If there was any doubt that the Cavs' acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal was a good one, there isn't anymore. Over the past 10 games or so, Shaq has proven just how valuable he is, stepping up his game in a major way, especially since Mo Williams went down with an injury. Shaq and LeBron have really started to exploit teams as far as the pick and roll, which is evident by the increase in LeBron'a assist numbers as of late (15 assists against Memphis on Tuesday). When the Cavs face the Heat tonight, Shaq's impact on the game figures to be significant. In the Cavs win in Miami on Jan. 25, Shaq totaled 19 points, four rebounds and was 9 of 13 from the floor. In January, Shaq shot 64.8 percent from the floor. In December, he shot 50.7 percent. Quite a difference. He is getting more shots per game now and is starting to get his legs, after all he is pretty old (in NBA terms, of course). I was 100 percent behind this trade and Danny Ferry is starting to look like a genius. The Cavs are playing their best ball of the season right now and figure to get even better once they are healthy.
Will Ferry make a trade before the deadline later this month? I'm not sure, and honestly I am not sure if I think it's a good idea. Unless it's a slam-dunk type of salary dump deal like the Shaq one was (Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic), I don't think I want to see this team change dramatically. Closer to the trade deadline, I'll have some posts discussing this further.
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Coming tomorrow: The aftermath of the Cavs-Heat game, and my five favorite Super Bowl memories.
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