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Do IT this week: Layering
'It's LeBron's team,' but Shaq determined to help him win NBA championship ring
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist
Published on Friday, Jul 03, 2009
INDEPENDENCE: He arrived without a nickname but with a motto.
''Win a ring for the King,'' Shaquille O'Neal said Thursday of his mantra now that he has been traded to the Cavaliers.
Have to admit, it has a certain ring to it, what with O'Neal joining LeBron James on the same team.
Resplendent in a suit, pink shirt and pink tie, O'Neal was a little more serious than expected at his introductory news conference, but still provided occasional humor.
He even included a taste of humility when he said he did not consider himself a superstar.
As for his role with the Cavs, he said succinctly: ''I'm in the security business. I'm here to protect the King.''
The King is James, of course.
But O'Neal might take the crown if his addition means an NBA championship.
O'Neal, though, showed a great understanding of the team dynamic, saying over and over, ''It's LeBron's team.''
And he showed a great understanding of one element of what the Cavs like to call their culture when he said, ''There's no excuses.''
Like any great performer, O'Neal took the stage late.
He entered the Cleveland Clinic courts through a tunnel formed by school kids from St. Martin de Porres in Cleveland.
He smiled as he slapped hands with them, then accepted some boots and a shovel from owner Dan Gilbert, a gesture that was more goofy than funny.
O'Neal then presented a photo of Cavs General Manager Danny Ferry that showed the two playing against each other, with Ferry bent over to grab the basketball and O'Neal crashing into him from behind.
You get the picture.
So did Ferry.
No pretty picture
''That's the first picture you see when you Google 'Danny Ferry,' '' O'Neal said, looking at the Cavs' GM. ''You better do something about that.''
Asked what his new nickname would be — after the Big Socrates, the Big Aristotle, the Big Cactus, the Big Shaqtus and others — he said he hadn't decided.
''A friend of mine tweeted me with the Big Freeze,'' O'Neal said. ''I don't know about that one yet.''
O'Neal had plenty of fun. He always has fun — he said the lip synch of the Akon song that he put on his Twitter page was just for fun — but he also dropped some serious hints to the Cavs.
Prime was that at the age of 37, he believes he has three more years left.
Would he like a contract extension?
''I would love an extension,'' he said. ''Who wouldn't? I'm here to take care of business. I'm not going to negotiate through the media. If they offer me a $35 million-a-year extension, I'll take it right now.''
As to whether James' future in Cleveland affects his, O'Neal said: ''In a perfect world, if we win and take care of business, he has no choice but to stay here.''
Sons favor LeBron
He did quip that his sons ''actually love LeBron more than they love me.''
''I'm not sad,'' he said. ''A little jealous about it, but not sad.''
O'Neal was more than complimentary to James, calling him one of the greatest players ever and a guy who can make it easy for him. O'Neal stressed that he knows James is the captain and that O'Neal is at the point of his career where he can fit in.
He won't demand 40 or 50 shots.
30 would be fine
''But I would like 30,'' he said, looking at coach Mike Brown.
Brown gave O'Neal an enthusiastic slap of hands when O'Neal vowed that the Cavs would never have to double-team the opposing center again.
Clearly he referred to Orlando Magic counterpart Dwight Howard, whose inside strength caused the Cavs more than a fair share of problems in the playoffs.
O'Neal has said some less than complimentary things about Howard in the past, but didn't Thursday. Not directly, at least.
''I'm still here,'' he said. ''I'm a force to be reckoned with.''
Pretenders, he said, have to come and take his spot.
''When it comes to the best big men in the league, there are two that have done something very special in this millennium,'' O'Neal said. ''I'm one of them, and Tim Duncan is the other.
''Anything else and anyone else, they have to come upstairs and see the Shogun.
''I'm still the Shogun in this league.''
The Shogun was the military dictator of Japan, a man who ruled (perhaps literally) by the sword. He held the title until the mid-19th century, when it was handed back to the emperor.
O'Neal clearly believes he holds the title to lofty territory among NBA big men.
Which is all well and good.
The Cavs just have their eye on a different kind of title.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohio.com/mcmanamon/. Follow Pat on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/patmcmanamon.
INDEPENDENCE: He arrived without a nickname but with a motto.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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medina, oh
Posted 07:55 AM, 07/03/2009
Getting Shaq is great, but they still will need a power forward and a guard that isn't midget and can also shoot. Two more pieces before a title will happen.
Posted 09:32 AM, 07/03/2009
lo to Portland
Toledo, Oh
Posted 09:34 AM, 07/03/2009
Artest is going to the Lakers. The Cavs can't win it all with so many white boys...Shaq takes care of half the problem.
Posted 09:42 AM, 07/03/2009
Danny Ferry should be fired asp the man does not get it all of this free agents that were out thier and he got none Artest to the Lakers/Ariza to Houstonl/Turkalo to Portland/Ben Gordan and Venalza to Detroit/Rasheed to Boston/Vince Carter to Orlando and he says i want to wait and sign Verasha first before looking at others well let me tell you mister GM there are no others you are looking to sign a guy who if Lebron got hurt could not carry the team all of the free agents i mentioned could carry a team if thier star player got hurt the Cavs has no chance at all to win next year Boston will kill them with Rasheed and Garnett
KOOKville, oh
Posted 10:04 AM, 07/03/2009
Not to worry folks. The Cavs and Shaq will CRUISE thru the East this season.
Posted 10:51 AM, 07/03/2009
Danny Ferry should be fired? Because all of these other free agents didn't want to come to Cleveland? Really? I never heard him say anything about signing Verejao first, they were pursuing Artest, Ariza and others, but those players CHOSE other teams.
Who posted that nonsene? Was it the same one who made the post before saying something about how the Cavs can't win with so many white boys?
The Shaq signing helps, but is mostly to aid in the playoffs against teams that have good big players (Boston, Orlando, LA). I don't think we need another guard, although a larger player to strat or come off the bench would help some match-ups. We could use another big man with some size, they don't need to score much but defend the middle.
Bethesda, MD
Posted 11:35 AM, 07/03/2009
One size 21 shoe step forward. Two steps backward.
Akron, OH
Posted 03:41 PM, 07/03/2009
I have not heard a word about Ilgauskas in all of these reports about O'Neale.
Are the Cavs going to dump him?
rmk, akron
cuyahoga falls, OH
Posted 05:56 PM, 07/03/2009
All the white boys battersea what team have you been watching. There were only like 3 or 4 of them that were used during the season and only one, Z, was a starter.
Fairlawn, oh
Posted 12:25 AM, 07/05/2009
Andre Miller stil is out there, and A.I also.sign Andy, and bring A.I in for some scoring. Don'tgive me that mess about him being cancer. A good coach can make all the egos mesh. What we need is a scorer, and A.I give you that. Gilbert want to spend some money, well put your money where your mouth is. Ferry can only do what Gilbert allow him to do.
Fairlawn, oh
Posted 12:28 AM, 07/05/2009
I bet A.I wouldn't be standing around watching LeBron pound the ball for 22 seconds!
Posted 11:36 AM, 07/05/2009
Message to Steve i only write what is the truth and trust me that is the truth.The promblem of saying no one want to come to cleveland is the one who markets and sales the idea about coming here a GM job is to sale your product to the one who buys in to what you are selling which in the cavs case is you get to play with Lebron these players and thier agents dont care about playing with Lebron they do care about is getting price value for thier client while the cavs only wants you to come in and play for them at thier telling price so yes to your answer of the players dont want to come here because they wont get thier price value just ask Dolonte West on that subject case in point the cavs want to keep thier most of thier players at the same contract price meaning we will only keep bench type players on this team and have one star player on the team as you look at the other elite teams they have at least 3 star players on thier team/Lakers/Boston/Orlando/Hawks/Chicago/Portland/San Antonio/Houston/now Detroit again and even some small market teams have more than one star on thier roster but cleveland ONE and as u can see one is not going to cut it o yeh Shaq 21million at 37 yrs old is the answer wright the only reason they didnt get those players is because cleveland dosent want to pay anybody you can say they r paying Shaq 21mill no thier not Ben Wallace was getting 14mill and Sasha 4to6 mill that matches Shaq and also thier first round pick from the CONGO Ferry did that so he dont have to pay for a gaurenteed contract for first round pick we wont here from this person ever or see him just like they did a couple of times with simular picks and never seen them so we draft in second round and get a guy who is considered to be 1st round quality and give him a non garuanteed contract Danny Green smart oh i want u as a member of our organization but we dont want to pay u much at all that tell Lebron how much you want to win huh i am Rick someone who is very connected.
