Was anyone else chuckling yesterday when they read the comments by Steve Nash about Shaquille O'Neal fitting in so well with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers this season?Isn't that what the Chicago Bulls said a couple years ago about over-the-hill Ben Wallace when they duped the Cavs into taking his bloated contract, thinking his arrival would appease King James? Then the Cavs paid Wallace a lot of money for a year-and-a-half to do very little.
Nash was being nice and polite earlier this week, but he also was the same guy a month ago who told his general manager that he would not sign an extension with the Suns if O'Neal was still on the roster. Nash thought playing with Shaq was like dragging an anchor.
Reminds me of that old polka tune, can't remember the band, but the lyrics still ring in my ears: "I don't want her, you can have her, she's too fat for me.''
O'Neal, 37, actually is in pretty good shape, but he won't be basketball ready when the season starts, which will lead to nagging injuries. He's too busy with the WWE, which we loved watching, and his reality TV series, cross-training to compete with Michael Phelps and Serena Williams.
He will go down in history as one of the NBA's all-time greatest players and one of its most colorful ambassadors. It's tough not to like him, and what he has done for the game, but he won't be winning his fifth NBA title in Cleveland.
He's too slow and too far past his prime to do much other than slow down the James Gang while he lumbers up court.
"Nash: Shaq will fit great with LeBron, Cavs,'' blared the headline on ESPN's web site.
The truth is, Shaq will deflect much of the media and fan attention away from LeBron, letting him breath a little for once, but he won't help the Cavs get past the Magic or the Celtics this season. He will make the Cavs more popular than ever, topping the defending champion Lakers for national TV appearances. He will make us all clamor to watch, yet he isn't the answer for LeBron.
He loses interest quickly when the ball doesn't touch his hands in the post. In his two seasons in Phoenix, playing with the best point guard in basketball, Shaq didn't win a playoff series. The Suns failed to make the playoffs this spring.
What the Cavs really needed was a more mobile center to chase down offensive rebounds when LeBron misses, and Shaq does not chase offensive rebounds. He never did that in his prime, and he certainly can't do it now.
Magic center Dwight Howard is far too young and athletic for Shaq. And it's almost sad to see the matchup, because you want to see the old guy do well. Unfortunately, Shaq's muscle won't work when Howard runs rings around him. And Shaq certainly can't chase Boston's new center, Rasheed Wallace, at the 3-point line.
Sorry Cleveland, but don't let Nash's comments fool you into thinking this will work. He was just being nice.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Cleveland had the best record in the league last year. They dump Ben Wallace add Shaq, they will be dangerous and better. Shaq and Nash did'nt fit, but he makes Cleveland better and maybe the favorite to repeat in the East. I would never underestimate what a motivated Shaquille O'Neal can do, including manhandle Dwight Howard which is why Shaq was brought in.
^^^^^What exactly would they (The Cavs) be repeating?
I think Tim nails this article. I wanna see Shaq run with the Magics offense. Shaq cant go more than 18 minutes a game and keep up with the agility of East's centers. After the Magics off-season pickups as well as Toronto's, Detroit's and Bostons off-season pickups. I put 3 of those 4 teams ahead of Cleavland (at least).
Cavs will repeat the early exit from the playoffs. But it will be fun to see Lebron and Shaq perform their antics...although for me coverage of half court shots during practice and chalk tossing are getting pretty old.
Shaq was not the problem with the Suns. The blame lies with bad trades by Stever Kerr and the injury to Amare. Even when Shaq was winning titles with the Lakers & one with the Heat he wasn't beating anyone down the court. His job will be to rebound & kick the ball out to LeBron or the guards.So the thought of him being slow is not a huge concern. He is still a force inside when he touches the ball,plus he's a willing and excellent passer in the post. If he needs help guarding Dwight Howard down low they will double him with Anderson Varegio or LeBron. Plus Howard is not a good passer.
Right-don't underestimate Shaq. Even at this age he pretty much plays Dwight Howard even if you look at their stats when they match up. Cleveland will be dangerous as hell.
The real point is that Shaq no longer will have the best traing staff in the NBA to work miracles on his body.
The real point is that shaq won't have the leagues worst perimeter defender on his team getting beat every play... Povtak its time for you and every other reporter in denial to get off Nash's jock. Nash was never the best point guard in the game, arguably the best offensive point guard and I reiterate arguably. Nash is a system player who had moderate to good seasons in dallas, heck Van Exel was giving him pressure in limited minutes in dallas and as soon as he left Dallas went to the eastern conference finals and the following year set the franchise's regular season record.
The Suns failure to make the playoffs was not Shaq fault. It was the Suns inept ability to play team defense. Shaq played great in Porter's half-court game and played great in Gentry's street ball system. The team actually played its best ball when Nash and stoudemire was out. Shaq missed only 8 games last year and none of the games were due to injury. On the other hand Paul,D Will, Rondo,Rose, and any other point guard you can think of killed Nash. Tony Parker even express his love for plying the suns, becuase him along with Ginobli bust the Suns(his exact words).
And Povtak before you and any other bias reporter on Nash's jock report an article please take the homer glasses off. Any fool can see this nnot Shaq diesel of old but any fool can see Nash's stubbornness along to play d along with many players in Phoenix starting 5 was the reason they did not make the playoffs.Its funny how you fail to mention Kidd's 20 assist in dallas clinching game against the suns,all on Steve Nash. Shaq is better than 99% of the centers in the league. And theonly two you can arguewho are better are Howard and Yao and neither one had dominated or outplayed Shaq last year.
This was a "I hate Shaq and Cleveland article." He used a Nash quote as his excuse. The writer shows no basketball knowledge.
1) Steve Nash is clearly not the best point guard.
2) In the Ben Wallace trade cleveland wasn't duped they were unloading Larry Hughes' big contract. It was an exchange of bad contracts.
3) Shaq averaged 18 and 9 and almost two blocks a game and was on the All-Star team. Ben Wallace avgeraged 3 points and 6 rebounds a game. That's called an upgrade.
Either the writer has something against Cleveland or just isn't that smart.
i wish everybody who's puttin shaq down would jus get a life.....yall talkin all that nonsense knowing that yall can't handle shaq in the post jus like dwight howard cant eitha....yall cant beat shaq one on one...cant nobody guard or stop lebron james one on one and cant nobody guard or stop shaq one on one....so wen u put them together......DUH....they now have all the missing pieces....jamario moon is a scottie pippen type player...it took jordan 6 years to get a ring and he got it on his 7th year....6 years has passed for lebron and trust me, he will get it this year bcuz its his seventh year.....lebron is a jordanist......how ironic....theres not 1 team u can compare with the cavs right now bsides the celtics....cavs will win the championship this year...and for those who've seen shaq on wwe or where eva latley, know that shaq looks great and he's in shape...we will all know his condition afta the 1st game of his performance with the cavs
This article sucks, just like the author!!
What the hell does he know?? You can't judge Shaq's basketball shape based on his being busy w/the WWE, and his reality TV show. He looked a hell of a lot more b-ball ready than the Big Show did!!
Nonethelss, who cares? The "James Gang" will kick ass in the East w/or w/o Shaq this year. It's not about Shaq bubba!! Wake your sorry ass up, and smell the coffee....LBJ is the man!! Best record in the NBA again 09-10, ECC & NBAC. Mark it down, the rest of you punks stfu. You haven't got a clue, and you're just blowing off your stacks.