Me thinks that the Cavs might be trying for a championship lol. Shaq is still a massive force inside and could be the guy to fill the void in Cleveland and get them some rings since he's managed to do that in LA and Miami.

Damn... Great move for the Cavs... Shaq still has some milage in the tank.

Big Z was horrible during the playoffs, and if he was a horse you'd shoot him.

Is the power of the NBA slowing moving back East??

Damn... Great move for the Cavs... Shaq still has some milage in the tank.

Big Z was horrible during the playoffs, and if he was a horse you'd shoot him.

Is the power of the NBA slowing moving back East??

Pav certainly suits the Suns foreign born backcourt, but I cannot see Wallace suiting the Suns style. Methinks the Suns are still in the market for a centre.

wow that is Massive!! Lebron would be happy about that!

might be going back to run and gun

:'( I hate being a Suns fan these days

I did read previously that Big Ben was prepared to retire on around 50% of his contract, which I believe counts in salary cap, so financially that helps Phoenix.

Just leaves them without a centre. They could try and sign Chris Andersen, Magloire or Sheed Wallace who are all Free Agents,with some of the money they save but buying out Ben.

I can see Shaq & Big Z both being able to get away with playing only 20 minutes a night (Varejao can fill the other 8-10 minutes most nights) over the first few months of the season and being fully rested by the time play-offs come around.

I could even see, say a Kidd, Marbury, Iverson, Bibby, Marion, Grant Hill or Andre Miller sign a 1yr minimum salary contract to try and get a ring alongside Shaq & LeBron.

Kidd would be a good fit

Awesome move for the Cavs.. I thought Wallace was supposedly retiring? Shaq will bring great winning experience to the Cavs, something I think they have previously been missing.

I predict the suns will now draft BJ mullens at 14 if available.

That's what I thought too TC. I thought he put it down to it being too difficult to return from injuries these days.

Will be interesting to see how Shaq and Z will split the minutes. I wonder who will start at center? I can't see Shaq's ego allowing him to come off the bench.

The Cavs still have major issues defending the pick and roll.

I think Shaq will add something to the Cavs, but is he the difference maker to bring a championship? I'm not convinced.

I think the Cavs need an upgrade at the PG and SG positions. Mo showed he's not an elite PG, and Delonte is a great 6th man, but not a championship starter.

Total agreement thedoctor, and that is how Orlando will beat them, pick and roll.

However if J.Kidd jumps on board.....

So after a trade, the cavs have now got the two SLOWEST CENTERS IN THE NBA and you clowns think they did well????

Money and marketing are what this trade represents, not basketball savy.

DB5, if J. Kidd comes on board they'll be even worse at defending the PG/C pick and roll.

Hm lets see.
LeBron wanted Shaq in Cleveland.
Shaq will produce more than Wallace could.
Shaq brings more media attention to the Cavs.
Shaq has championship experience.
The trade was a bargain and will take some of the pressure off Z.
The Cavs imo are now even more desirable as a free agent.

Sure the trade doesn't exactly fix all of the Cavs problems, but it keeps LeBron happy for the moment and they can stil make more moves. Yep I reckon the Cavs did well.

Pavlovic will get bought out by the Suns.

mojojedi (great name) that was a tongue in cheek comment....

Have to agree in part with TC, keeping Lebron happy may mean keeping Lebron in Cleveland. Shaq has to be an upgrade on Wallace.

Sideways, panic trade in my opinion. Cavs major problem was guarding pick and roll, so they brought in a 38 year old whose notorious for being a shit pick and roll defender.

Shaq is jut going to keep jumping teams until he finally calls it quits. This doesn't make them any better or worse in my opinion, at least significantly anyway.

They'll still stop and go completely with Lebron.

Just in case you forgot to notice, two years on, PHX has turned Shawn Marion into a crappy pick in a crappy draft, has LESS cap space than they would've had if they kept him, and went from a contender to a lottery team.

Fantastic!

Smart move by the Cavs. Ignore the idiot that said how's Shaq going to like coming off of the bench, Z's the one either going to the bench or shifting to PF. Shaq even at 37 is still a better player than Z and Varejao put together.

He only missed 7 games last season (rested + grandmother's funeral) averaged 18 and 8, lead the league in FG%, shot 60% from the line, All-NBA Third team and co-All-Star game MVP. Don't try and blame him for playing with the worst defender in basketball (Nash).

The Cavs led the nba in the regular season with Wallace and Pavlovic contributing nothing. You throw Shaq in the middle they have a presence at the rim even if his defense has declined significantly. Teams wont be able to leave Shaq open in the key to help on Lebrons drives or he will find Shaq for dunk after dunk. And this allows the cavs to mix it up, if Lebron 1 on 5 isnt working then they can throw it into the big fella for a few possesions and see what happens.

However whether or not this helps the Cavs beat the Magic in the conference finals if they retain Turkoglu is still up in the air.

I don't think it was panic trade. They didn't have to sell the ship to get Shaq. The Cavs enquired about Shaq last season. If they gave up some bigger pieces or future 1st's I'd say it was a panic trade.

If anything this trade was a reaction to Dwight Howard and a further push towards the finals. The Cavs need to win next season, this trade was a big push towards that, but also showing Lebron that the franchise is willing to go out and get what is required. If Shaq puts up 18 and 8 and holds the low block then the Cavs have a better chance to advance.

Cavs are still shit a defending the pick and roll, and until they fix that I don't think they can win the title.

The Cavs now really need the good/excellent perimeter defender to complete their squad. Someone like Raja Bell, Ariza, Crash, Battier or even crazy Artest.

Just one point...

One of Big Z's problems was guarding the high pick and role with Dwight...

Does ANYONE on here think Shaq has rectified this should Magic and Cavs meet again in the playoffs?

Not at all. That pick and roll will still trouble the Cavs, but overall Shaq is an upgrade over Big Z. The squad gets better with this trade, but it didn't cover the defensive issues.

Sorry DB5, misread the tone of your comment.

It'll be interesting to see what new offensive sets the Cavs implement with Shaq Daddy (Grandaddy?) on board too. The LeBron/Z pick and pop has been an effective staple of the Cavs offense for years, drawing the opposing C away from the paint, opening the driving lanes for LeBron and opening up their 3 point shooters if defenders help on the drive.

Regarding playing time for the two centres, I also can't see Shaq and Z working well on court together. Less Twin Towers and more Dual Glaciers.

From a Suns fan perspective, I like this trade a lot. Wallace hinted at returement but from memory he was only thinking about it. Getting rid of Shaq gives Amare the inside top-dog honour in Phoenix, and he will be an MVP candidate this year if he stays healthy. Pavlovic gives them another shooting option at the 3 which they lack, given Bell's departure as well as Dior's to a lesser extent, and Grant Hill's lack of real shooting range.

Shaq is definitely an upgrade, but as has been pointed out, it doesn't address the Cavs defensive issues with the pick and roll, or improve their average perimeter shooting.

Looking at it through my green coloured goggles, I'm relatively happy, because the Celtics have Perkins to keep Shaq honest, and because I feared that the Cavs might land someone like Bosh with Wallace's expiring contract.

The Cavs will certainly still be a threat, but they could have been a bigger threat and for longer with other options.

BTW - whats with everyone seemingly pencilling the Magic into the Eastern Finals next season already? The Celtics would easily have beaten the Magic with a healthy KG this season.

Twentyfour - Marion was going out the door anyway, wasnt he on a player option for season just gone? So they actually scored by getting something for him.

Pulling the pin on Shaq make sense financially and to give them room to do something. Shaq was pushing them well into luxury tax and really they were going to be no better next season than the one gone with him, without him they may well do no worse but get some youth some more court time.

Long rebuilding process ahead, be interesting to see if Amare sticks around for long if he or the Suns make a move in the next couple of seasons.

Cleveland making a hard push for Ariza now, seeing as the Lakers don't want to offer more than the 5.6 mill extension.