Red Diesel: Could Shaquille O'Neal Be a Chicago Bull?
One thing is certain about future Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal: he won't be a Cleveland Cavalier next season. The question then becomes what team he will play for next season, since we know he won't retire.
The Celtics, Hawks, Heat, and several other teams have been thrown about as possible destinations. However, there is one that has not been brought up that I think could be a decent fit: the Chicago Bulls.
There are three criteria that seem to fit into Shaq becoming part of a team, for better or worse.
First, the young, short leader; whether Shaq is the star or the sidekick does not matter. On the Magic, he had Penny Hardaway; the Lakers, Kobe; the Heat, D-Wade; the Suns, Steve Nash; and the Cavs, LeBron; though the last one doesn't fit in as well. Chicago has Derrick Rose, so this fits.
Second, he needs to play with a more offensive-based big men so he can focus on being a big body. On the Heat, he was working alongside Alonzo Mourning, the Suns had Amare Stoudamire, and the Cavs had Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The Bulls have Joakim Noah, who is coming into his own as a reliable player.
Third, they have to be a one or two pieces away from a title, preferably that piece being Shaq. It worked in Los Angeles, in Miami, and I'm sure he'd want to end his career with a 50 percent success rate at least. With the addition of Carlos Boozer and Ronnie Brewer, the addition of Shaq can propel the Bulls into the top tier of teams.
Sure, the Celtics and Magic are still great teams, not to mention the Heat, but with Shaq, the Bulls can compete with any of those three. Plus, beating the Heat and Lakers to get to that title? If he was able to make it happen, it would make for an amazing story.
There is the risk of the game being slowed down for the Bulls, but with Ben Gordon leaving last season, they were already a bit slower and more powerful to begin with. Still, Shaq is that one piece they could use.
The Bulls have the play-maker (Rose), the double-double big man (Boozer), the perimeter shooter (Korver), the offensive small forward (Deng), and the other role players. The lock-down defender in the middle is the missing piece, a piece which nearly all title winners have. Noah is not yet that center, but Shaq certainly is.
Plus, Shaq would look good in a Bulls uniform.
This would depend, of course, on the re-signing of Brad Miller, but I don't know if I can see that happening. With the type of team they're creating this season, Miller doesn't seem to fit in it.
Shaq may be old, but Shaq on the court for the Bulls 20 minutes a game could definitely be the difference maker for the Bulls as they make their playoff run this year.
