Heh, price may be a little steep. Sure, Shaq can help the Heat for 2-3 years, maybe even take them to the finals, but after that Eddie Jones will probably be gone leaving Dwayne Wade by himself. Lamar Odom is going to be a superstar for ten more years and Butler is a good SF, and Grant is a good PF in the east. I think they should keep their core of Wade, Odom, and Butler.
Miami was tough in the playoffs as a rising young team after sucking at the beginning of the season. Shaq would make them an instant contender for the Eastern Conference championship.
I saw it on Sports Center first, and just read the article on ESPN.com's front page... Allegedly, it's for Butler, Odom, & Grant...That leaves Dwayne Wade and Shaq, and you know some complimentary pieces will come in for the veteran and mid level exceptions to be a part of that... Just think...He'll be close to home, and closer to Nawlins, as well as with an Exec like Riley, who really put Jabbar to good use later in his career with a young guard named Johnson... You can say what you like, but the Spurs with Ginobli resigned, the T-Wolves, with Cassell injury free in the playoffs, the Kings-if they stay intact, and the Mavs, with Nash, Nowitzki and Finley, will ALL be either as good or better than the Lakers with a lineup like... Karl Malone Caron Butler/Payton Kobe Odom (Insert your crappy, from the bottom of the dregs of the cellar of the league center here)... With Grant and Payton/Butler coming off the bench? They'll be eaten alive inside...Odom is NOT an interior player, and Garnett and Duncan, as well as a healthy Webber and a half-asleep Nowitzki will destroy them. Malone can't stay healthy, and Payton can't run, which Tomjanovich is known for. I don't care if Shaquille O'Neal wins another title. He won three straight, and he's my favorite NBA Player ever. All I care about is seeing: 1.) Kobe convicted 2.) Kobe not making the playoffs 3.) Kobe getting eliminated in the 1st round-for all eternity. Just my $0.02... Oh, and a quick PS...Mitch "Cup-check" (Which is what LA fans should be doing to him after this bone headed move!) will go down as the most idiotic GM ever...
And, once again, our intelligence has been insulted by a spokesman. Mitch Kupchak said "I am unaware of any conversations on the subject (of Shaq going to Miami) and no one has spoken to me about it."
Coming on the heels of the Tracy McGrady trade, I---as a Rockets fan---LOVE not having Shaq in the Western Conference any longer! Rockets have to be considered a top 3-4 team in the West, especially if they get a decent mid-level exception point guard like Derek Fisher.
TE, regarding your Kobe wish list, if you get #1 to happen, then #2 and #3 naturally follow. That would be path of least resistance shall we say.
#1 isn't out of spite for Bryant...It's for spite towards Buss and "Cup-Check"...I wouldn't wish anyone convicted of a crime they haven't committed...But, it would serve the management of LA right... #2 and #3 would be only if Kobe remained with the Lakers...I mean, I'd rather them lose anyway, but #2 and #3 would be even sweeter if Bryant were "the man" in LA...
