Why Miami Heat will not consider Shaquille O’Neal?
Rumours have been wavering about Miami Heat contemplating on adding Shaquille O’Neal back on to their roster and Shaquille also wants to hop on the star studded bench. Despite the fact that the team has already signed onto a former Cleveland Centre named Zydrunas Ilgauskas, experts say they could still use O’Neal to complement him.
One major reason why O’Neal will not return to South Florida is because he did not leave on very good terms with the team. Apparently Shaquille left the Miami Heat in 2007 after ending up in a feud with Heat’s head coach Pat Riley, which they say turned quite abusive. Till this day, media and team officials witter about the fact how Shaquille was on the team, arrogant and overconfident.
Second reason being, it was LeBron James wish that after joining the Miami Heat, Zydrunas Ilgauskas would be welcome aboard too. His dream came true when Zydrunas signed a deal with the Heat last Tuesday. It was yet another blow to the Cleveland Cavaliers as Miami heat stripped them of their star player LeBron James and now their centre Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
Zydrunas came off the bench with a low record in the 2010 playoffs; his average in the playoffs was 1.7 points and 16 rebounds per game in 69 minutes marking his career’s lowest. Although Miami Heat does need another centre for a backup, considering Shaquille who comes with a big baggage which is filled with mostly negative things could really disturb the whole roster. However, Joel Anthony is one strong prospect Miami Heat could consider re-signing. Joel is a restricted free agent and has played 45 games for the Miami Heat since he was drafted in 2007 by them. He is a forward but can also work as a centre if the need arises.
As their current centre Jermaine O’Neal continues to battle with numerous injuries, Miami got what they longed for a, striving centre Zydrunas Ilgauskas who they could rely on according to LeBron James, also because the team wants their substitute centre, Udonis Haslem (6’8”) to play as forward.
Yes indeed, they should hire another centre as an alternative but the fact that O’Neal is the oldest player in NBA currently, age 38, and has slowed down over the previous years he could really slow down a team of young determined athletes.
They say Karma gets the best of everyone, and it sure did. Shaquille talked a lot of trash about Kobe Bryant, his former teammate, in the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant has left Shaquille trailing in the championship department, five-to-four. With Lakers winning back to back titles, Shaquille has suffered throughout the last couple of years with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Critics say they are sure about the fact Shaquille regrets fighting with the Lakers and from within wants to join the championship-calibre club.
So why would a newly built robust team like Miami Heat want a 38 year old player who could only score on continuous fouls, which means the team would have to get the ball out of James, Dwyanes and Bosh’s hands just so they could win the game. Welcoming Shaquille on board will just make him into a liability, which they cannot certainly afford. Furthermore his free-throw percentage was only 50 percent last season.
The trio, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh get along quite well, they do not need to add huge ego to their team. Dwayne and Chris took pay cuts in order to to recruit James, so adding baggage to their trio would just bring them down. By welcoming O’Neal onboard Dwyane and James know what the cost would be as they both have played with him in previously. Shaquille is like an untamed ego that would be on the loose and nobody will able to stop him.
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