Last Stop For Shaq?
Authored by Tommy Dee - December 31, 2007 - 2:34 pm
There was a time when the thought of Shaquille O'Neal donning a Knick jersey seemed as likely as Charlie Ward and P.J. Brown exchanging Holiday greetings. But as the 2007-08 NBA season continues to play out, it is clear that the two teams desperate to shake up their rosters after ringing in the New Year both occupy the basement of the NBA's Eastern Conference.
We all know what kind of peril the Knick organization is in, a terrible record and very public off season trial can will do that to you, but the bigger surprise is just how bad things have become in Miami. When the guy who does your dirty work, Udonis Haslem, stops and yells at the coaching staff after getting pulled for picking up his fourth foul the other night complaining it was the superstar's fault, things can't be that pretty.
But, much more importantly, has been the play, or lack-there-of, of Shaquille O'Neal who may just be on his last legs. Normally, and hilariously, outspoken, the Diesel has been relatively silent thus far. You don't have to be a psychiatrist to believe that off-court problems stemming from his public divorce, as well as his declining skill, must be taking a tremendous toll on the Man of Steel.
Conversely, there are two players on a volatile Knick roster who are going through serious issues as well. Stephon Marbury has been on hiatus since the passing of his father almost a month ago, and rumors are circulating that Steph is in no rush to return to action thanks, in part, to his deteriorating relationship with Isiah Thomas. In addition, Eddy Curry, who last year established himself as the league's premiere low post presence not named Shaq, has hit rock bottom managing just 2 points in a handful of minutes against Dwight Howard's Magic on Wednesday night.
If I were Isiah, what's the harm in a phone call to Pat Riley offering Marbury, Curry and a swap of 08 first round picks, for Shaq, Mark Blount, Smush Parker and the Heats' second rounder in 2008? Riley knows how to turn a roster around quickly, and what better way than to jettison the team's heaviest contract?
We know O'Neal is a South Beach fan favorite, but at $60 million over the next three years, it's a deal that Riley should think very hard about. In Marbury, the Heat will get his $20 million plus contract off the books a year earlier, and judging from Steph's mindset he may never bother to suit up in a Heat uniform anyway, and that's not really a bad thing. In the remote chance that he does suit up, Riley gets a 15 and 8 guy, who is an immediate upgrade over Jason Williams and Chris "Dr. Medicine Man" Quinn, with the former gone by the deadline. We know Curry is a losing player, one look at his career W-L will tell you that, but teamed with Dwyane Wade, Curry would see less double teams and fit perfectly into Riley's low post offense. Defensively, of course, is another story, but with an active Haslem controlling the glass, Riley may actually get to see what he has in Earl Barron.
From a Knick standpoint, Blount would be yet another bad contract but at least he can protect the basket. Figuring O'Neal in the mix with Zach Randolph and David Lee, Blount wouldn't figure to see much action. Over the next few years, Blount could be moved to a playoff-contending team in need of depth up front.
At 35 O'Neal is still has an impact on the defensive end. He still gets two blocks per game and nearly 10 boards a night, but factoring in the presence of the underrated Lee, and Randolph, Shaq would only have to punch the clock for 20-25 minutes a night. Which may make him more effective in the long run. Not to mention the site of SOMEONE, let alone Shaq, actually swatting the ball away from the rim, may cause many of the Garden faithful to simultaneously combust.
The draft picks are what get tricky here. Isiah has already been mercilessly chastised for giving up two lottery picks for Curry, so having to give up a third just to get rid of him would be a disaster. But Knick fans now assume the worse so they'll get over it. And in actuality it's just a swap, maybe getting Riley to think that if his team wins more games they make out by embarrassing his old employer. And this deal sets Miami up for some much-needed cap space in 2008 and beyond, as it will for the Knicks, who can live with O'Neal clogging up the middle for a few more years and look forward to Fred Jones (after this year) and Malik Rose coming off the books (after 08-09), as well as hope for an opt-out from disgruntled Quentin Richardson, who would make a solid role player for a contending Western Conference team.
For this year the deal helps both teams. With Wade, the Heat still have enough talent to make a run and the Knicks would benefit greatly from interior help O'Neal provides. Still both teams are looking at an outside chance to make the playoffs and are lottery destined. When looking at the crop of '08 talent, it may make sense for either team to pick later in the lottery than sooner. These teams are veteran-heavy, not "Hawkish" in the sense that they need to build from the draft. Granted Michael Beasley is on another planet talent-wise, we haven't seen an inside-outside force like that come along in decades, but he has attitude issues and playing a year at Kansas State can't help that. There are also questions surrounding several other supremely gifted players. Another thing to consider is that thanks to the age limit, the draft will once again be very deep. There's no Oden or Durant, but there are 30 to 40 players that could make an impact. The Knicks may miss out on Derrick Rose, their point guard of the future, but they could replace him with a Chase Buddinger or Darren Collison and still have two picks in the second round where a Joey Dorsey or Rodrigue Beaubois, widely considered the next great PG from France, could be there for the taking.
Sure taking on a depleted Shaq would be a huge risk for Isiah Thomas, but what does he have to lose? Plus, at 35, it's hard to imagine that O'Neal and his championship heart won't be able to at least finish out his contract as a defensive stalwart and presence in the lane. But forget Thomas, Riley is the wild card here as his loyalty to his players, like Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning before, could cloud his judgment on a deal that would turn his fading franchise around sooner than expected.
The Big Aristotle to the Big Apple?
It makes sense.
