Shaq freakin' O'Neal!

because he's put up two thirty point games in the 16 games he's been back? it's a credit to his talent that he's still able to be this good at his age but yao ming is head and shoulders the superior player at this point.

 

Can spin this to a be a 'shrewd' move, too. Letting go shooting & passing machine Nash (who still hasnt gone to the finals), and bringing in Dampier and Jason Terry who were key players on a team that did go to the finals. With Dallas having better teams than Nash's.

This example supports #1. If end results for the team is what matters then letting go of Nash wasn't that bad a move, since Dallas at least has reached the finals.

This gets the big IF. Unfortunately no one has the foresight to know how events will play out. Hypothetical scenario of Miami even getting there again, then winning. And Dallas getting there again. IF that were to happen, yeah that's a move that should have been made. But then Shaq winning back to back titles would have every team feeling the regret, not just Dallas.

In the right-now (and then), Dirk's a helluva player. So in the right-now not knowing what Shaq's donna do, would you deal Yao for Shaq? Garnett, Dwight Howard, Lebron? On the bet that Shaq brings you 2 championships? Shaq did at least have a track record of greatness to want to take a chance on, unlike Nash. I'm basically saying I wouldnt put those decisions as historically awful.

 

(double post)

 

Look anyone that thinks Cuban doesn't make the personnel moves is kidding themselves.


Of course he makes the moves and has a designated Gm for league rules.


It should me so obvious to everyone and almost unreal some people didn't realize this.

 

do u want a cookie or something?

 

Didn't think I'd hear that from the same person who wrote this, which is one of my favorite posts by the way.

Some takes that are right on from that one:

The Shaq Effect is not simply players having the advantage of Shaq's presence on the court due to the intense pressure he creates on the opposing defense. The Shaq Effect is psychological.

The Shaq Effect is knowing that even when the Diesel isn't in the lineup, he's going to back soon, and still playing your game as if he was on the court sucking in the entire defense.

Obviously when he's out there, if you're a talented guard, the court becomes an ocean and you're free to roam around. That advantage is naturally obvious. But we overlook the pyschological aspect. I've never played in the NBA, but I'd venture to say that the game is atleast 50% mental. It's no doubt a strain when you're T-Mac and you have to carry the Orlando Magic by yourself for an entire season. You get mentally fatigued. But if you know that big guy is going to be back in a week or so, you play as if he's still out there and it doesn't weigh you down.

I think the fatigue point is important. Playing all year with a Shaq tends to leave one fresh at the end of a season.

 

Believe it or not, I had that very post of mine in the back of my head when I responded in this thread.

There's no Shaq Effect. I was wrong. Atleast there wasn't last year. If you read some of my other posts from last year, I was also a big Dwayne Wade hater, thought the Mavericks would sweep the title, and thought Shaq was the reason the Heat had even gotten so far.

My analysis was all disproved in the Finals by possibly one of the greatest individual performances in Finals history by Wade. To now say that it was Shaq who was the reason the Heat won couldn't be further from the truth. He was a mere observer in that series.

 

In which Shaq was a small part of.

 

Dirk for shaq? You got to be kidding me. Shaq doesn't even play half the games and if the heat were in the west they would not make the playoffs. At this point in their careers Dirk is better than shaq.

 

Shaq will slow down in the playoffs when refs start calling the games closer (ie his offensive foul, traveling moves). He's still lost his explosiveness which has limited his ability to finish around the basket if he's off balance.

The Heat roster has always been designed around an inside out game so losing Wade doesn't change that.

 

Well, I disagree. I think the opposing team still respects him a ton, which helps his guys out a bunch. I think the mental effect on his own team is similar to Clemens on the Astros the past few years. Bottom line, he still makes it hard to fairly evaluate other players that play alongside him.

 

I scanned the two pages of this thread and found no one except Rockets Dynasty mentioned the name of Pat Riley.

 

Since when do observers get double teamed by 2 seven footers. Ill take Wades word over yours, he said if they are going to keep playing you (Shaq) like this, Im going to keep taking over.

Shaq is the only player aside from Duncan who can leave a huge impact on the game without ever scoring a single point.

 

Don't forget the reigning MVP.

 

Miami would be the most satisfying team to play in the finals. Yao could Dream Shaq and T-Mac can get back some bleepinbleepin respect.