Does it seem like Jeff and I are talking about Shaq a lot? Really? I didn't notice. But seriously, this guy is the single most dominant player in the NBA, he changes how other teams play defense and offense, he causes trades just because teams have to play him four times a year, and he hasn't played with even an ounce of fire in at least 2 years. Are we really not going to talk about him this much?
So the trade we've been talking about for days is finally done. The exact players were involved that were rumored. Jeff and I have been convinced that this was bad for the Heat if anyone. I've just spent 45 minutes reading different articles online about this trade (please don't tell my boss). The national sports writers don't agree with us. They all think this is bad for the Lakers. I'm here to defend myself.
Following the Finals, the bottom line for the Lakers was that Shaq was gone. There was no doubt about this. The next question for them was what was going to happen with the Ego. But here's the deal: when you lose the most dominant player in the game, you are automatically in a rebuilding mode, no matter who else is on your team. With or without Kobe the entire landscape of your team is going to change because the Diesel is out the door. At this point your job is to decide on the best way to rebuild your team. You can go out and get veteran guys... but you already are probably keeping the Mailman and the Glove. You can work on free-agency... but the biggest free agent available is already in your stable, so your priority is already to lock him up. Because you need to keep that enormous amount of money open for the Ego, you can't really pursue any other free agents. Knowing that the Daddy is going, the obvious answer is to find a big man... but that's been the answer to every question in the league for the last 5 years and as long as Shaq is around the answer is irrelavent. The best option left? Find some young talent to put around Kobe. Which team had the best young charismatic (charisma is a huge factor for the Lakers, is it not?) talent in the league last year? (Don't even bother with mentioning Lebron or 'Melo in this discussion... the Lake Show would have a better chance of luring the Pope in free agency.) The Miami Heat. And what do you know? Shaq is actually willing to play in Miami.
My point is this: Yes, the Lakers may regret that they couldn't keep Shaq, but the bottom line is just that... they couldn't. With all of the other factors in place, (nobody knows what's going on in Kobe's head, Dallas was out of the race the minute Nash went to Miami, Shaq need to go to another big time city) Miami was the best option for Shaq and it was the best trade for the Lakers.
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