Shaq

Just reported this evening by Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer, Shaquille O'Neal will have surgery on his injured right thumb and will miss 6-8 weeks. Which would put him out until the playoffs begin.
Obviously this is unfortunate news as Shaq was playing well prior to the injury.But the Cavs acquired him for the playoffs, specifically in a series against the Magic or Lakers. So this isn't the nail in the coffin for the Cavs, no reason to panic yet. Anderson Varejao will play minutes at center, as will Leon Powe, who recently came off the injured reserve. Zydrunas Ilgauskas will more than likely return soon, which will help matters.
Personally, I like the small Cavs lineup ... as long as they are hitting their outside shots, which just became increasingly important. It will be interesting to see how Mike Brown adjusts his lineups, particularly against bigger teams like the Magic and Raptors. Teams like the Hawks, who play with a smaller, more athletic lineup are a better matchup now for the Cavs, in my opinion.
In most of the Cavs' wins this season, they have outrebounded the opposition and won the points in the pain battle. Those numbers may take a hit, but even without Shaq the Cavs are a good rebounding team (LeBron, Varejao, Hickson and even Deltone West are excellent rebounders), especially with the recent addition of Antawn Jamison.
Hopefully Shaq stays in shape if he will indeed be back for the playoffs.