done

Here comes The Big Cav…

by Lang Whitaker

Not so fast, LeBron. Danny Ferry just got you a big man.

With one year and ticking until Mr. James reaches free agency, the Cavs have made their boldest attempt yet to vault into the upper echelon. The Cleveland Plain-Dealer is reporting that the Cavs have agreed to trade Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to Phoenix for the Big Cactus, the MDE, the Diesel, the Daddy: Shaquille O’Neal.

No, seriously, that’s all they had to give up, just Pavlovic and Wallace. (UPDATE: And the 46th pick and $500,000.) Of course this means Cleveland’s going to be on the hook for giving Shaq $20 million next year.

But heck, it’s Shaq.

A Kobe/Shaq Finals in 2010, anyone?

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  • CF98

    Yeah LeBron is so gone after this season..

  • Izzo

    Cleveland seem pretty good at making ‘meh,why not?’ trades.Meh.

  • nashty

    If Shaq is healthy and motivated next year, it’s OVER.

  • http://www.alllooksame.com Tarzan Cooper

    just what the spurs want after a nice trade, so theyre still way under the radar and nobody talking about him. all i want for christmas is a healthy manu and tiago splitter.

  • http://slamonline.com Spaceship Jay

    If Dwight is healthy and motivated next year, it’s OVER.

    If Bynum is healthy and motivated next year, it’s OVER.

  • http://www.alllooksame.com Tarzan Cooper

    moose wins! the BIG SHAQALIER!!!!!

  • http://www.lkz.ch Darksaber

    hmm, even snorkeling off the Bali coast, this news reached me. So Shaq arranged for the Arizonian fountain of youth to be traded with him, right? Bron better REALLY start working on that catch and shoot 3 from the wing. L’il warriors gonna be passing out of them double teams…. A lot! Shaq’s playing with Anti-Kobe. Let the fun (and games) begin. Later slammers, back to finding Nemo’s, i go.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Gotta make that trade all day everyday.
    The corpse of Ben Wallace and a dude named Sasha?
    What are they doing in Phoenix?

  • http://slamonline.com B. Long

    If Orlando and Cleveland meet up in the playoffs next year…OMG.

  • http://www.alllooksame.com Tarzan Cooper

    BREAKING NEWS: STEVE NASH ANNOUNCED HIS RETIREMENT. ALSO, AMARE, LEANDRO, AND JRICH ARE EXCITED ABOUT TAKING INSANE AMOUNTS OF BAD SHOTS EVERY GAME AGAIN.

  • Logan

    Hearing a lot of talk like ‘in theory this works’ ‘if Shaq is motivated…’ and all that is intangible. Does Shaq make a difference to the Cavs? A big Yes. Will they win the chip basis only this trade? Probably not. Will sahaq throw the guards under the bus for not passing him the ball enough? In about 20 odd games. Bottom line, Shaq can still be dominant in spurts and stretches. He will get a lot of attention. To get over the hump, the Cavs need to add good spot up shooters to their team….

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    How can this be a bad trade when the Cavs gave up NOTHING!
    Seriously, they sacrificed nothing. They had to make a move to satisfy Lebron, and they did. And to make that move, they gave up NOTHING!
    NOTHING!
    NOTHING!
    NOTHING!
    In case y’all missed it, the Cavs gave up NOTHING!

  • Rome

    Will Steve Nash be a Knick?
    He kind of mentioned it at Showdown at Chinatown yesterday.
    http://www.nypost.com/seven/06252009/sports/knicks/steve_nash_176064.htm

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Sure, the Cavs need another good wing, I think they’ll find one since the League is littered with decent wings.
    The point is, they got Shaq for BEN WALLACE AND SASHA!.
    Put aside the Shaq hate, and I know that’s hard. Shaq is still a decent center, and they traded NOTHING to acquire him.
    Come on, this makes PERFECT sense. Now, Ferry needs to trade Big Z and get him a wing player. There are teams out there that like Z’s skill set.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Or, they could keep Z, move him to the bench when Shaq plays, but also give Shaq breaks on back-to-backs like Phoenix did.
    They just need one more wing, that’s all. A nice 2/3. I don’t know who they get, but I know that’s the easiest position in the league to fill. Hell, isn’t Ariza a free agent! And Odom?
    There are moves to be made people.

  • Babygab

    I hope Shaq is already in the gym working out trying to drop a couple pounds. If the big Aristotle comes out fit, motivated, if he’s abble to produce a reasonnable 20-10 then the Cavs could go all te way. Every year we’re kind of going back to a kind of balance between east and west don’t you think ? Oh ! And I love the move by San Antonio. This is gonna give interesting battles between the spurs and the lakers. Man can wait for next season, I’m drooling like and dog in front of steak !!!!! Bring it on !!!!

  • http://gmail Dirty Frank

    Well said Allenp. I think they need to keep Z.

  • http://nbacheapseats.blogspot.com Chendaddy

    Nothing wrong with this trade. At this point in their careers, Shaq is certainly better than Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic combined. Meanwhile, Phoenix wasn’t going anywhere with Shaq, and they didn’t pick up any extra years on contracts. Plus this is the type of draft where the talent difference between the 26th and the 46th pick won’t be that great, so who knows if Phoenix may actually pick up a nice piece there. Does this solve Cleveland’s problems? Hell no. Shaq can’t contain Howard any better than Varejao or Ilgauskas could. Yeah, he will give Cleveland a decent post scorer, but he will also clog space and make it harder for LeBron to score on drives to the paint, which is his bread and butter. He doesn’t have a mid-range game to complement a dominant post scorer, re: Tracy McGrady when Yao is healthy. But most of all, you still have 6’3″ Delonte West as the second best perimeter defender on the team. Against the Magic, if LeBron defended Rashard Lewis, no one could check Dwight Howard or Hedo Turkoglu. If the Cavs face the Magic again right now, LeBron would defend Lewis, and they STILL don’t have anyone to check Dwight Howard or Hedo Turkoglu.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Allenp, well they’ve been talking about Vince for a while and the Nets seem willing to give him up. They’re not ready to win now so having Vince over there doesn’t make that much sense. Mo, Vince, LBJ, Andy, Shaq with D-West, Z and Boobie and JJ off the bench. That could actually work with Bron playing the 4 from time to time.

  • Canuck

    Correct me if I’m wrong but Shaq’s contract is done after this season, meaning they’ll have +20 million coming in for 2010. So all the people thinking that they are scrapping everything for a win just this season is ridiculous. This move is for a chip this year to make LeBron want to stay, and then that money is an excellent asset to have going forward should LeBron decide to stay. Great move by the Cavs.

  • http://www.alllooksame.com Tarzan Cooper

    z, who would the cavs trade for vince? dummy. allen, need i remind you of pau for kwame/javaris??? now, pau is 28 times the player shaq is, and is the perfect player for the triangle offense.

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    RUMOR ALERT: Ama’r”e’ to the Rockets?! STEVE KERR IS GONNA KILL THE SUNS

  • http://www2.gsb.columbia.edu/faculty/jstiglitz/ NICK KALATHES

    @Tarzan Cooper…:you got no idea how good Tiago is (top-10 big man in the world)….

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    ‘Shaq can’t contain Howard any better than Varejao or Ilgauskas could.’ False.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Tarzan
    Not sure how Pau relates to me comment. You’ll have to explain it to me.
    Chendaddy
    Shaq can guard Dwight. If Kendrick Perkins can guard Dwight, Shaq can guard Dwight. The problems you mentioned about the wing players are true, which is why I discussed the fact that it’s quite easy to pick up a quality wing in the league.
    However, Shaq can guard Dwight. He may struggle in pick and rolls, but he has no problem putting a body on players and guarding them. Hell, Shaq can still guard Tim Duncan. Y’all are slipping on Shaq’s low post defense. He’s lazy and not a great shot blocker, but he can play one-on-one defense as well as anybody in the league.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Ferry needs to make Odom a Cav.
    Great complement to Shaq and Lebron. And a helluva player as the FOURTH option on any team.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Tarzan: Salary dump. Dummy. The Nets would give up Vince for financial reasons. Wally’s expiring now and Z is expiring next year.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Who has bothered to look at the Cavs salaries and the years remaining on the contracts? Y’all need to check that out here:
    http://hoopshype.com/salaries/cleveland.htm

  • Rachel

    Folks are saying this is an attempt to keep LeBron, but perhaps the Cavs, hearing all the statements LeBron has made, have already decided their chance of keeping him isn’t good. Maybe they’re focused more on making the most of the one LeBron year they have left. It could be Cleveland’s last chance to win a championship for a long, long time. Just like the Spurs dealt for Richard Jefferson and his big contract to make the most of the few years Tim Duncan’s knees have left, so the Cavs may figure this deal is the way to make the most of the one year in Cleveland that LeBron has left.

    I like the deal simply because it makes things more interesting, and I can’t wait to see how LeBron and Shaq will (or won’t) mesh.

  • http://slamonline.com Jacob J

    I say if Detroit dosent sign Rasheed back (which they probably wont) I would like to see him in Cleveland playing for a title.

  • http://slamonline.com Jacob J

    If they get Rasheed I would finally root for them as my 3rd favorite team behind 1.Detroit and 2.Denver.

  • http://facebook.com/jasennielsen jbn74sb

    The Lakers just won the 2010 title. Thanks Cleveland.

  • http://Egotastic.com Michael

    Classi panic move. The reason they lost to Orlando is because they were trying to guard Hedo, and Lewis with Mo Williams and Delonte West. All this does is make them an even more stagnant offensive team and kills them on defense. Orlando killed them with the pick and roll, Shaq has always been horrible defending it and don’t even think about trying to guard teams in the transition.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    That’s not a very rational statement, Bodie. I remember you arguing that Chris Mihm could be better than Shaq so I’m taking it with a grain of salt. The Cavs are worse off having Shaq in their team instead of Ben and Sasha. Really? Reaaaally?

  • http://Egotastic.com Michael

    By the way, Shaq has now played with all but one of the “next Jrodans” (The One Being Vince)

    Penny
    Kobe
    Wade
    Grant
    Lebron

    One other thing, Eboy is like Bill simmons in that he constantly speaks as if he is the smartest basketball head ever yet is wrong about everything, and never admits it.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Myles Brown

    Cleveland is not any worse off. Thats obvious. I just dont see how they got better.

  • http://slamonline.com B. Long

    ^LMFAO

  • http://slamonline.com B. Long

    I wonder how effect Mike Brown’s 4-1 offense is gonna be with Shaq taking up both the lanes that LeBron used to bull his way through?

  • http://slamonline.com B. Long

    I wonder how effective Mike Brown’s 4-1 offense is gonna be with Shaq taking up both the lanes that LeBron used to bull his way through? And I was LMFAOing at Michael’s comment.

  • http://slamonline.com B. Long

    Now my comments aren’t showing up. Dammit!

  • http://www.slamonline.com wayno

    You could take your pick of posters who fill that mantra Michael, there are plenty of them on this site. Eboy does personify that type of poster though…lol

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Myles, for real? You don’t see how Shaq playing center is better than Zydrunas? I have to convice you? Dealing for an all-star that posted 18-8 on 61% last season and doesn’t need a double team to guard someone on the block for two guys that are out of the rotation is not an upgrade? / Please people, stop acting like it’s impossible to drive to the basket with Shaq playing. Kobe did it way back when and D-Wade did it on his way to a championship 3 years ago. Get real.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Myles Brown

    They both have much better midrange games than Bron. And this isnt way back when anymore, or 2005. Shaq is getting older by the minute.

  • http://slamonline.com B. Long

    Z, those teams were also coached by people who actually had an offensive game plan. Mike Brown is pretty much an NBA defensive cordinator.

  • http://www.kb24.com The Seed

    The BIG Paul Revere is riding to another team for the fifth time and has been traded for the third time because he is so unstoppable and for another cookie, like Kobe got this year. Shaq would have fitted perfectly in the now Boston “Why trade Rondo” Massacare.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Myles Brown

    He posted 18-8 for a team that didnt make the playoffs. I just dont see how he solves any problems defensively, and offensively he will spend time adjusting to Brons style of play in the paint. I dont see him as a complementary piece to Bron. The wing player is more important at this point.

  • http://Egotastic.com Michael

    Look, i just don’t think this helps them beat Orlando. On the otther hand they may not have to beat Orlando. If Orlando meets Boston first, i don’t think they can beat Boston with a healthy Kg.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    1- What does their midrange game have to do with the ability to get in the paint with Shaq in the middle? Wade didn’t drive LESS when Shaq was there.
    2- Saying that Shaq is getting older is completely irrelevent. They’re not expecting 29 and 12 from him. 18 and 8 will do just fine, they traded for 2009 Shaq and they’re expecting 2009 Shaq. (the 3rd best center in the league not the MDE).
    3- You have to be blind to not see that he gives them the option of NOT doubling down low. Shaq can handle his man on the block by himself just fine. That has a GREAT impact on the Cavs’ interior D.
    4- They gave up nothing. nada. niet. rien du tout.
    5- As much as everybody is playing the adjusting to Bron in the paint argument, the truth is that Bron spends as much time in the paint as the other star wings. Wade shot 674 times in the paint last year. Bron? 685. What adjustment is Shaq going to have to make?

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Whoops I actually misread and confused percentage with shot attempts. Wade: 674. Bron: 629.

  • WOODY

    I hate to restate the obvious, but the Cavs are getting Shaq for one player who’s retiring and Sasha who will probably be bought out. Sasha may well end up in Cleveland again after the Suns cut their losses. The Cavs are basically getting Shaq for nothing but his big salary and that’s only for one year. Count on Ferry buying or trading for a competent PF and probably a taller guard. Next year I see Shaq and Z sharing center minutes, a three man backcourt with Mo, West and a new starter, and Lebron with a new PF as forwards. Varajo and Joe Smith can fill in as needed off the bench or one of the young bigs can get more playing time. After next year, Shaq’s 20 mill could buy a nice center, (maybe Yao). The Cavs have cash now and will have more next year. I’m sure Lebron signed off on Shaq and they’ve always been friendly. Clearly more steps than Shaq will have to be taken to assure that Lebron stays, but, to date, the Cavs seem to be willing to spend whatever it takes.

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