For Shaquille O'Neal and the Cleveland Cavaliers, It's Shut Up and Put Up Time

It’s a clever thing to say. At first glance, it even seems plausible. But it’s not.

The one thing the Cleveland Cavaliers don’t need on their way to an NBA title is unfounded hype. It’s called hyperbole. And it will get them nowhere.

Shaquille O’Neal has kept a relatively low profile since arriving in Cleveland. It’s a smart move. He said from the moment he stood before the media as a Cavalier that he knows it's LeBron James’s team, and that he’s here to help The King get a ring.

I believe him. Apart from all the acting and mugging and entertaining—does anyone in sports do it better than Shaq?—this is a seasoned veteran of 17 NBA seasons and four championships. He’s carried teams before, and he knows he’s not capable of it anymore.

But that doesn’t mean he’s not still capable of exaggeration. After the Cavs’ dismal two losses to open the season, the team turned it around to beat two teams they should, Minnesota and Charlotte. In those wins, Shaq and Zydrunas Ilgauskas combined to average 19.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, five blocks, and four assists. That’s solid, veteran production from the post.

When asked about the numbers, Shaq replied: “I’ve said it before—myself and him, we are the best center in the game.”

This is where we’re all supposed to go, “Hmm, he’s right. They’re go-o-o-o-od.”

Ah, that Shaq. What a charmer.

The thing is, they’re not the best center in the game.

That title goes to Dwight Howard, all by himself. And the sooner Shaq, the Cavs and their fans admit it, the sooner this team can get serious about what it will take to win a championship.

Because it will take more than two aging, plodding big men clogging up the middle. Howard is a force of nature, a blend of youthful energy and skill who can dominate a game.

What’s that you say, 19.5 points a game? How about 21.7 by the kid in Orlando? You two are grabbing a combined 10 rebounds a game? Let’s see, he’s getting...16.

And so it goes.

Make all you want about Howard wearing his Superman garb in the Slam Dunk Contest. Shaq can feign anger about that until the Kryptonites come home. But Howard is the Man in the Middle now. Get over it.

And get busy doing what it takes to make your team better. Because right now, the Cavs’ aren’t.

Let’s not forget how good they were a year ago. They won 66 games. They were 39-2 at home. LeBron James was the league MVP. They razzled. They dazzled. And they blew other team’s houses down, too.

Then they were derailed. By who? The Orlando Magic, and a kid named Howard.

Shaq was brought in to give the Cavaliers some muscle. Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon were brought in to give them some versatility and depth. And when Delonte West returned to the lineup against the Bobcats, the team showed definite signs of life. (Don’t look now, but that guy is more of a key to this team’s success than people care to admit.)

So things are headed, for the moment, in the right direction. But O’Neal and Ilgauskas are still working out the bugs. It’s an unusual combination.

Both are starters, and they bring totally different styles to the floor. And the Cavs find themselves shifting gears back and forth, depending on which 7-footer is out there.

There was a stretch against Charlotte when the Cavs had the likes of James, Ilgauskas, West, Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao on the floor, and they looked very, very good. One couldn’t help but think that it was the exact lineup that swept through the regular season and went deep into the playoffs a year ago.

Missing from that combination? Shaq. It’s early, however. When Shaq says he’ll be fine, I give him the benefit of the doubt, given his experience.

But there is doubt. Ask people in L.A. Or Miami. Or Phoenix. There’s a trail of skeptics, even downright critics, who insist that trading for O’Neal was a downgrade for the Cavs.

The hope and anticipation in Cleveland is that Shaq will prove the doubters wrong. We’ve heard that he’s in great shape, and we find ourselves asking for a new definition of shape. We’ve heard that he’s motivated to win another ring, and we find ourselves looking for someone who has upgraded his game for one more run at the title.

But so far what we’ve seen is the same old Shaq. I hesitate to emphasize old, but you get the idea.

He knows why he’s here. We know why he’s here. Only one result is acceptable. If he can deliver, his legend will be more secure than ever. But he has to deliver.

Forget the hyperbole, Shaq. You’re the consummate entertainer, and we love you for it. But right now, we aren’t interested in clever quotes. And we don’t need laughs. We’ve got the Browns and Indians for that.

What we need, sir, is a championship. The Big Enchilada, as you might call it.

You’ve taken a big risk, coming here. And I don’t mean to rain on your parade. But it’s been 45 years since Cleveland fans have been able to celebrate a title of any kind.

We don’t need you and Ilgauskas to be the best center in the game. But we do need you to show us—on the court, night in and night out—that there’s still diesel in your tank. We need to believe that you care about us and what we’ve been through in this twisted, on-the-verge-of-a-title-but-repeatedly-had-our-hearts-cut-out sports town. We need a Big Moses to take us to the Promised Land.

Do that, and the hype will take care of itself. And the city of Cleveland—not to mention the basketball world in general—will embrace you like you’ve never been embraced before.