Up here in Dallas, the entire front page of the sports section yesterday was dedicated to what the Mavericks have to do (and who they have to give up) to make the Shaq trade. Cuban really wants O'Neal, and he may be willing to send Don Nelson packing and hire Phil Jackson. Shaq has said he would follow Jackson wherever he went... Selfishly, I hope Shaq comes to the Mavericks. I've become a fan of them since moving to Dallas, and they are a dominant defense away from the NBA championship, with their time being numbered for even that. Shaq would be a perfect fit because he'll probably only play 2 or 3 more years, and that's all the time that the Mavs chemistry has left. There were five different trade scenarios described in The Dallas Morning News. Most of them involve losing Dirk Nowitski, though the best scenario involved keeping all three of the Big Three in Dallas--Dirk, Steve Nash, and Michael Finley--along with adding Shaq to that lineup. Rumor also has it that Shaq already owns a house up here in Frisco, Texas, just a couple of miles from where I live. Maybe he likes the area...
If you don't think shaq is serious about leaving the Lakers, you haven't been paying attention. He is as good as gone. The Lakers had to choose between Kobe and Shaq, because they will never play on a team together again. The Laker management went with youth, despite the fact that Kobe's youth might be spent in a correctional facility. Either way, management burned their bridge with Shaq, and he will be playing elsewhere. I would love to see the Hornets try to get him, but I think Shaq will be looking for a bigger payday and a bigger market than NO can offer....maybe in New York.
