Why the Shaq Trade Creates More Problems than It Solves

With less than 24 Hours to go before the NBA draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers have decided to finally trade for Shaquille O'Neal (albeit a couple months late). From most sportswriters' perspectives this trade was necessary for Cleveland to take the next step in their march to a Championship. I, however, view this trade from another perspective: Shaq doesn’t automatically equal a championship in Cleveland.

When Shaq had arrived in Miami, he promised a championship and he was motivated that Kobe was going to be the one staying in L.A. instead of him. O’Neal delivered and Miami celebrated.

The next year O’Neal wasn’t so motivated and he single-handedly ruined almost all of the cohesiveness that Miami team had, and subsequently fooled the Bulls into thinking Luol Deng was an almost max-money player, as the Heat lost in the first round.

As Shaq was traded to Phoenix, he started talking about a championship and how he would take Phoenix to the next level. One playoff win later, the Suns fans are still waiting. O'Neal is no longer the dominant force he was who could guarantee these championships; alas, he is just another role player filling a need now.

Last year O’Neal vowed to be in better shape to ensure that he would be able to keep up with Phoenix’s transition offense (not to mention put himself in line for an extension) and O’neal did not disappoint as his 17.8 ppg and 8.4 rpg would suggest. O’Neal was running and hustling and what a sight that was!

This trade, as flashy as it is, doesn’t start to solve Cleveland’s main problem: This does not guarantee LeBron resigning this offseason or in 2010.

LeBron is going to have the luxury of deciding where to spend his prime years, and, frankly, LeBron is going to do what is best for LeBron so while Danny Ferry can make bold and name-catching moves, it doesn’t begin to answer what will happen next year.

All of this becomes null and void if LeBron decides to resign, which is a very unlikely scenario.

O’Neal is clearly being brought in to slow down Dwight Howard as, at the moment, there is not a player who can match him one-on-one. O’Neal will be a wide body and nothing more.

Now, if Cleveland fans have in their minds that they are getting the Shaq that cares about defense, they are sadly mistaken, as O’Neal hasn’t played defense for about six years consistently.

However, one of the better things about this trade is that Cleveland is getting a motivated Shaq who is looking for one last large extension and should be giving 100 percent this year, and the subsequent cap space next year. 

Something else that the parade planners in Cleveland will have to keep in mind: LeBron has never played with someone like O’Neal before and as we’ve seen in Phoenix, and L.A. does take some adjusting to (Nash took about one year before he started to look comfortable) and while I do not doubt LeBron’s skill sets and earth-shattering talent, he will have to realize that O’Neal plays better when the offense runs through him.

Can LeBron come to this realization quickly? Cleveland fans better hope so or else it will be another championship-less season on the horizon.

I've found that teams that are expected to win the championship have not won it lately (I'm talking from the beginning of the season projections), and do you remember when the Lakers had O'Neal, Bryant, Karl Malone, and Gary Payton on their squad? They were the paper champions of the year, yet still they did not win it all.

So O'Neal can state that he'll bring a championship to Cleveland, but he will be another layer on the support the team wants to provide LeBron. He will not be the focal point; LeBron can take them period.

So, what will happen in 2010? As that hallmark date approaches, nothing has been settled yet. O’Neal’s contract expires and it will ultimately come down to the help that Danny Ferry will be able to acquire that offseason so LeBron will be able to make an informed decision on whether or not to resign.

Actually, if LeBron really wanted to win, wouldn't he just go to OKC and play with Durant for less money? Wouldn’t that be something?

Mr. O'Neal, my advice to you is not to guarantee anything in Cleveland—haven't you heard about how they have never won a major championship in any sport? The best thing you can do is compromise your game to mesh with LeBron's; if you can do that, you just may get that sixth title.