NBA; Shaquille O’ Neal to return?
Amongst the many rumours related to the free-agency in NBA, a new one has surfaced and making it to the top of the rumours list. Apparently the Hall-of-famer Shaquille O’ Neal didn’t like the fact his juniors were making it to the top of the headlines and snatching his spot light away from him, now the “Big Sheriff” in fact has considered on returning to the National Basketball Association and wants to continue his reign of terror.
Recent reports say that O’Neal has already signed a two-year contract with the Atlanta Hawks starting at $5.8M. Shaq is known to be physically one of the most dominant players in history right after Wilt Chamberlain.
However the question is will the deal suit both players and team?
Although Shaq might be desperate for another NBA title, Atlanta might not be the best spot for him to taste the championship in his eminent career. Most would argue saying that Shaq has probably rusted over the years even though he might have been the true NBA legend but he has worn out.
Even if the Hawks manage to get the huge player on the roster, the team would not be able to make it past two the top two eastern conference teams: Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic. They would actually struggle competing with the Cleveland Cavaliers with our without LeBron James.
Atlanta Hawks need to realize they don’t need a bench filled with aging men who sit through most of the games, rocking out their designer suits. If Shaq actually does join the team he will most certainly demand minutes on the court which would alienate, young players like Josh Smith, Marvin Williams and Al Horford.
On the other hand the biggest issue for the team could be Shaquille’s temperament which by age seems to be getting worse, he has had a controversy with every coach he has worked with, and history proves it. O’Neal slammed Hall-of-Famers like Phil Jackson and Pat Riley after retiring from Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. So putting him under a rookie coach like Larry Drew would definitely give his dominant side a boost.
Talking about Drew, the former basketball player turned coach was hired for one reason only: he came cheap. This makes the coach less credible compared to Terry Porter former coach of Phoenix Suns who Shaq took joy in thrashing until he was replaced soon by Alvin Gentry.
So what is likely to happen if Drew asked The Big Sheriff to lose weight?
Let’s just simply accept the fact Larry drew will not be able to do so and neither will he, as Shaq would most certainly sabotage him. Drew requires lineage which he does not have, putting him in a tough spot and won’t be able to hold O’Neal accountable, which will become a problem for the vulnerable team in near future.
Even though that is looking at one perspective, however the other aspect that could be taken into account is neither O’Neal has the talent to enter with the current big dogs; neither does Atlanta Hawks as a team have the integrity in NBA anymore, both are as desperate as one could get.
The Hawks certainly need a strong contender as over the years their team has been falling apart; most recently their team got knocked off by conference final by Orlando Magic for 4-0. Their roster is filled with motionless players. The only good news the desperate team had heard since ages was the fact Joe Johnson recently decided to extend his contract with them, hoping he’d go for another run with the team to the championship, although his performance in the past playoffs suggests he isn’t competent enough to do so.
On the surface of things the partnership sounds nice, O’Neal could certainly form a duo with Joe Johnson and you never know the two just might surprise the world by next season and make it to the finals.
Tags: