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Do IT this week: Layering
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 05:22 p.m. EDT, Jun 27, 2009
The major challenges folks mention about adding Shaquille O'Neal to the Cavaliers do not seem to be challenges in the eyes of the Cavs.
The first says that LeBron James won't be able to get to the basket with Shaq's big body clogging the paint.
I don't quite understand this one. Did Dwyane Wade have a problem driving when O'Neal was with the Miami Heat?
It will take some adjustment, yes, because James has never played with such a massive low-post presence.
But nobody in the league has better basketball savvy than James, so any adjustment seems less consequential than it's being made to be.
Too, O'Neal's presence gives James a rather hefty option if teams double him.
Think back to Game 7 in Boston in 2008. James set up Ben Wallace for a dunk in the final minutes with the game in the balance. Wallace threw the ball outside to Delonte West for a 3-pointer, which he missed.
Shaq is probably going to dunk that ball — with force.
The team simply must handle the other challenge, and that is to keep O'Neal healthy and ready for the playoffs. It would do no good to win 60 games with him if he's burned out in May and June.
Nobody doubts that the Cavs will have to strive to make it work with two players with mega-watt star power on their team.
Home games could be nightly festivals, road trips like the journeys of a rock band. Imagine the team plane with James and O'Neal chattering throughout the flight.
''Both guys are good guys; both guys like each other,'' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. ''Both guys will be happy to play with one another. And the most important thing is they have one common goal — those things are the things that are going to make this work.
''Because they're competitive, because they have that one common goal . . .I think that will help this relationship and make this journey work.
''Only time will tell as we go along how it all meshes out.''
There is risk and reward to every trade. In this case, there was minimal risk. The players the Cavs traded were going to retire (Wallace) or not be a major contributor (Sasha Pavlovic).
O'Neal could average 18 and eight like he did a year ago, and the Cavs would benefit.
He also could fall apart from age, though that seems unlikely.
Given the low risk and possible reward, it was a move that needed to be made.
All Shaq, all the time
-- Does this mean we're going to see Shaq-LeBron puppets?
-- Brown said the team was ''not in panic mode'' when it made the deal.
This would indicate it was in panic mode when it watched its guys try to guard Dwight Howard in the playoffs.
-- There's been a lot of talk about what nickname to give O'Neal.
With all respect, it would seem that O'Neal would be the only person to decide his new nickname.
You want to be the guy to tell him he can't?
-- Brown said the Cavs would not have to overhaul their offense.
''We're going to give him the ball in the post,'' Brown said. ''But we don't have to overhaul our offense. We have a system that he can fit into.''
The Cavs did have plays they ran to get Zydrunas Ilgauskas the ball on the block.
-- What are the attributes the Cavs like most in O'Neal? Brown listed four.
First, his strength, especially defensively. General Manager Danny Ferry called him a wall near the basket. Brown said: ''I don't know if there's anybody out there who's as strong as him.''
Then his agility, which Brown said is amazing for a man of his size.
Third is his passing, which is a very underrated part of O'Neal's game.
Finally, Brown likes his defensive presence.
''You kind of take for granted that just his mere presence alone is capable of deterring guys that try to get to the rim,'' Brown said.
-- On his Twitter page (has it really come to this?), O'Neal said he could play three more years.
Under a ''tweet'' (for crying out loud) stating ''this is how I really feel about the trade,'' O'Neal links to a video of him singing Over the Edge by Akon while driving his car.
Among the lyrics:
''I'm here at the crossroad
''Where my life is heading? Man, I don't know.
''Should I stay or should I go?
''Cause anything's better than what I've been through.
''What I would give to get a sign from up above.
''Letting me know that everything would be OK.''
When the song ended, he smiled.
Typical have-fun-with-it Shaq.
--Someone . . .please . . . push me over the edge the next time I use the words twitter and tweet without referring to a bird.
-- James said in a statement that he was ''honored'' to have O'Neal, and O'Neal said on ESPN that he was ''elated'' to join the Cavs. It's good that everyone's so happy. O'Neal is expected to meet the Cleveland media sometime this week.
On the draft . . .
Cavs assistant GM Chris Grant was jacked when he walked into the media room about midnight Thursday to talk about the Cavs' draft picks.
Then he looked around the room and saw blank faces.
The Cavs' first pick was the mystery of the night, and the third pick was a complete unknown — it had not been announced yet.
It's hard to figure what to say about these picks.
Christian Eyenga spoke only French when he talked to the media, and he said all the right things — through his interpreter.
But he also used words like ''very shocked'' and ''a total surprise'' about being taken in the first round.
Ferry said the Cavs' scouts were ''ecstatic'' to get Eyenga, that his potential is much higher than the college guys the Cavs could have drafted, presumably Pitt's DeJuan Blair and Sam Young.
Eyenga is 20, from the Congo. He looked quick, talented and confident in the brief highlight film the Cavs showed the press, but he played for the JV team for CB Prat Juventut (CB Prat Juventut . . . it's kind of fun to type that name).
Clearly, he's a couple of years away.
Grant said the third pick, Emir Preldzic, is a 21-year-old, 6-9 guy who can play both guard spots and small forward. But he's also a project.
''It's a buy and hold,'' Ferry said, meaning Preldzic will play in Turkey this season.
The second pick, Danny Green, makes the most sense from an outside point of view. Solid player from North Carolina, where guys are coached to play the right way. Played in more games and won more games than any player in Tar Heels history.
If any of the three make the team and contribute this year, it will be Green, because he'll be the only one with a chance. The other two will be playing internationally.
Had Green been taken in the first round and Eyenga in the second, the perception would be totally different.
But by doing it the way they did, the Cavs probably saved a lot of money.
Second-round picks are guaranteed no money. First-round picks are — unless they play in Spain, which is where Eyenga seems headed. Which means the Cavs got back the money they paid to acquire O'Neal.
Eyenga will be given time to develop, and if it works, the Cavs will have something.
If it doesn't, well they gambled and lost.
But that also means the team lost.
Young seemed tailor-made for the Cavs, given their needs and desires. But the likelihood of any 30th pick helping a team is not high.
Teams spend hours studying guys and going through tapes.
Sometimes they find something. Sometimes they outthink themselves.
We'll know where these decisions wind up in . . .oh . . .2013.
As for this season . . .
Ferry insisted the Cavs are not done adding veteran help, which, when combined with the draft, makes a person think they have a plan and we just don't know it.
The first order of business is to re-sign Anderson Varejao.
Then the Cavs could find a way to add another veteran, preferably a taller one.
They won't be able to afford a player like Hedo Turkoglu, but they can be creative.
I don't know all the intricacies of mid-levels and bi-levels (and even ranches and colonials) in the NBA salary-cap world, but there are ways to get guys.
Whom might the Cavs target?
Here are a few names:
-- Rasheed Wallace.
Few free agents' games fit more perfectly. Wallace can shoot, play defense and play different positions. He can post up and shoot 3s. If he were not a tad wacky on the court, he'd be a perfect fit.
There's risk. Wallace didn't play hard or well in the playoffs. There are the technicals, the arguing with refs. And the danger that that volatile personality might upset team chemistry.
But Wallace could be energized by another chance at the championship, and he might take the split-level exception to play with James and O'Neal.
-- Antonio McDyess.
Think Wallace without the 3-pointers and without the risk. McDyess is one of the quality guys in the NBA, and if he could do for the Cavs this year what he did for the Detroit Pistons last year, everyone would be happy.
-- Matt Barnes.
Tall guard who can guard tall players. Think Orlando.
-- Charlie Villanueva.
Will be restricted free agent, unless the Milwaukee Bucks do not give him a qualifying offer. If they don't, he's unrestricted. He and James are tight and he seems to want to play for the Cavs, but last week's trade of Richard Jefferson indicates the Bucks will make every effort to keep him.
-- Jason Kidd.
If he's willing to be a backup point guard for less money than he could make with the Dallas Mavericks so he could take a run at the championship, he'd fit.
-- Trevor Ariza.
Pipe dream. He'll stay in LA.
And finally
Joe Jurevicius' lawsuit against the Browns and the Cleveland Clinic sounds bad.
Jurevicius claims the Clinic and the Browns did not use sterile techniques, and that equipment at the Browns facility was not cleaned.
So the hometown guy who only wanted to play for the hometown team becomes the first NFL player to sue his team because he got staph. This is not a loose cannon suing the team.
It's hard to believe the Browns did not do all they could to keep the facility clean — what team ever wants its player to get an infection? — but the harder thing for me to believe is this case ever proceeds to any kind of public forum.
Expect a confidential settlement.
Because the Browns and the Clinic do not seem inclined to allow a public discussion of these charges from a guy who needed seven knee operations after going in for a simple cleanout.
The major challenges folks mention about adding Shaquille O'Neal to the Cavaliers do not seem to be challenges in the eyes of the Cavs.
The first says that LeBron James won't be able to get to the basket with Shaq's big body clogging the paint.
I don't quite understand this one. Did Dwyane Wade have a problem driving when O'Neal was with the Miami Heat?
It will take some adjustment, yes, because James has never played with such a massive low-post presence.
But nobody in the league has better basketball savvy than James, so any adjustment seems less consequential than it's being made to be.
Too, O'Neal's presence gives James a rather hefty option if teams double him.
Think back to Game 7 in Boston in 2008. James set up Ben Wallace for a dunk in the final minutes with the game in the balance. Wallace threw the ball outside to Delonte West for a 3-pointer, which he missed.
Shaq is probably going to dunk that ball — with force.
The team simply must handle the other challenge, and that is to keep O'Neal healthy and ready for the playoffs. It would do no good to win 60 games with him if he's burned out in May and June.
Nobody doubts that the Cavs will have to strive to make it work with two players with mega-watt star power on their team.
Home games could be nightly festivals, road trips like the journeys of a rock band. Imagine the team plane with James and O'Neal chattering throughout the flight.
''Both guys are good guys; both guys like each other,'' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. ''Both guys will be happy to play with one another. And the most important thing is they have one common goal — those things are the things that are going to make this work.
''Because they're competitive, because they have that one common goal . . .I think that will help this relationship and make this journey work.
''Only time will tell as we go along how it all meshes out.''
There is risk and reward to every trade. In this case, there was minimal risk. The players the Cavs traded were going to retire (Wallace) or not be a major contributor (Sasha Pavlovic).
O'Neal could average 18 and eight like he did a year ago, and the Cavs would benefit.
He also could fall apart from age, though that seems unlikely.
Given the low risk and possible reward, it was a move that needed to be made.
All Shaq, all the time
-- Does this mean we're going to see Shaq-LeBron puppets?
-- Brown said the team was ''not in panic mode'' when it made the deal.
This would indicate it was in panic mode when it watched its guys try to guard Dwight Howard in the playoffs.
-- There's been a lot of talk about what nickname to give O'Neal.
With all respect, it would seem that O'Neal would be the only person to decide his new nickname.
You want to be the guy to tell him he can't?
-- Brown said the Cavs would not have to overhaul their offense.
''We're going to give him the ball in the post,'' Brown said. ''But we don't have to overhaul our offense. We have a system that he can fit into.''
The Cavs did have plays they ran to get Zydrunas Ilgauskas the ball on the block.
-- What are the attributes the Cavs like most in O'Neal? Brown listed four.
First, his strength, especially defensively. General Manager Danny Ferry called him a wall near the basket. Brown said: ''I don't know if there's anybody out there who's as strong as him.''
Then his agility, which Brown said is amazing for a man of his size.
Third is his passing, which is a very underrated part of O'Neal's game.
Finally, Brown likes his defensive presence.
''You kind of take for granted that just his mere presence alone is capable of deterring guys that try to get to the rim,'' Brown said.
-- On his Twitter page (has it really come to this?), O'Neal said he could play three more years.
Under a ''tweet'' (for crying out loud) stating ''this is how I really feel about the trade,'' O'Neal links to a video of him singing Over the Edge by Akon while driving his car.
Among the lyrics:
''I'm here at the crossroad
''Where my life is heading? Man, I don't know.
''Should I stay or should I go?
''Cause anything's better than what I've been through.
''What I would give to get a sign from up above.
''Letting me know that everything would be OK.''
When the song ended, he smiled.
Typical have-fun-with-it Shaq.
--Someone . . .please . . . push me over the edge the next time I use the words twitter and tweet without referring to a bird.
-- James said in a statement that he was ''honored'' to have O'Neal, and O'Neal said on ESPN that he was ''elated'' to join the Cavs. It's good that everyone's so happy. O'Neal is expected to meet the Cleveland media sometime this week.
On the draft . . .
Cavs assistant GM Chris Grant was jacked when he walked into the media room about midnight Thursday to talk about the Cavs' draft picks.
Then he looked around the room and saw blank faces.
The Cavs' first pick was the mystery of the night, and the third pick was a complete unknown — it had not been announced yet.
It's hard to figure what to say about these picks.
Christian Eyenga spoke only French when he talked to the media, and he said all the right things — through his interpreter.
But he also used words like ''very shocked'' and ''a total surprise'' about being taken in the first round.
Ferry said the Cavs' scouts were ''ecstatic'' to get Eyenga, that his potential is much higher than the college guys the Cavs could have drafted, presumably Pitt's DeJuan Blair and Sam Young.
Eyenga is 20, from the Congo. He looked quick, talented and confident in the brief highlight film the Cavs showed the press, but he played for the JV team for CB Prat Juventut (CB Prat Juventut . . . it's kind of fun to type that name).
Clearly, he's a couple of years away.
Grant said the third pick, Emir Preldzic, is a 21-year-old, 6-9 guy who can play both guard spots and small forward. But he's also a project.
''It's a buy and hold,'' Ferry said, meaning Preldzic will play in Turkey this season.
The second pick, Danny Green, makes the most sense from an outside point of view. Solid player from North Carolina, where guys are coached to play the right way. Played in more games and won more games than any player in Tar Heels history.
If any of the three make the team and contribute this year, it will be Green, because he'll be the only one with a chance. The other two will be playing internationally.
Had Green been taken in the first round and Eyenga in the second, the perception would be totally different.
But by doing it the way they did, the Cavs probably saved a lot of money.
Second-round picks are guaranteed no money. First-round picks are — unless they play in Spain, which is where Eyenga seems headed. Which means the Cavs got back the money they paid to acquire O'Neal.
Eyenga will be given time to develop, and if it works, the Cavs will have something.
If it doesn't, well they gambled and lost.
But that also means the team lost.
Young seemed tailor-made for the Cavs, given their needs and desires. But the likelihood of any 30th pick helping a team is not high.
Teams spend hours studying guys and going through tapes.
Sometimes they find something. Sometimes they outthink themselves.
We'll know where these decisions wind up in . . .oh . . .2013.
As for this season . . .
Ferry insisted the Cavs are not done adding veteran help, which, when combined with the draft, makes a person think they have a plan and we just don't know it.
The first order of business is to re-sign Anderson Varejao.
Then the Cavs could find a way to add another veteran, preferably a taller one.
They won't be able to afford a player like Hedo Turkoglu, but they can be creative.
I don't know all the intricacies of mid-levels and bi-levels (and even ranches and colonials) in the NBA salary-cap world, but there are ways to get guys.
Whom might the Cavs target?
Here are a few names:
-- Rasheed Wallace.
Few free agents' games fit more perfectly. Wallace can shoot, play defense and play different positions. He can post up and shoot 3s. If he were not a tad wacky on the court, he'd be a perfect fit.
There's risk. Wallace didn't play hard or well in the playoffs. There are the technicals, the arguing with refs. And the danger that that volatile personality might upset team chemistry.
But Wallace could be energized by another chance at the championship, and he might take the split-level exception to play with James and O'Neal.
-- Antonio McDyess.
Think Wallace without the 3-pointers and without the risk. McDyess is one of the quality guys in the NBA, and if he could do for the Cavs this year what he did for the Detroit Pistons last year, everyone would be happy.
-- Matt Barnes.
Tall guard who can guard tall players. Think Orlando.
-- Charlie Villanueva.
Will be restricted free agent, unless the Milwaukee Bucks do not give him a qualifying offer. If they don't, he's unrestricted. He and James are tight and he seems to want to play for the Cavs, but last week's trade of Richard Jefferson indicates the Bucks will make every effort to keep him.
-- Jason Kidd.
If he's willing to be a backup point guard for less money than he could make with the Dallas Mavericks so he could take a run at the championship, he'd fit.
-- Trevor Ariza.
Pipe dream. He'll stay in LA.
And finally
Joe Jurevicius' lawsuit against the Browns and the Cleveland Clinic sounds bad.
Jurevicius claims the Clinic and the Browns did not use sterile techniques, and that equipment at the Browns facility was not cleaned.
So the hometown guy who only wanted to play for the hometown team becomes the first NFL player to sue his team because he got staph. This is not a loose cannon suing the team.
It's hard to believe the Browns did not do all they could to keep the facility clean — what team ever wants its player to get an infection? — but the harder thing for me to believe is this case ever proceeds to any kind of public forum.
Expect a confidential settlement.
Because the Browns and the Clinic do not seem inclined to allow a public discussion of these charges from a guy who needed seven knee operations after going in for a simple cleanout.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Canton, OH
Posted 06:49 PM, 06/27/2009
YAWN. . . Man, I miss Pluto & Windhorst. . .
cuyahoga falls, oh
Posted 07:33 PM, 06/27/2009
who would they have drafted? these guys are as good as anyone else
Antioch, Fl
Posted 04:57 AM, 06/28/2009
I don't really understand why there's so much concern regarding Shaq's age, and how worn out he will probably be at playoff time. Ferry didn't trade Z to get him. The Cavs still have the starting center from their 66 win team, and they'll still use him. They finally have the ability to rest Z without playing with 3g's and 2f's. There will be stretches where one or the other of them possibly won't play for 2-3 games at all, depending on the opponents. And there will be times when they both play together. Z loves to play from farther out, and he likes to take, and frequently make, 3 pointers. Who wants to run down the court and see a line made of Shaq, Z and Andy? He may be listed at 6'10, but with his hair Andy's a good 7'2. The "Twin Towers" have been replaced by the "Tri-Towers". And then there's that 6'8 shooting G named LeBron. The front court is admittedly slow, but the playoffs are a half-court game and that's exactly what this team is being built for.
Having an entire organization, from the owner to the guy who wipes sweat off the court, committed to winning and making the players feel wanted and comfortable goes a long way toward building the chemistry everyone's so suddenly worried about.
lakewood, ca
Posted 08:26 AM, 06/28/2009
The Cavs should go get Ron Artest. He had a great year in Houston and controled his emotions. He's a great defensive player and can play either shooting guard or small forward. He's played for Mike Brown before and in the past has indicated he would like to play with the Cavs. You could have a lineup of Shaq, LBJ, AV, Mo and Ron.
Naples, Florida
Posted 10:42 AM, 06/28/2009
If properly used, off the bench, Shaq could help. If he starts he won't last and even worse, slow the team down. We need LBJ to run - that's what he's best at doing.
Toledo, Oh
Posted 10:48 AM, 06/28/2009
All the 'star' players in the NBA wouldn't mean squat if Brown doesn't know how to use them in the playoffs...like how he failed to adjust against against Orlando.
Posted 11:17 AM, 06/28/2009
This was a no brainer trade! Cavs gave up 2 bench players, one of which will retire, and 500K for a big timer who, at 37, still puts up big time numbers and garners respect from opposing teams. No way anyone can fault this trade. It's not the end all but a huge piece in what the Cavs need to do to win the whole prize.
Well done Ferry and Gilbert!
Posted 11:22 AM, 06/28/2009
Oh, how about Antawn Jamison? Rumors are the cavs were highly interested in him. That trade could have been a real blockbuster! In longer terms..better that the Shaq trade.
Akron, oh
Posted 11:31 AM, 06/28/2009
after watching game after game last year when they blew 15 to 20 point leads regularly, when z and James sat to rest, i am thrilled to add O'Neil.There will be no more waltzing to basket now.A healthy and more experienced Hickson and adding Green as a pick plus whoever else the sign,(mcdyess) the cavs have done well this offseason.kudos to dan gilbert and ferry for building a good team for the run at a championship, great farm team pickups at draft too.
Akron, Oh
Posted 07:31 PM, 06/28/2009
Go Cavaliers !!
wadsworth, oh
Posted 10:05 PM, 06/28/2009
This is a great trade !! NO ONE is slower than Z. Which means we can play with Shaq. Go Cavs !!
Posted 09:19 AM, 06/29/2009
Who is to say Hickson is going to be healthy, he still is having major back issues.
Henderson, Nv
Posted 04:11 PM, 06/30/2009
@Bob61----You have no clue whatsoever about basketball. Your entire post is comprised of fallacy.
