By Jeff Bartl
It is about time that I set the record straight and bring the remaining 16 NBA die-hards back to earth about the Shaquille O’Neal-to-Miami trade.
Shaq’s arrival may have sparked a craze for season tickets at American Airlines Arena, made the Heat more popular around the league, boosted their merchandise sales, and given them the best center in the world today.
But, now it’s time to get serious, and here’s why:
The Miami Heat will not win the Eastern Conference, let alone the NBA championship. It just won’t happen. Write it down, take a picture, send me e-mails telling me I’m crazy. It doesn’t matter; just remember I said it. The Miami Heat will not win the Eastern Conference. Period.
To be honest with you, all of this talk about how the Heat have suddenly become the best team in the East is rather frustrating. In fact, I’d rather have the Shaq-less Lakers than his new Heat squad. There, I said it.
Give me Kobe, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler, Gary Payton, Luke Walton, Devean George, Kareem Rush, Brian Cook and the possibility of Karl Malone over Shaq, Dwayne Wade, Eddie Jones… and that’s it. There’s absolutely nothing after those three players. Nothing. And what little there is after that is nowhere near compared to what the Lakers have.
But forget the Lakers. What about their main competition in the East. People seem to forget that the DEFENDING NBA CHAMPIONS are in the Eastern Conference. The Detroit Pistons return a full team with the exception of Mehmet Okur. But add Antonio McDyess, who only needs to put up numbers like Corliss Williamson, and the Pistons are just as strong, if not stronger, than last season’s championship team.
The Pacers aren’t so bad either. They traded a disgruntled Al Harrington to Atlanta for Stephen Jackson; a trade that adds strength to an Indiana team that won 60 games last season. Even the Nets minus Kenyon Martin are probably still better than Miami.
These teams are simply too deep for Miami to compete with. Shaquille O’Neal is not a Get-to-the-NBA Finals Free Card. Putting him with an overpaid shooting guard and a second-year point guard doesn’t mean they’re the best in the East. I cannot stress this enough.
Shaq is a great player, but he’s not a savior. Just because he can outplay any center in the East doesn’t mean Malik Allen can outplay… anyone. Udonis Haslem is, well, Udonis Haslem. And yes, the Heat were happy with signing Michael Doleac.
It’s simple, really. Shaquille O’Neal is not going to bring the Miami Heat to the top of the Eastern Conference unless more is added around him. The Heat have invested over $40 million in just Shaq and Eddie Jones alone. There is no way for them to bring in more quality talent. And when Dwayne Wade’s payday comes rolling around, things aren’t going to get any better.
Mark my words, and you can go tell your friends: Even with Shaq, the Heat are not the beasts in the East. End of story.
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7 replies on “Even with Shaq- there’s still not enough Heat in Miami”
The Heat WILL contend in the East I think you underestimate Shaq’s presence on the floor. In no way do I think having him is a free pass to the Finals, but he turns the Heat into a legitimate contender for the Eastern crown. Last year the East was the Pistons, Pacers, and Nets. Everyone else was a perimeter based squad that didn’t have enough inside to compete with the big boys. Now the best team of the rest has Shaq in the middle. They definitely need some more pieces around the big fella, but they still have the mid level exception to spend and Shaq is a nice lure for free agents. O’Neal, Wade & Jones aren’t quite enough, but I think any team would take those building blocks. Just ask all the eastern squads how they feel about having O’Neal back in the conference.
You’re right…. All I said was that they are not THE BEST team in the East just because of Shaq… and you didn’t even mention that the Heat were the best team in East in your comment. What you said just reiterated my points. I mentioned that Shaq was a great player, but not a savior. I mentioned how they need more around him. The mid-level exception is not going to land them a player that’s going to provide that big of an impact or, in other words, something significantly better than what they already have on their roster. They are a contender, like I said. But they are not going to win it. They are still behind Detroit and Indiana… and maybe even the Nets. I think you missed what I was saying because in no way do I underestimate his presence (there’s a reason I wrote that he’s the best center in the world). All I said was that they are not going to win the East; and even the best center in the world can’t make them better than Detroit or Indiana.
Sorry… I posted that last comment on my Dad’s username… he hadn’t signed out. Sorry
bartlstud4
Shaq There is no man on this planet that can match up with Shaq. Consider his presence on the court. Now that he is back in the East–he has less competition, a more eastern-styled offense that fits him, youth around him, something to prove to the Lakers–the chip on his shoulder–and a conference with little or no big men. I expect him to score about 28 per game. And if he comes back in shape, they’ve got a chance to be one of the top three teams in the East. Don’t rule out the possibilty that the Heat are done with the free agent market.
that’s what i like to see! 2 members in the same family! 🙂 we need more of you here.
Shaq When Shaq went to L.A., sportswriters were saying that he would never win a championship there. They were just as positive as you are.
I was an Orlando fan, so I wanted them to be right. Sadly, they weren’t.
It’s real simple SHAQ is the best player in the NBA. He’s dominating.
The problem here is that the HEAT gave away (Grant, Odom, Butler) and lost FA (Alston) 4 of the top 6 minutes played people from their youthful emergence team from last season.
SHAQ is destined to be a 60 game a year player for the rest of his career.
Can DWAYNE WADE beat teams by himself for 25% of the season? I don’t think so.
Shaq could get away with this in LA with that talent but not in MIAMI.
If he plays 82 games they will be a top 4 team. If he doesn’t. They will not be good.