Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers got the firepower they were looking for when they traded for Shaquille O’Neal – but will he alone be enough? The Orlando Magic traded for hot headed scorer Vince Carter – something they lacked (not the hot headed part) when they lost in the NBA Finals. But will he gel with the ever-needy Dwight Howard.

Both trades – along with the NBA Draft – will steal all the headlines over the next week, but the move made by the San Antonio Spurs (trading three role players for Richard Jefferson) will trump them all. Like Tim Duncan, the Spurs trade was quiet and dominating. Watch out NBA, the Spurs have retooled.

Shaq to Cavs won’t make it past the honeymoon period

Shaq has guided two guards to a championship. Now, he will try to guide a forward there – albeit a forward who holds onto the ball more than most point guards do.

This offseason must feel familiar to Shaq. He just went through all of this in 2004. He had worn out his welcome in Los Angeles and with Kobe Bryant after the Lakers failed to win a championship with four future Hall of Famers. The Lakers, with no other choice, sent him to the Miami Heat. In Miami, Shaq paired up with young superstar Dwayne Wade. In two years, they won a championship together. Fast forward to 2009. Shaq has worn out his welcome with the Phoenix Suns because he could not help them get over the hump. The Suns, wanting to retool, trade him to Cleveland where he pairs up with a young superstar (I think we all know who he is).

The big question everyone is asking, though, is, “Will Shaq propel the Cavs to a championship?” If you are a Cavs fan, skip the rest of this section to hold onto your hopes and dreams. Shaq is not over the hill yet. He’s still one of the best centers in the league. He will provide the Cavs with a big man who can defend the Magic’s Howard. He will help the Cavs guards get more open looks because unlike the rest of the Cavs big men, he can play offense. And, he will not bother the Cavs offense like he did to the Suns. He’s played with a slasher-like superstar before, and the Cavs generally play a half court offense with the ball in James hands. He will make the Cavs a better team.

But, with all that said, he will not help the Cavs win a championship. It’s not his fault or James fault. The Cavs played above their talent level in 2009. They played defense. They shot the ball well. Their role players made all the right plays. They hustled. They did everything right but still could not make it to the Finals. Shaq is not the player to get them there. Maybe if they picked up a better and taller shooting guard or another talented big man they would matchup better against the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, or Spurs. But, truthfully, their only hope of getting over the hump is injuries to star players on other teams. They just don’t matchup well against the top tier teams in the league.

Vincanity is overrated

The Magic finally have that go-to scoring threat they missed in the 2009 NBA playoffs. The only problem is they most likely traded one clutch but overrated forward (Hedo Turkoglu) for an over the hill superstar. The trade for Carter pretty much assures the Magic will let Turkoglu walk this summer. The swapping of star players will change the dynamics of the Magic. Carter is past his prime and can no longer lead a team – not that he ever embraced the word “team” anyways. He’s not a team player like Turkoglu and will try to do too much at times – something that is detrimental to emotional, three point shooting teams.

If Carter is able to become a team player and share the ball, the Magic have a chance of repeating their success from last year (but nothing more). If he cannot, the Magic will find themselves in a difficult spot. They will have their scorer they always wanted, but it will have come at the expense of their team’s camaraderie.

The Spurs are a team to fear again



While the Cavaliers and Magic have received plenty of headlines for their trades, the Spurs trade for Jefferson received minimal coverage. Why would it garner attention from media outlets that are looking for talkative and flashy players? The Spurs and Jefferson are the exact opposite of that. Whether on or off the court, they seldom make Paris Hilton-like scenes. They hustle. They work as a team. And they play the game by the book.

Jefferson now gives the Spurs four players who can score over 20 points a game. The trade will also allow the Spurs to rest their stars even more – something they haven’t been able to the past couple of years because of injuries. Not to mention the Spurs will probably resign Bruce Bowen (one of the players they traded to get Jefferson) once the Milwaukee Bucks waive him. Bowen was a team leader for the Spurs and integral to their defense first strategy. However, he hampered the Spurs offense and is more useful as a coach.

The trade not only makes the Spurs younger and gives them much needed scoring, but it makes them a legitimate title contender again. Even though the Spurs have consistently won over 50 games since they drafted Duncan, they haven’t changed the core of their team over the past few years. Injuries and age finally caught up to them, and Jefferson will help them rid both of those worries.

The Spurs may not receive the headlines they deserve, but their trade is by far the biggest move of this young offseason.

Read more about the trades at the links below:

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