The deadline in the Association has come and gone, without any major moves transacted by the major players. The Cavaliers tried desperately to move guys, but seemed to be a fraction of a bargaining chip away every time. They almost landed the Diesel, which would have in effect ended the season for the rest of the teams in the league. Cause in my opinion, if the Cavs traded for Shaq, I think they would have won the championship. Marcus Camby was also desperately sought after by Danny Ferry, but that dickhead Mike Dunleavy just wouldn't budge, and we were left empty-handed on that one too. The sexy pick among my friends and network was Antwan Jamison from the Wiz. He's a great player-- a team first vet hungry to start playing for something that means something. But he had a shitty contract, and we would have had to take a couple more bad contracts in addition to him. RJeff was in our sights for a couple hours, along with Vinsanity, but when 3pm Thursday afternoon hit--the Cavs were standing pat.
I have been in the minority in terms of the reaction of the Shaq deal. And I don't really understand why adding one of the best centers of all time hurts a team that has never sniffed a title. Shaq has 3.5 titles by the way. I know all of the bad things he does--he crowds the key and kills driving lanes, he kills the flow of offensive possessions, he can't run the floor hard in a fast paced game, and he can't make free throws at any period of the game. People kept telling me that him and Z couldn't be on the floor together at the same time. And all that is well and good.
My response is primarily concerned with how much Shaq improves your politics, especially in the playoffs. Shaq is far and away the most well liked, well respected, biggest personality, biggest star in the NBA still after however many years. This is a player's league ladies and gentlemen. And as for Z, who the hell is Z? What title are you winning with Z as your center? We'll find out soon, but the argument that Shaq was going to kill Z's game is ridiculous. If Z stays healthy, he could have come off the bench or took Ben Wallace's burn. He's not exactly banging in the post anyway--he's a spot up shooter. He and Shaq would have played well together in my opinion. Instead of involving Z in 65% of the high ball screen pick and pops, you could have involved him in 100% of the pick and pops.
Long story short--you could have played Shaq once or twice a week throughout the rest of the season. You could have weened him into the offense. And he could have been ready for the playoffs. And in the playoffs, where the game slows down to crab like speed, and every possession counts, and politics count--Shaq is invaluable.
I dont know why the Cavs didn't break the bank for Marcus Be All You Camby. He matches up with Dwight Howard, KG, Perk, Odom, Gasol, Big Bynum and Tim Duncan. He was defensive player of the year two years ago. He is second in the league in rebounds, third in blocks, and NBA Finals experience. He also has a very attractive contract that expires in 2010 (Shaq 23 million due next year v. Camby's 10) Camby had a monster 20 game stretch in this fantasy league I am in. Yea he's mailing it a little bit because he's playing on the Clips, but its because he's bitter the Nuggets dealt him. I would have traded Hickson and whoever else the Clips wanted. He would have been an asset to us. He fits our scheme, doesn't need to score, and can defend the good players the Cavs play.
But with no moves made by the Spurs or the Celtics, and D West coming back from a broken wrist, things are looking up for the Cavs as we get into the last 30 games. KG is gonna be on the shelf for a couple weeks, which helps our chances of getting some home court. The big question still is our ability to matchup with the Lake Show. That's just a shitty matchup for the Cavs. Time will tell.
No comments:
Post a Comment