So, the second unit for Boston right now is: Shaq, Big Baby, Daniels, Wafer, and Nate; with rookies Harangody and Bradley as unknown factors. That's not a bad back up group. Nate and Wafer should be fine playing with Shaq since they can shoot over the top. Baby and Shaq in the LSU frontcourt together should be entertaining. The good thing about this signing (if it happens) is it's for the vet minimum, leaving Rasheed Wallace's contract for the Celtics to make one more move with.
Shaq has his flaws and I'm not saying he's an impact player by any means, but the guy is still a top 10 Center in the league. He doesn't hurt Boston because he fits into the style they play. They play a slower halfcourt game and need their Centers to hold (and push) people inside. Shaq fits. Although he makes them even older and slower which may not have been the best thing for them. Shaq alone isn't a game changer anymore. That said, Boston is better on paper than last year assuming their team is healthy next year in the playoffs. 1st unit: Perkins/Garnett 2nd unit: Shaq/J O'Neal C Perkins-Shaq F Garnett-O'Neal-Davis F Pierce G Allen-Wafer G Rondo-Robinson They still have Big Baby, who if Shaq pans out they may move for more guard talent. They could use a guy to fill in their long standing Posey hole.
Rasheed can help the Celtics spread the floor and create space for the teammates. Also he could pull back out and stack behind the 3 point line and shoot it if need be.
shaq can still play. if they had shaq when perkins went down, that finals series mightve gone the other way. and cmon, shaq is way better than than half the starting centers in this league even at his age. you just need to play him the right way.
Did Shaq fit in with the Cavs last year? Did they not play a style that is slower as well? I agree with A_3PO on this one - the guy, at this point in his career, is a net negative on the court. In order for him to be effective, they would have to look to him for post-up situations. Unfortunately, he is no longer effective as this type of a player, and doing so would decrease the effectiveness of other players. He'll clog up the lane for Rondo, Baby, etc. Boston's offense was be downright ugly at times last year, and it won't help with him around. And let's not talk about defense.
Shaq didn't fit in with Phx's style and Cleveland imploded because of Lebron/West/Coaching situation far more than Shaq. Shaq is not a cancer, that is something Shaq haters want many to believe. He is an egomaniac but the last few years hasn't been playing the I'm the man on this team card. He deferred to Wade in Miami, Nash in Phx and Lebron in Cle.
Everyone said that last year and they ended up surprising everyone. KG is a year off of surgery and Pierce can still put up numbers, along with Rondo. Ray Allen however, is a wild card, some days he'll contribute, somedays he won't. Also signing Shaq and Jermaine gives them size, which means more rebounds, which they throughly needed in the finals
What makes you so sure it's closed after they reached the finals again this past year? KG didnt exactly play great or even above average, so it's fair to say he can at least match his production, but he's likely to increase it or be more consistent if he's injury free. Allen is the oldest of the core group, but the guy takes ridiculous care of himself physically and his shot isn't going anywhere. He hasnt been driving and finishing for a while now and it's worked for them. Next year he'll be the same guy. Rondo and Davis are more experienced. They'll have an above average back up point that meshed well. They have more depth in the frontcourt and better shooting at the back up SG. They're actually better than last year for the most part. They're only missing Allen's D, but Wafer's O may counter it.
Nobody is saying Shaq is a "cancer". Where did you pull that one from? Last season he declined severely from his time in Phoenix. 08/09 with the Suns will be Shaq's last effective year in the NBA. It isn't even about where he fits. The guy can't move on defense and watching him try to post up is a joke because he has almost zero lateral movement to create any space, which is why he now gets called for so many clumsy-looking charging fouls. Shaq is done. "Hating" him and "cancer" have zip to do with it.
He's done? Umm he'sstill a top 10 center. Perkins is gonna be out for probably most of the season (possibly all?) who knows with an ACL - this gives Shaq the opportunity to start and you claiming JO minutes interferes with Shaq coming is irrelevant bc JO is Sheed's replacement who comes off the bench, Shaq is Perkins And look at what Shaq can do damage (look what he did to the Laker's front court) on Xmas day.. They're adding size at a small price. Low-Risk-High Reward IMO. The notion of him "being done" is asinine and you basing it off lateral movement is pretty dumb tbh.
Shaq was 18/8 guy in Phoenix. He's still a force down low, he couldn't play 40 minuses but for 20 mins playing through him, he's still effective. His problem though, he still can't defend P&R. And if you don't run the offense through him, he's a liability. Shaq still has game left, you just have to use him right.
Boston will chew up Orlando again if they meet. Boston matches up better with the Lakers too. So by that account, good move by the Celts. Not sure if Shaq helps against the Heat at all though, may even hurt them because of pick in roll and help defense vs the smaller attacking positions Miami will use, Shaq is pretty slow now. But then Boston can go with Perkins, J Oneal or even KG at center to try to get more quickness vs the Heat. If you remember when the Heat won the title Shaq was good versus some opponents, but in the finals Miami could only contain Dallas with Zo in there instead.
I'd say he just misses the cut....technically i could throw in Horford and Nene in there as well to replace biedrins, who's questionable Yao DH bogut biedrins Bynum Mgasol Haywood Kaman Lopez Okafor
You like to use big words like "hate", "cancer", "asinine" and "dumb". Very impressive vocabulary. Someone else said Shaq will be on the 2nd unit; you say he will start. Either way, he will be mediocre at best on offense (assuming they figure out how to keep him out of everyone else's way). You should watch more than just the national TV games where Shaq selectively gives more effort. He was pathetic most of the time last season, completely ruined the Cavs offense when he was on the floor and was a statue on defense. On defense, he was most effective at delivering hard fouls (because it was the only way he could stop anybody other than another large C). If you don't understand how simple lateral movement is important in the NBA, you shouldn't be throwing the word "dumb" around. goodbug, agree with you on Shaq in Phoenix but that was 2 seasons ago. What about last year? Your critiques are dead on. Desert Scar, the Cavs got Shaq so they could succeed against Orlando. Problem was they didn't get that far. If the Celts meet the Magic in the playoffs, Shaq would indeed help (as he would in the Finals against Bynum). If you want to argue getting Shaq will help in the playoffs against certain teams, OK. It depends how much gas he has in the tank after the regular season. But during the season, he's not good. I've never been a Shaq fan, nor a "hater". But it was sad last year watching him waddle around when on the floor and then watching the Cavs go on runs when he was on the bench. We'll see about next season, but it could be a case of subtraction by addition for the Celts.
