I don't know about the validity of this rumor, but if the management team for Orlando decides not to pursue Shaq based on a grudge their fans have held for something that happened ten years ago, then they should reveal their identity as winners of FOXs new reality show, "NBA General Manager Island" I just don't see LA making this trade. There just aren't any sure-fire #1 picks that can make the impact, or even half the impact of Shaq
...looks like McGrady is out of the picture now. We need to focus on our weakness which is the 4-spot. There are so many variables, it's hard to see where we're going with personnel moves. Hopefully, Brand or another stud PF is in our future.
I can see that trade going down very easily. In fact, I posted such a couple weeks back on the NBA board. It makes sense to dump Shaq instead of Kobe because Shaq is obviously in decline. He will be even less effective next year than he was this year. And 3 years is probably about all he has left, or the most he has left to be dominant before the refs start blowing him out of ballgames for hacking and bumping. It's all over. We are moving into the Yao era. The refs will start having to tighten up their calls to usher in the new era of more finesse Yao style basketball and Shaq will be out of style. However, for LA to contend with Kobe, Karl, and Gary if he comes back, the ywill still need some big time post play. They have to have somebody else targeted for the 5 slot. Dampier???????? Maybe they move the #1 for Dampier or sign Damp as a FA. There has to be something else to the deal. If it indeed happens, I think the Rockets definitely benefit by Shaq moving East and Yao being even more dominant in the West. And we still have plenty of options with the TE, the MLE, and moving parts. Hey, maybe LA moves the #1 and Grant Hill to Houston for Francis and Cato??????????? LOL
thanks for the scoop almu. but in all honesty...even WITH shaq, i doubt they'll win a championship. i mean...it took an addition of payton AND malone just to get pass the Spurs this year. Shaq Howard ? McGrady Lue I mean that team will probly tear up the East but they still got the West to worry about...
That's going to be fun to watch: Shaq getting shipped back to Orlando. What a slap in the face. You'd know that Shaq would have a bone to pick if LA did that. Shaq would spend the rest of his career spoiling any Laker success; vendetta.
If you take Lakers' position, you will realized this trade is worth considering. Most certainly they are not going to give Shaq an extension at the price he wants, and then after next year Shaq will become a FA. Shaq will demand more money than Lakers want to give and chance is Shaq will get more money from some other team. In that case, Lakers will have a lot of cap space but lose Shaq for nothing. If they can use the Shaq to get the #1 pick and Hill. They at least get something back for Shaq. And they can buy out Hill for cap release if Hill still cannot play. Or they can start shopping Shaq this offseason. I heard Cuban expressed some interest. But Dallas's contracts are mostly bad ones and Lakers will prefer to ship Shaq out of West.
If Shaq is traded to Orldando. Sooner or later he'd take a pay cut to come to Houston to play along side of Yao. Why? To get back at LA. Hey, it could happen. He respects and likes Yao.
Shaq only goes to Orlando if Shaq wants to go to Orlando. He'd bust tail against the Lakers but he wouldn't go to ORlando unless he wanted to go. I can see him doing it. I can also see him trying to drag Payton or Malone with him. Now wouldn't that be funny?
The No.1 priority of the Rox is to keep Yao happy so he won't want to opt out and go to LA. That is to have a good team.
Tale of the numbers.... Shaq @ $29.5m - Hill @ $14.5m - draft pick @ $0m = $15m. $15m * .85 = $12.8m Howard + Gooden + DeClerq + Lue = $13m ORL roster after trade: Shaq McGrady Stevenson (QO FA @ $2.5m) Reece Gaines Pachulia Bogans The Magic could lose a player in the expansion draft. Stephen Hunter and Pat Garrity are reasonably priced RFA's who may not be back. (One of which could be SnT's and subbed for DeClerq in the trade as long as their raise didn't make them BYC). Just my $0.02 but I don't see why it works for either team. Okafor, Howard, Gooden, DeClerq, Lue & Hill for Shaq guts ORL and leaves the Lakers with 3 PF's, a questionable Hill, 3 PG's if Payton stays all the while trying to re-sign Kobe. It probably started with Shaq running his mouth and being clueless about the monetary aspects.
The rumor implies Shaq wanting it to occur. If true, if Shaq moves, then a) his new team is a favorite to win it all and b)his old team will have real damage control with which to deal. The rumor implies Paxson, King, Walker, Nash (Patterson) as the source. I believe the rumor could have validity but I don't believe the terms are quite that 'Magic friendly'/'Laker unfriendly'.
http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/sportstoryS0528MAGIC.htm BY JOHN DENTON FLORIDA TODAY Rox not named! SECAUCUS, N.J. -- Success of any kind hasn't come too often for the Orlando Magic of late, so like many fans, star guard Tracy McGrady was delighted to see the franchise win Wednesday's NBA Draft Lottery. But McGrady is also a realist and often brutally honest. On Thursday, he tempered the euphoria of the Magic securing the top overall pick by predicting that Orlando likely won't get a significant boost next season from either Emeka Okafor or Dwight Howard. Okafor, the shot-swatting power forward from the University of Connecticut, and Howard, the Atlanta teen star, are the players considered by most to be locks for the top two picks in the June 24th NBA Draft. Having already endured a dreadful 21-61 season, McGrady told FLORIDA TODAY that he has no desire to go through a long-term rebuilding process or witness the growing pains of a kid making the leap from the preps to the pros. McGrady can opt out of his contract following next season, and says that he will have an answer as to his future in Orlando for the Magic brass by July. He said he's "90 percent sure what he's going to do," adding that there are two teams -- the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs -- that he would like to play for if he decides to leave Orlando. He stressed that the deciding factor will be the Magic's ability to significantly upgrade the roster this summer via trades, free agency and the draft. "The dilemma for the franchise is, 'Do you want to try and win now or wait two or three years for a guy to develop?' " McGrady said from his home in suburban Orlando. "I'm just saying, I'm not trying to wait that long to win. I was in that situation last year and I just can't see going another couple of years losing and waiting on players to develop. I just don't think I can do that. "I just think that it would be best to go get a guy ready to fill a role and contribute right away." In addition to having to decide between taking
I believe Almu heard this, but I don't believe the rumor. The Lakers would be so damn stupid to make that trade. First of all, wouldn't they have to give up 30M to get Shaq? Where exactly do they get that? Grant Hill is almost 15M. They'd have to throw in Juwan Howard, Andrew Decelrq, Pat Garritty, and STILL 5M more to make this deal happen. Needless to say, they don't have enough players to make this deal happen and have 3 other respecteable starters. By this I mean they would need to sign 3 more players with the minimum and the MLE, while also needing to add bench players. Why wouldn't the Lakers put Kobe in position to win immediately by trading Shaq somewhere else? Maybe for people that Kobe LIKES so that he doesn't opt out? Payton and Malone will be gone too, so they basically need starters everywhere but SG and SF if Shaq leaves. Portland would be the best deal, being able to offer AbdurRahim, Stoudamire, and Dale Davis. That's 30M right there, the team is respecteable enough for Kobe to be able to win, and it really doesn't matter what Shaq thinks (unless he has a no-trade clause). All of those Portland contracts are short-term btw. I trust Almu, but this rumor is irrational. Shaq has no say in where he goes. If T-Mac wants to join him in LA, that's another thing, but he'll have to sign for cheap, because Kobe is better than T-Mac, and everyone but Shaq in the Lakers organization believes that.
Shaq has no say in where he goes I have no problem with your post, I just believe in today's sports world the Shaq's do have a say in where they go. Even Terrell Owens orchestrated his deal -- after being swapped elsewhere. The superstars make, and remake, the 'rules'. Shaq is a 500 pound gorilla. Maybe a 1,000!