Thoughts from Egypt: Should Shaq Come Off the Bench?

When Shaq joined the Cavs, he announced that his motto is “Win a Ring for the King.” Now, as we are in the fourth week of the season, is it too early to analyze if this is going to work? I’m not saying that I, or anyone else, knows if the Cavs are going to win the championship this year, I’m just thinking out loud about whether Shaq is the missing link that will assist LeBron in his pursuit of a title.

After 14 games, the Cavs are 10-4, three of their four losses were with Shaq in the lineup and only one with him out injured. So far this season, the Cavs have looked their best, for the longest stretches of games, when the core of last year’s team was on the floor: King James, Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Mo Williams, and Delonte West.

No doubt, the main reason behind Shaq’s trade was because of the struggles the Cavs faced in the 2009 Eastern-Conference Finals against Orlando Magic. Of course, Shaq proved his ability to counter Dwight Howard in their recent win against the Magic. However, that hasn't worked out against smaller, more athletic-offensive minded players such as...

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By Salma Mahmoud

Mahmoud covers the NBA for North Station Sports. Mahmoud is a Cavs fan (ouch) and offers a unique perspective of the Celtics rival from her home country of Egypt .