I was going to make a general look back at the successes (66 wins) and the failure (loss to Orlando in the conference finals) of the Cleveland Cavaliers and offer a few thoughts,but those will have to wait for a bit as the Cavaliers and GM Danny Ferry have made a move that had it been made at the trading deadline as rumored could have gotten Cleveland by not only Orlando but perhaps even Los Angeles in the finals.
Shaquille O'Neal is reportedly coming to Cleveland and the cost is next to nothing.
The Phoenix Suns are looking to unload the substantial salary of O'Neal after a non-playoff season and the Cavaliers are looking for the down low presence that O'Neal provides.
Cleveland is shipping Ben Wallace,whos value is due to the fact that his contract expires at the end of next season and could have even more financial savings to the Suns if he retires now,as he has hinted and Sasha Pavlovic along with a second rounder in tonight's draft and a cash payment of 500,000.
O'Neal will have a salary of (gulp) 20 million for the season,but the deal expires at the end of the season so Cleveland will then have a large sum of dough to play with in looking for a long term running mate for LeBron James,
As long as O'Neal is able to stay healthy and that is a huge IF,I see no downside to this.
It isn't like Ben Wallace was going to do any better.
The risk is small and the upside is huge.
Summing it up,Cleveland has just picked up the best center of his generation that despite his age (37) played 75 games and averaged a nick under 18 points a night and 8 and a half boards a night in exchange for a rebounder that might retire,a guy that has averaged 6 points a game,a second round pick and cash.
Take it and run!
O'Neal is not the player he once was clearly,but he is still a paint presence with the ball and on defense as well and will likely be used as the Cleveland answer to Orlando's Dwight Howard,who basically did as he wished against the woefully inadequate Cavalier frontcourt in the playoff loss.
What this also does is move Zydrunas Ilgauskas off the bench,where his finesse' game will be more of an asset against the opponents second team and gives the Cavaliers some leverage against free agent forward Anderson Varejao.
I think the man with the wild hair could really come into his own with O'Neal in the middle,but this is the second time that Varejao has been a free agent and the word is that he wants a massive raise and if indeed that is the case,perhaps the money could be better spent.
I wouldn't be against Joe Smith returning if he was cost-efficient as I can see Smith well with O'Neal's game and Smith is the wily veteran that still has value working with last year top pick JJ Hickson.
It also makes Mo Williams what he should be on a good team-the third option on offense.
Williams is the kind of player that puts up huge numbers on bad teams,but is not the type of player that takes the pressure of LeBron James in crunch time against top teams.
Now with Williams being the third player in the offense,he could truly flourish instead of disappoint as he was out of his realm against Orlando.
Cleveland still needs shooters as was made evident in the playoffs when Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson were unable to give the expected offensive jolt when they came off the bench.
I have always liked Wally,but his game is shot and Gibson is a streak shooter that cannot be your top option off the pine.
The Cavaliers also need a mid sized defender type that can guard shooting guards and small forwards.
One rumored player is Matt Barnes,who the Suns are allowing to explore free agency in their battle to cut costs.
Cleveland is also rumored to have interest in using cash to move up in the first round if an enticing player is available.
In the NBA,teams can purchase draft picks,a practice which is frowned upon in the other three sports leagues.
The draft is said to be weak,but strong in point guards and the Cavaliers could use a young player to groom at that position.
The playoffs were quite disappointing for Cavalier fans and most expected Danny Ferry to make some moves aimed at not only winning the long sought championship,but to prove to LeBron James that the Cavaliers are committed to winning,which would go a long way towards keeping James in wine and gold for sometime to come.
Shaquille O'Neal was a huge first move now lets see what act two brings to Cleveland.
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