Boston Celtics: Is Shaquille O'Neal Retirement a Blessing in Disguise for C's
Boston Celtics fans world-wide should have some reason to celebrate, as Shaquille O'Neal is officially not a part of the Celtics front court rotation.
As of June 2nd, 2011, the great, future Hall-of-Fame center, Shaquille O'Neal, is officially retired from the NBA after 19 memorable seasons in the league.
Shaq leaves behind a legacy that most big men will never be able to even think about surpassing. His ability in the paint to perform on both ends of the floor, whether it was his regular dunks or outstanding nose for the ball on the glass, was unmatched by arguably any player to grace the league.
In his last season in the league however, it became much too difficult for O'Neal to provide sustained production on the Boston Celtics. After dealing center Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Celtics gambled on Shaq being the answer.
It goes without saying, he was anything but the answer.
In the first half of the season, Shaq was averaging efficient numbers for a player age 39. In October, Shaq averaged 8.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. As November came around, Shaq would step it up for the Celtics, putting up an improved 12.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. The increased numbers came on just 23 minutes of play per contest.
Last season took a disappointing turn for Shaquille O'Neal and the Boston Celtics, as O'Neal was injured for the better part of the second half of the season. O'Neal was also unable to contribute in the 2011 NBA Playoffs, when the Celtics team needed it most.
The injury was to his Achilles' Heel, suffered February 1st in a 95-90 win over the Sacramento Kings. After finally making a return in April, O'Neal would go down after just five minutes of play, suffering a strained calf in the process.
Watching Shaq limping up and down the court marked the beginning of the end for the great Shaquille O'Neal, as well as any chances the Celtics had to contend for an NBA championship.
For the remainder of the season, the front court rotation was taken over by Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal, Nenad Krstic and Glen "Big Baby" Davis. The problem the Celtics had was that Krstic lacked much defensive ability. O'Neal had defense to contribute but looked tired late in games and Davis clearly did not show up to play throughout the entire postseason.
Without much of a presence in the paint aside from Garnett, the Celtics could not contend with the youthful and especially talented LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. The Heat were able to finish games strong, while the Celtics looked fatigued and weak in the fourth quarters of ball games (with the exception of Game 3).
Shaquille O'Neal proved to be much too great of a liability for the Celtics for the team while they were contending for an NBA championship. If O'Neal was to come back to play another season with the Celtics, the team would have a roster spot taken up, more money to spend and in turn less room to maneuver in the free agent market.
This season, the Celtics will have anywhere from eight to ten free agent spots to decide on. Ray Allen is more than likely to return, while Delonte West, Carlos Arroyo, Glen Davis and a handful of other players still await their fate with the team.
With O'Neal gone, the Celtics can now explore the free agency market more freely, as tough, productive front-court players like Thaddeus Young from the 76ers, Wilson Chandler from the Denver Nuggets and David West from the New Orleans Hornets are all free agents this offseason.
Nineteen seasons in the NBA, four NBA championships, four-time NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP, and one legacy.
Boston Celtics fans can and will enjoy his retirement, as he allows the organization to move forward and continue getting younger and stronger as a ball club. Yet in the end, this does not take away or disrespect one of the greats to ever play the game, as O'Neal has graced the league with arguably the more impressive legacy of any big man to play the game.
