ummmm... this is pretty pathetic, but since there's something in here regarding a rockets trade... i thought that i'd post it. sorry if someone else already has. as whitney said, crack is whack... which is apparently is the choice for bay area. would anybody do this trade? just say no. hahahahaha! and the article... Trade Shaquille O'Neal? Insanity! Yet you will hear serious whispers about this maybe in a few months, probably by the middle of next season, certainly by this time next year, when the Los Angeles Lakers tumble out of the postseason again. Dump the NBA's most dominant big man? Heresy! But Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was traded when he was 28. Wilt Chamberlain was traded twice, when he was 28 and 31. Middle-career goliaths need new lands to conquer, and the league is revitalized when it happens. O'Neal, who left Orlando as a free agent for L.A. when he was 24 and is 31 now, should have six or seven years left of dominance. But he has gotten sluggish after three championships in L.A., his career expectancy lapsing from Epic to Possibly Abbreviated By Boredom. The whole Shaq-Kobe Lakers dynamic has grown stale (hello, Game 6 embarrassment against San Antonio), and the Lakers will figure that out soon enough. Clearly, Bryant, who turns 25 this summer, is a franchise player increasingly restless in O'Neal's shadow. Plus, the NBA could benefit from splitting up two superstars who no longer need each other -- in fact, who probably will hinder each other's efforts -- to vie for championships. So Shaq must be traded to save the league from countless future Junes in San Antonio, New Jersey and, gasp, Cleveland. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, and right now, Shaq outweighs them all. You couldn't possibly put together a deal that would make the Lakers as good or better without Shaq than they are with him! The teams that traded Wilt and Kareem didn't! Oh, but I can and have. The key to this is Bryant, the kind of transcendent superstar that was not present on the post-Wilt Warriors and 76ers and post-Kareem Milwaukee Bucks. Hey, it's not like the Lakers would be trading away their best player. When O'Neal was hurt this season, Bryant proved he can lead the Lakers. He has an opt-out clause after 2003-04. He will be more likely to flourish -- and to remain a Laker -- if they surround him with exciting talent, instead of the current flotsam and jetsam collection created by the salary-cap-clogging O'Neal contract. The only way to rejuvenate the Lakers' roster is to exchange O'Neal's $26 million salary for more Kobe-friendly athletes, and I have just the financially feasible deals: Shaq to the Chicago Bulls for Eddy Curry, Jay Williams, Jalen Rose, Eddie Robinson and the Bulls' No. 1 pick. Summary: It's an altered version of the deal Chicago might offer the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Garnett. Lakers view: Go from slow and thin to deep and rambunctious. But unless Curry becomes a very good center very soon, they could also be far away from title contention. An exciting risk. Bulls view: A slam dunk. Lineup would feature O'Neal, Tyson Chandler and Jamal Crawford. Shaq to Minnesota for Garnett. Summary: Perfect salary-cap swap. Lakers view: Garnett and Bryant, together? Are you kidding? Timberwolves view: Garnett can opt out next season; though O'Neal might hate the cold, anything that lands a megastar for the long term is beneficial. Shaq to the Detroit Pistons for Ben Wallace, the No. 2 overall pick, and many extras to fill out O'Neal's salary-cap slot. Summary: Only the draft availability of 7-foot-1 Darko Milicic makes this possible. Lakers view: Bryant might average 40 points with Wallace rebounding and defending and Milicic blooming as Arvydas Sabonis lite. Pistons view: O'Neal, Larry Brown, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Chauncey Billups . . . How fast can executive Joe Dumars say: Yes, yes! Shaq to the Houston Rockets for Yao Ming, Cuttino Mobley, Eddie Griffin, Maurice Taylor and extras. Summary: O'Neal loves the town. Lakers view: The best deal for them. Bryant-Yao combo could be dominant immediately. Rockets view: Probably wouldn't do it, but Shaq-Steve Francis duo is worth a thought. Shaq to the Indiana Pacers for Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, Austin Croshere and extras. Summary: Free agent Jermaine O'Neal would have to agree to a sign-and-trade deal. Lakers view: Similar to the Bulls package, only with more experienced players. Pacers view: Shaq, Al Harrington, Jonathan Bender, Reggie Miller . . . That's better than what they've got, since they're probably losing Jermaine O'Neal, anyway. And just for fun . . . Shaq to the Warriors for Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Mike Dunleavy, Adonal Foyle and extras. Summary: Arenas would have to agree to a sign-and-trade, and he definitely would. Lakers view: Bryant and Arenas? More tantalizing than practical; they're left with a small team that wouldn't win the West -- or beat the Warriors. Warriors view: O'Neal, Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy, Erick Dampier, Jiri Welsch, Earl Boykins (if he's re-signed), possibly Luke Ridnour as a draft choice . . . Insanity. Foolishness. And by June 2004, one of these deals (except the last one) might be a lot closer to reality than you could have dreamed.
lol...this writer...hmm. Well you're right. That's an awful trade. I wouldn't give up that much for Shaq...plus extras too! I know! lol..
I think it's funny how the guy basically says, "Well the Rockets wouldn't ever want to do this, but wouldn't it be great to get Yao in a Laker jersey?" Nice dreamcasting. And you actually got PAID for that article??? Heck, we pull that crap here on a daily basis!
The writer was right when he said Bryant could lead this team, but without O'Neal, they were behind the Rockets. As good as Bryant and McGrady are, they can't control the entire game like a Shaq or even a Duncan. Jordan was Jordan, but he had his problems against the Hakeem led Rockets and the Robinson led Spurs even in his hey-day and thats not by accident. This is and always be a big mans game, but because there is a blip in the screen when a not so dominant big man(like jordan) wins a title. What Jordan did was the exception to the rule.
Shaq for... Steve Francis Glen Rice Maurice Taylor and Moochie Norris Shaq for Steve and they take all our bad contracts and it would allow us to trade Cato for a PG and worst case we could trade Shaq for ? not gonna happen but I would think about it Shaq and Yao as the Twin towers would be something to watch.
This "Kobe can't carry a tea mon his own" or "T-Mac can't carry a team on his own" argument is horrible. Shaq makes 30M and Grant Hill makes the max, and was a top 3 player in the league when he signed that deal. You can't expect Kobe or T-Mac to carry their teams when the next best player is injured. When you replace Shaq with Samaki Walker, and expect to win, that's something else. When you replace Grant Hill with Pat Garrity and also expect to win, that's even more amazing.
I WOULD NOT trade Shaq for Yao straight up. I know I may seem insane, but Yao has so much potential and marketability. Shaq is in the tail end of his career.
Thats not insane its smart. Why trade a guy with unlimited potential to a guy who may have reached his peak and left it already
You are insane. Take Yao off the is Rocket team and put Shaq on it and we would win the champioship for the next five years. Yao has a long way to go before he gets even near Shaq's level and although there is a lot of optimism, he hasn't shown that he has the fire, strength, or aggressiveness to achieve it. This reminds me of the talk about trading Ralph early in his career. People said why would I trade a 7'4 guy with skills and unlimited potential for a guard? Well, we all know we should have traded Ralph for Jordan. And Ralph had a better rookie year than Yao. I just think we will look back in five or six years and say if we could have gotten a dominant player for Yao we should have done it.
only a stupid person would trade yoa for shaq, phil jackson was calling shaq out for a reason after they got smoked in the play-offs.
I'm thinking there might be a chance that O'neal does not resign with Lakers and might in fact go down to Orlando where his true home is. It's a possiblity, plus Shaq likes T-mac oppose to Kobe.
Not only has he reached his peak already, every year he seems less interested in staying in playing shape. He reports to camp a bit on the puffy side, and my guess is he doesn't work out much during the year except for playing the actual games. And there's the mental aspect as well -- Shaq often seems unmotivated, unless he has something to prove in a specific game. All of this doesn't bode well for any team that makes that trade.
