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.

I'm a Syracuse basketball fan and have loved Carmelo Anthony as a basketball player every since his freshmen year at the school. Forget the fact that he showed up in "Stop Snitchin", a DVD aimed at police informants who rat out the criminal element. I let that slide. This guy just sucker punched a fellow basketball player, and promptly backpedalled himself to safety. Whether it was a sucker punch or not is debateable, but you can't say that Collins could be expecting a punch at that point of the melee. If he so strongly felt the need to defend his teammate, sure, go ahead and throw the punch. If you REALLY need to throw it, go for it and face the consequences. But DO NOT throw that bunch and run away like a little b*tch. I have now lost all respect for the guy.

With Kobe being a possible raplst, Dwyane Wade and 'Melo were the brightest stars in the NBA's future. Now Wade stands alone as the main star that kids can look up to in the NBA.

Mark, I used to like you. I loved your enthusiasm, your will to win, and the support you gave your players. You were my favorite NBA owner, despite the fact that I'm a Spurs fan. And then you had to go and insult the city of San Antonio personally. You also disputed Jet's suspension when he obviously punched Finley in the jewels. If the roles were reversed you would have been screaming for a suspension, don't deny it. I think alot of people are in the same boat that I am, being former Cuban fans that turned when they saw your theatrics in this playoff season. What went wrong? What changed you? Why are you the person that you've become? I think you need to take a time-out and reflect on who you are and who you want to be. And you may want to think twice as to WHEN you call that time-out...