Shaq wants to be a Celtic

[RockinRyA]

Wallace, BBD, Gaffney, Lafayette and some draft picks to CLE
Shaq (8mil/2 years), Parker, Moon and Powe to BOS.
Its gives us the best bench in the league:
RONDO/ROBINSON/BRADLEY
ALLEN/PARKER/BRADLEY
PIERCE/DANIELS/MOON
GARNETT/POWE/HARANGODY
J.O'NEAL/S.O'NEAL/*PERKINS*/ERDEN

Why would you want to be involved in a trade that makes us lose BBD in favor of Powe?

[ms.bball41]

I would love to see shaq in Celtic green!!

[MBunge]

Sheed spread the floor, creating space for guys like Pierce, Ray, and Rondo to operate, while Shaq clogs up the middle and does the opposite for the other guys on the floor with him. This, and the fact that he can't defend the pick and roll if his life depended on it, are the two biggest problems with getting Shaq, and two things that Sheed was much better at than him. Shaq killed the Suns offense, and the cavs were much better with him on the bench. Sheed was a big reason why the celtics got to the finals, and why they had a chance in game 7.

Who spread the floor when the Cs won the title in 2008?  PJ Brown?  I'd argue that Sheed didn't spread the floor that much as the season went on because he couldn't hit a three to save his life.

Shaq didn't kill the Suns offense.  He just helped expose Steve Nash's limitations.  And if Boston had had Shaq in game 7, they'd be raising another banner this fall cause there's NO WAY Boston gets manhandled on the boards with Shaq in the game.

Mike

[FLCeltsFan]

I think a Shaq and Moon or Parker for Sheed would solve two roster needs at once.  Gilbert should do that because the only way he can make good on his promise that Cleveland will win a title before LeJerk does is to make sure that there is a team out there to keep Miami out of the finals.  Helping the Celtics solves that problem too.   

[Jon]

Shaq's not replacing Perk.  He's replacing Sheed as back up center.  Which means that Boston would be swapping a slight downgrade defensively for better rebounding and a more consistent and less disruptive offensive production.  I doubt Shaq will be goint 0-5 on 3 pointer anytime next year.

Actually, I'd take it a step further and say Shaq is replacing Luke Harangody or a minimum level backup, because Sheed doesn't appear to be an option.

Harangody is not a center.  Acquiring Shaq pushes Semih Erden down the depth chart so that the "Great Wall of Turkey" isn't getting 10 mpg.

I'm not saying that Luke is a center.  What I'm saying is that right now, our 4/5 rotation is basically KG, JO, BBD, Luke, and Erden.  Thus, if we got no one else, we could conceivably be faced with times when BBD and Luke are on the floor together. 

Thus, we're not talking about Shaq replacing Wallace, we're talking about bringing him here so we don't have to play Luke, Erden, or some minimum guy big minutes.  People are acting like we have a choice between Shaq and Dwight Howard here. 

And in that regard, he's a huge upgrade. 

[LooseCannon]

People are acting like we have a choice between Shaq and Dwight Howard here. 

Actually, I think people are acting like we have a choice between Shaq and Josh Howard.  And I am much more pessimistic than most on the Celtics' ability to get Josh Howard or any other above-average wing for Sheed's contract.  Which doesn't mean that I like the idea of bringing in Shaq either.

And the Cavs aren't going to be in salary dump mode.  They just took on the contract of Ramon Sessions.  I don't think they're going to be conducting a fire sale and giving away talent anytime soon.  They've got a rich owner who will probably prefer paying luxury tax to admitting fault.  For anyone proposing a trade with Cleveland, you should say what the Cavs rotation will look like after the trade and why they would want to be in such a state.

[Jon]

People are acting like we have a choice between Shaq and Dwight Howard here. 

Actually, I think people are acting like we have a choice between Shaq and Josh Howard.  And I am much more pessimistic than most on the Celtics' ability to get Josh Howard or any other above-average wing for Sheed's contract.  Which doesn't mean that I like the idea of bringing in Shaq either.

And the Cavs aren't going to be in salary dump mode.  They just took on the contract of Ramon Sessions.  I don't think they're going to be conducting a fire sale and giving away talent anytime soon.  They've got a rich owner who will probably prefer paying luxury tax to admitting fault.  For anyone proposing a trade with Cleveland, you should say what the Cavs rotation will look like after the trade and why they would want to be in such a state.

I hear you.  I'm on the Howard bandwagon too, and in many ways would like to see that go down too.

I've also expressed in this thread and many others my skepticism about Cleveland just giving players to us. 

Still, I don't think they'd be against (at the very least) just giving us Shaq for a second rounder and Wallace. 

While I'd hope we could get a lot more than that, if we can't, I'd take it over nothing.  We can then try to sign Delonte. 

While Shaq has slipped, his presence in the post with the second unit would give us scoring when the starters are on the bench and give Nate (and maybe Delonte) open looks on the perimeter.  That in itself could make guys like Marquis (and maybe Delonte) look like Josh Howard. 

[kozlodoev]

Who spread the floor when the Cs won the title in 2008?  PJ Brown?  I'd argue that Sheed didn't spread the floor that much as the season went on because he couldn't hit a three to save his life.

Yes, P.J. Brown did. He is actually able to hit a jump shot from outside 5 feet, unlike Shaq. Wallace shot 35% from three during the playoffs, and made teams pay for leaving him open.

Shaq didn't kill the Suns offense.  He just helped expose Steve Nash's limitations.

Like the limitation of being unable to win with a plodding 400 lbs. center with inflated ego and diminishing skills? Horrible. I would have been eager to see Shaq come to Boston and expose Rondo's limitations... if I weren't a Celtics fan.

And if Boston had had Shaq in game 7, they'd be raising another banner this fall cause there's NO WAY Boston gets manhandled on the boards with Shaq in the game.

If Boston had Shaq, they may not even have been in the finals.

[hpantazo]

Sheed spread the floor, creating space for guys like Pierce, Ray, and Rondo to operate, while Shaq clogs up the middle and does the opposite for the other guys on the floor with him. This, and the fact that he can't defend the pick and roll if his life depended on it, are the two biggest problems with getting Shaq, and two things that Sheed was much better at than him. Shaq killed the Suns offense, and the cavs were much better with him on the bench. Sheed was a big reason why the celtics got to the finals, and why they had a chance in game 7.

Who spread the floor when the Cs won the title in 2008?  PJ Brown?  I'd argue that Sheed didn't spread the floor that much as the season went on because he couldn't hit a three to save his life.

Shaq didn't kill the Suns offense.  He just helped expose Steve Nash's limitations.  And if Boston had had Shaq in game 7, they'd be raising another banner this fall cause there's NO WAY Boston gets manhandled on the boards with Shaq in the game.

Mike

Posey and House spread the floor in 2008, and having Rondo in there without a jump shot along with Perk almost cost us the playoff run a few times. Also, don't forget PJ Brown's huge jumper in game 7 of the cavs series. Perk would have bricked that or turned the ball over, and so would Shaq. As for your statement that Shaq exposed Nash's limitations, what do you think he would do to Rondo then? At least Nash can shoot the lights out and is a 2 time MVP. I still haven't seen any explanation of how the team will be  able to defend pick and rolls with Shaq on the floor either. I was happy every time I saw him out there in the cavs series because it gave the celtics an advantage. The last thing we need is to handicap out own defense and offense for a 40 year old rebounder who clogs the lane and has ego problems. Sheed brought it big time on both ends of the floor when in counted. I would love to have him back for another year, and even for the following lockout year.

[hpantazo]

Who spread the floor when the Cs won the title in 2008?  PJ Brown?  I'd argue that Sheed didn't spread the floor that much as the season went on because he couldn't hit a three to save his life.

Yes, P.J. Brown did. He is actually able to hit a jump shot from outside 5 feet, unlike Shaq. Wallace shot 35% from three during the playoffs, and made teams pay for leaving him open.

Shaq didn't kill the Suns offense.  He just helped expose Steve Nash's limitations.

Like the limitation of being unable to win with a plodding 400 lbs. center with inflated ego and diminishing skills? Horrible. I would have been eager to see Shaq come to Boston and expose Rondo's limitations... if I weren't a Celtics fan.

And if Boston had had Shaq in game 7, they'd be raising another banner this fall cause there's NO WAY Boston gets manhandled on the boards with Shaq in the game.

If Boston had Shaq, they may not even have been in the finals.

thank you, TP.

[LooseCannon]

Delonte West is 6'3".  So, is Ramon Sessions.  Minnesota is obviously trying to dump salary. (Michael Beasley is their highest paid player and they are well under the cap with 15 players under contract.)

I wonder if Sheed could have been used to get combo guard Sessions and skinny, athletic, high-energy, shot-blocking 7-footer Ryan Hollins.  Those two, plus a vet-min back-up SF (Rodney Carney, Jarvis Hayes, James Singleton) could have settled the roster rather than gambling on finding a better deal later.

[hpantazo]

Delonte West is 6'3".  So, is Ramon Sessions.  Minnesota is obviously trying to dump salary. (Michael Beasley is their highest paid player and they are well under the cap with 15 players under contract.)

I wonder if Sheed could have been used to get combo guard Sessions and skinny, athletic, high-energy, shot-blocking 7-footer Ryan Hollins.  Those two, plus a vet-min back-up SF (Rodney Carney, Jarvis Hayes, James Singleton) could have settled the roster rather than gambling on finding a better deal later.

I hear you, but what does this have to do with Shaq wanting to be a celtic?

[Eddie20]

Delonte West is 6'3".  So, is Ramon Sessions.  Minnesota is obviously trying to dump salary. (Michael Beasley is their highest paid player and they are well under the cap with 15 players under contract.)

I wonder if Sheed could have been used to get combo guard Sessions and skinny, athletic, high-energy, shot-blocking 7-footer Ryan Hollins.  Those two, plus a vet-min back-up SF (Rodney Carney, Jarvis Hayes, James Singleton) could have settled the roster rather than gambling on finding a better deal later.

Ramon Sessions is not a player that can defend two's with any consistency. He looks small out there. And Hollins is a journey man at best.

Edit: Just looked at his pre-draft measurements and Sessions is 6-2 without shoes and has a wingspan of only 6-4. By comparison, Bradley, who is also 6-2, has a wingspan of 6-7.

[Jon]

But again, this isn't a Shaq vs. Sheed debate.  This is a Shaq vs. a minimum guy, Luke Harangody being in the rotation playing alongside BBD at center debate. 

I'm all for the Josh Howard trade.  However, if that doesn't go down, we're definitely better off with Shaq than no one. 

[LooseCannon]

Delonte West is 6'3".  So, is Ramon Sessions.  Minnesota is obviously trying to dump salary. (Michael Beasley is their highest paid player and they are well under the cap with 15 players under contract.)

I wonder if Sheed could have been used to get combo guard Sessions and skinny, athletic, high-energy, shot-blocking 7-footer Ryan Hollins.  Those two, plus a vet-min back-up SF (Rodney Carney, Jarvis Hayes, James Singleton) could have settled the roster rather than gambling on finding a better deal later.

I hear you, but what does this have to do with Shaq wanting to be a celtic?

People aren't creative enough in looking at other options.  They get fixated on one solution.  So we get a bunch of Josh Howard or bust, Shaq or bust, Rudy Fernandez or bust threads.  I think it's wrong to suggest that the choice is between using Sheed's contract to get Shaq or a wing or between Shaq and a vet-min center.

The Celtics need another center (not just a big, but an actual center) and a backup SF (and I contend the team would be better off finding a SF who can play some minutes as a stretch 4 rather than a wingman SG/SF).  And there are a lot of ways to try to fill those needs.  People are just setting themselves up for failure if they insist the Celtics just have to acquire a young, athletic player who you can envision starting in Boston four years from now.  That's just a ridiculous expectation.  It might happen, but it's ludicrous to think that anything less is failure. 

There are a bunch of crybabies on this board who won't be pleased unless the Celtics land a knockout blow with an acquisition that makes the sports media anoint Boston as the team to beat in the East.  We're talking about shoring up the Celtics bench.  And bench players are usually flawed.  Otherwise, they would be starters.  The Celtics would be better of trying use Sheed's contract to land two solid journeyman-level talents better than the average vet-min player to fill multiple needs.

And value is all relative.  Instead of Shaq vs a faceless minimum guy, let's say that the minimum guy is Jason Collins, Francisco Elson, or DJ Mbenga or else Boston is relying on Semih Erden to play more than 10mpg.