This trade has been analyzed up and down for a few days now. We have debated pros and cons for both teams, and many good points have been made by journalists and random bloggers. But what this trade boils down to is this:
It was a bad trade because Miami was readily willing to give up Shaquille O'Neal.
Everyone is debating...
"Is he done?" "Does he still have gas in the tank?" "Can he play when it matters?" "Can he stay healthy?" "Maybe he just needs to be motivated?"
The answers to these questions are not obvious at this moment, but they are also unimportant. The only important question is, why would Miami trade away Shaquille O'Neal? Why would they get rid o####uy who, only a year and a half ago, helped bring a title to Miami? The answer is simple. Pat Riley and the rest of Heat management and staff (the guys who know Shaq better than anyone at this point in time) are convinced that the Diesel is done.
Miami does not make this trade unless they know, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Shaq will not be able to help them win ever again. Dwyane Wade and Shaq won a title together in '06. They did it with mediocre (or less in many cases) NBA talent surrounding them. Last year, Wade had injuries, but Shaq was already on the decline and their playoff hopes were low. This year, Wade is back and has only missed 8 games. Even when both stars are healthy and on the court, this Heat team is awful. What has changed? These two stars are still surrounded by mediocre talent but they can't get it done. Shaq can no longer dominate as he used to, and Dwyane Wade has looked far less MVP-like because of it. Let's do a quick Miami Heat checklist:
Hall of Fame coach? Check.
All-star Dwyane Wade? Check.
Mediocre supporting cast? Check.
The Diesel? Nope. At least not the Diesel we know and love.
The bottom line is that if Shaq could still play, then the Heat would still be contending for titles over the next couple of years. Diesel is locked up for 2 more seasons after this one, as is Wade. Miami could have chalked this season up to injury, grabbed a lottery pick like Michael Beasley, and made great runs in 2009 and 2010. If Miami had any faith that Shaq could still play, they WOULD NOT HAVE MADE THIS TRADE.
This blogger is a New Yorker, born and raised. I'm a huge sports fan, following pretty much every major sport out there. Sadly, this does not include hockey, NASCAR, or boxing. Hockey lost my affection during the lockout, NASCAR is not a sport, and boxing has become incredibly boring since the dawn of MMA. If you want to talk football, baseball, basketball, or MMA, then I'm your man. I could also debate NASCAR with anyone, but we would probably end up just going around in circles...
