Shaquille O'Neal: Why The Diesel Will Not Bring Celtics an NBA Crown

The Celtics are a legendary and historic team. Who have had great players on their teams throughout the year. From the great Bill Russell to Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, and now Shaquille O'Neal?

O'Neal was recently inked by the Celtics to the veterans minimum of $1.4 million over one season with Boston.

Many reports and articles have said that "O'Neal is the missing piece or the player they needed in order for the Celtics to win a championship come next season and knock off the Heat, Magic, and Lakers.

But I am here to give reasons on why I think adding O'Neal to the Celtics roster is nothing more than adding a has-been body that is going to be sitting on the bench and giving the Celtics a few minutes here and there.

Just before you hate on me put aside the name "Shaquille O'Neal", and take in what he has accomplished over the past few seasons (or what he has not accomplished) depending on how you put it.

Over The Hill

Shaq is going to going to be 38-years-old heading into the 2010-11 season. I ask myself, does he really think he can still contribute at a high level for an NBA team? Well the answer is now in my opinion: I think that as Shaq has gotten older over the past few years, his productions is decreasing, and his overall value towards a team is lessening and lessening as he is getting older.

What Has O'Neal Accomplished Over the Past Few Seasons?

Shaq has bounced around from team to team over the past few seasons accomplishing nothing but shot playoff stints for his respected team. He has not been able to produce the numbers, and place as big an impact, as he has in his career prior to the mid-Miami Heat days.

No more Diesel in the Tank

This is the main factor bringing Shaq down to ground. Shaq has nothing left over teams. Yes, he may score 10 points or what not, but at what price does that cost you when you're defending players like Dwight Howard, Kendrick Perkins, and Amar'e Stoudemire on a nightly basis? He is getting heavier and heavier as the seasons go by, (and it sure as hell is not muscle he is gaining). He can barely run up and down the floor without sweating up a storm, and when he is able to get down the floor you are always seeing him as the last man trailing behind of everyone coming down into the offensive sets.

Shaq is still one of the leagues worst free throw shooters, a stat he has had his whole career, and it will not improve. Especially with the Greg Popovich implemented "Hack A Shaq", Shaq could be at the line more times than wanted for him.

Lastly, how many minutes do you honestly think Shaq will be able to handle, being a year older? He played only 23 minutes last season with the Cavaliers.

What Can Shaq Bring in a Very Limited Role?

The last main point is, how valuable can Shaq be if he is playing less than 20 minutes a game? We all know that Shaq is at his best getting the ball dumped into him and everyone watching him go to work. But he is getting older and his body is not able to blow by defenders like his days in Orlando and Los Angeles. As well with Rondo improving drastically, and his style of getting in front of everyone on the fast break, is not Shaq's forte, to say the least.

As I close this article, by last point is just a shout out to Shaq, that instead of tarnishing his image my jumping from team to team in order to get one more chance at a ring. 

He should just hang up the shoes, call it quits, be happy with his four NBA rings, and relax with his multi, multi-millions.