Chat Today
A reminder to all of you who wait eagerly from week to week for my next chat: I'll be going at 1 p.m. today (Thursday). I'll be happy to talk about tonight's NBA draft, the U.S. soccer team, Terrell Owens, the NHL draft, and of course, John Smoltz's long-awaited debut with the Red Sox tonight.
Big news of the day, at least in towns that care about the NBA, is the Cavs trading for Shaquille O'Neal. Hard to criticize the move, though Shaq is 37 and past his prime. He will give them a legitimate inside presence and a big body to lean on Dwight Howard in playoff series.
My question is, why didn't they do it earlier? Yes, Cleveland won 66 games. But they clearly lacked the inside presence required to make a serious playoff run. When I saw Lamar Odom dominate them in the paint at mid-season -- in the Cavs' first home loss of the year -- I said they weren't winning the title, or coming close, if they didn't trade for in inside defensive force. They didn't.
Now Shaq is a year older and I really doubt that he'll be good enough to push them over the top. The move smacks of desperation. The Cavs were a big disappointment in the playoffs and need to get back to the Finals with LeBron James soon. There's no guarantees he'll re-sign with the Cavs after next season.
The Suns thought Shaq would be the answer and they got worse with him. He wasn't much of a force in the playoffs with Phoenix in 2008. He'll be 38 when the next playoffs begin. He put up decent numbers last year, and he has held his own against Howard in recent years, but I'm not sure this puts the Cavs over the top. They need a younger solution to their inside problems.
Didnt think the draft would be as good as it was. CHeck out the blog http://askthecollegekid.blogspot.com/2009/06/nba-draft-and-incredible-trades.html
Posted by: AMANSLIFE | June 26, 2009 at 02:14 PM