| No Trade, No Problem Authored by Chris Kreider - February 26, 2009 - 1:59 pm
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In the end, Ferry opted to hang on to “Wally World” and in turn, not tamper with the Cavaliers' chemistry that already produced over 40 wins this season.
Indeed Shaq would have been a huge addition and an insanely dominant force alongside Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the frontcourt. However, after months of injuries to various role players, Cleveland is now playing at full strength for the first time in a while, and a trade with such magnitude would have been an unnecessary alteration to an already terrific season in Northeast Ohio. There are a few reasons why an alteration to Cleveland’s roster late in the season is not a necessity.
Wally can shoot. Though the Miami University product has seen his share of hot and cold streaks since joining LeBron’s squad, Szczerbiak has been a dangerous scorer from the perimeter ever since his days in Oxford, Ohio. Parting ways with Wally would put additional pressure on Daniel “Boobie” Gibson and the lightly-used Sasha Pavlovic to replace the firepower Szczerbiak provides off the bench. Pavlovic has proved, at times, to be a consistent outside threat. However, Mike Brown’s rotation is working like a well-oiled machine as the Cavs march toward the playoffs. Why change something that seems to be working so well?
Another factor that cannot be overlooked is O’Neal’s age. Shaq is getting old. We all know the Big Diesel is a future Hall of Famer, and will always be an immovable boulder in the paint – but O’Neal will turn 37 years old in about a week, and trends have shown that older age doesn’t typically mix well with the NBA’s big men. It isn’t just a matter production, either. Shaquille is still posting 17 points and 9 rebounds per game for the Phoenix Suns, however those numbers are not coming on back-to-back nights. To ensure the Big Diesel can hold up Shaq almost never plays back-to-back games and will even sometimes take several other games off simply to rest. In addition to this, Shaq is only playing about 30 minutes per game, and hasn’t been over that mark since the 2004-2005 season with the Miami Heat. Simply put, it is a high risk investment for a commodity with an unknown reward.
Speaking of investments, Shaq is also making some serious dough. His contract, which doesn’t expire until 2010, pays $21 million this year and would be added to Ben Wallace’s $14.5 million next season. That would result in over $35 million tied up with your 35 and 37-year old frontcourt next season. This is the reason GM Danny Ferry wanted to move Big Ben’s contract if he was going to add Shaq’s. In the end, Steve Kerr decided he also was not intrigued by Ben’s astronomical contract, and the deal was dead. Without the financial burden of Shaq and Ben, Ferry also now has the flexibility to potentially lure a productive free agent this summer. This is something that would have been out of the question if both big dudes were on the roster.
When the trade deadline passed on Thursday, February 19 and the dust settled, Danny Ferry was left with a very familiar yet very solid roster. Ferry avoided the temptation of hitting the panic button, which would have financially handcuffed the Cavs front office until the anticipated free agent windstorm of 2010. The Cavs are now at full strength and have darted out of the All-Star break looking as dangerous as ever. Since King James was drafted in 2003, it’s no secret that the Cavs have seen an influx of free agent signees in an effort to surround LeBron with a championship caliber supporting cast. As a result, team consistency and cohesion has been compromised in Cleveland. While the 2008-2009 season winds down, it appears the Cavaliers are as close as they’ve been to finding the right formula. No need to roll the dice. |
