Shaq: 'I always did love Kobe' = could spell trouble for the celts

[Tr1boy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3873700

Pretty shocked Shaq was messing around with everyones head like this. The ****. Though i still think he felt bitter that the lakers didn't consider him their franchise player; so some things he did say before was not totally bs.

whatever the case is this interview i think smoothen things out as shaq i'm sure really never wanted to leave and the lakers never really wanted to trade him. Kobe and Jackson never said bad things about him.

The lakers could really buy their way to getting a ring if they traded for shaq who is out of place playing with phoenix.

I can see a scenerio where lakers get shaq and maybe another player/pick and trade lamar odom, Luke Walton and a draft pick

not sure if the cavs nor the celts would have a chance against them if such situation pans out unless we get back pj brown or compatible backup center

[fairweatherfan]

Uh, Shaq's BSing the hell out of everyone in that interview.  All those comments were VERY tongue-in-cheek, and there was real animosity between the two for quite a while.  I'm glad they calmed down though, I got sick of the media trying to act like a bunch of gossipy 8th grade girls about it. 

And the Lakers don't have the salaries to trade for Shaq without giving up a major player, and don't have room for another big in their rotation.  It ain't happening.  Plus, we shut down Shaq without Perk playing, so I think we could handle them with Shaq too.

[Donoghus]

Shaq is not going back to LA.

First of all, his contract is enormous and it would take a package of players from LA to get him.  LA would lose their depth.  I don't see that happening.  What's Shaq going to add to them?  Size?  They already size and Odom is more versatile in that he can play a couple of different positions if need be.  They'd be losing some roster flexibility.

Second of all, why would PHX trade Shaq within their own conference?  Phoenix is still a playoff team in the West and why would they go out and trade Shaq for a bunch of role players?  Does Kerr really think a trade with LA will make his team better?  I don't see it.

[Andy Jick]

can anyone imagine what shaq is going to look like 10 years after he retires?  do they make clothes that big?

[FanInTheSouth]

I'm glad they calmed down though, I got sick of the media trying to act like a bunch of gossipy 8th grade girls about it. 

LOL.  I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one, TP.

[Tr1boy]

Shaq is not going back to LA.

First of all, his contract is enormous and it would take a package of players from LA to get him.  LA would lose their depth.  I don't see that happening.  What's Shaq going to add to them?  Size?  They already size and Odom is more versatile in that he can play a couple of different positions if need be.  They'd be losing some roster flexibility.

Second of all, why would PHX trade Shaq within their own conference?  Phoenix is still a playoff team in the West and why would they go out and trade Shaq for a bunch of role players?  Does Kerr really think a trade with LA will make his team better?  I don't see it.

Shaq makes 20 mill this year and next. Odom makes about 12 mill and luke walton makes about 5. If you give 3 million dollar in cash you get shaq.

Phoenix i been reading is said to think about dismantling their team while staying in a close hunt to make the playoffs. Rumors are surfacing that nash could be traded to Toronto for calderon, staudamire to new york knicks for david lee.

Shaq honestly is not working well with the phoenix system, nothing really cohesive playing with nash nor staudamire either.

Phoenix could be shopping shaq but like you stated maybe not to the lakers. If the lakers though gave them a package of odom, walton and a 1st round pick i doubt they would turn that down since they prob couldn't get a better deal anywhere else.

Lakers have a clog in that sf spot with radmanovich, ariza, walton and odom. Yet they really don't have much depth other than gasol and bynum in the center/pf spot

such trade could work for everyone especially the lakers who can come closer to securing the ring

[Steve Weinman]

Shaq is not going back to LA.

First of all, his contract is enormous and it would take a package of players from LA to get him.  LA would lose their depth.  I don't see that happening.  What's Shaq going to add to them?  Size?  They already size and Odom is more versatile in that he can play a couple of different positions if need be.  They'd be losing some roster flexibility.

Second of all, why would PHX trade Shaq within their own conference?  Phoenix is still a playoff team in the West and why would they go out and trade Shaq for a bunch of role players?  Does Kerr really think a trade with LA will make his team better?  I don't see it.

Cosign, Dons.

And the sentiment that Shaq is not working well within the Phoenix system seems out of place given that he's playing rejuvenated basketball and just earned himself an All-Star appearance.  He's also been featured in the post on the sixth-most efficient offense in basketball.

Also, even if the Suns are considering "dismantling while staying in a close hunt to make the playoffs," as triboy says, what makes Odom-Walton even close to appealing?  Just because the salaries come close to matching doesn't mean the personnel does.

-sw

[Tr1boy]

Shaq is not going back to LA.

First of all, his contract is enormous and it would take a package of players from LA to get him.  LA would lose their depth.  I don't see that happening.  What's Shaq going to add to them?  Size?  They already size and Odom is more versatile in that he can play a couple of different positions if need be.  They'd be losing some roster flexibility.

Second of all, why would PHX trade Shaq within their own conference?  Phoenix is still a playoff team in the West and why would they go out and trade Shaq for a bunch of role players?  Does Kerr really think a trade with LA will make his team better?  I don't see it.

Cosign, Dons.

And the sentiment that Shaq is not working well within the Phoenix system seems out of place given that he's playing rejuvenated basketball and just earned himself an All-Star appearance.  He's also been featured in the post on the sixth-most efficient offense in basketball.

Also, even if the Suns are considering "dismantling while staying in a close hunt to make the playoffs," as triboy says, what makes Odom-Walton even close to appealing?  Just because the salaries come close to matching doesn't mean the personnel does.

-sw

the appealing factor would mainly be with the draft pick and/or the 20 million or 15 million dollar cap space they would have next year to sign a viable free agent.

Walton is not the greatest player but he is a decent young vet you can grow your team with too

[Steve Weinman]

Also, last I checked, the Lakers were fairly set in the frontcourt.

-sw

[Redz]

Do Laker boards have bring back threads as often as we have bring back Twoine threads?

[TatteredOnMySleeve]

that interview was very tounge-and-cheek
First off, how stupid is the question, "what could kobe have done for you that wasnt done for you in Miami" ....didnt he win a ring in miami?
Secondly he says he never looks back, but he started off the interview saying they wouldve won 6-8 rings if he stayed in LA...isnt that looking back?
That and there was turmoil between the 2, lol.
Theres no way he goes back to LA, and even so, hes not the player he was when they won 3 in a row, otherwise he could be dominating in Phoenix right now, he has plenty of pieces besides him to do so

[xmuscularghandix]

Shaq's not going back to LA.

[Toine43]

Not sure why either team would do this. Like Steve and Donoghus said, the Lakers are about as set in the frontcourt as any team could possibly be. And why would the Suns trade away Shaq, who has playing really well for them, to a conference rival, in exchange for one pretty good player who's going to be a free agent after this season, a not so good player who they'll be stuck overpaying until 2013, and (hopefully) the 29th overall pick in the draft?

[RebusRankin]

The Suns get what? A huge expiring contract and a so so player? They already have two better sf in Hill and Barnes.

[Tr1boy]

-either way i think shaq is gone this year via trade. He can't help the lowly suns play against the elite team.

-Staudamire is most likely to stay (though i do think phoenix would get a heck of a player back in david lee if that trade happened), nash and shaq are good trade baits . Nash is in his last year and shaq is not who he used to be

-the truth is also the lakers other than gas and bynum have no backup center/pf (odom is not a pf by any standards)

-Also what do the suns accomplish by keeping shaq next year ?? worst case his trade value dips down even further

-Lastly i don't see many contending teams vying for shaqs services cept maybe lakers and cavs because they like to play halfcourt set offense more than the running game.