duncan228
11-02-2009, 01:29 PM
Cleveland Should Dote On Delonte, Not Shaq (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-clevelandshoulddoteo&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews
There's a strange disconnect between reality and fantasy going on in Cleveland right now. The team many (not me) picked to win it all has had a bumpy start; key culprits have been Shaquille O'Neal, adjusting to a new team, and Delonte West, dealing with a mess of off-court issues and available for the first time last night.
The differences between the two players couldn't be more pronounced. O'Neal is a legend who wins championships anywhere he walks. West is a journeyman combo guard who got his first consistent starting minutes ever with the Cavs last season—and missed a bunch of those with injury. And yet fans looking to diagnose what's up in Cleveland would do well to get their heads straight about who really means light and goodness for their team.
I appreciate that Shaq is still big, smart and an excellent passer. He blocks the entire lane, which is good and bad, and provides an inside presence unlike any other. However, those waiting for O'Neal to suddenly bust out some All-Star caliber play or make contributions that don't just seem like the work of a big, bad role player, need to get properly reeducated.
I know you can't judge a town by its newspaper; however, I was a little surprised to see these passages in the Beacon Journal:
For anyone watching the Cavaliers' first four games and, in particular, paying attention to center Shaquille O'Neal, there has been a growing sense of anticipation — wondering when he will grab the spotlight. O'Neal came to the Cavs after averaging close to 18 points for the Phoenix Suns last season, but he hasn't had that one game offensively where he has broken out. Some of the problem can be attributed to bad bounces, where shots just do not fall for him.
It goes on from there, including the stunning admission by Mike Brown that Shaq could work best off the bench. Our author dismisses this: "But doing that would have been a mistake. Brown knows it, as does James. O'Neal gives the team a presence down low that it has never had before." Yet if Shaq is no longer foundational, and is best used as-needed, when he's not getting Bron's way and Z is getting rocked down low … isn't that the definition of a bench player?
Reeling ourselves in a bit, Delonte West made his triumphant return on Halloween, shot 71% from the floor, hit 1 out of 2 threes and had some other, residual numbers. The Cavs won. But that's not really the whole story. West not only can create for himself, he's always looking for opportunities off the ball to nudge things into motion. Without West, Mo Williams can easily turn into a runaway train. Forcing him to share with Delonte keeps him balanced (no pun intended). In the same way that the Wizards are benefiting from having players who cover more quadrants of the floor, the Cavs badly need West to make the decisions, imagine the plays and bring the roster together.
And yet it's not West who is seen as the secret to the team's success, even though I could've told you this in the middle of 2008-09. Mike Brown has high praise for Delonte, but the Beacon Journal has this far briefer item after the inquiry into Shaq's current condition:
Brown isn't prone to dishing out praise lightly, but it was clear that not only was he relieved to have Delonte West back in the lineup, but he was happy about it as well … ''He's a guy who can carry a team by himself, like Mo [Williams], like LeBron, and not only that, but he's a guy can run your team and distribute the basketball at the right time so guys can get some great looks,'' Brown said.
Yes! Exactly! If only the rest of the world would realize this and stop harping on whether or not Shaq will ever be something he hasn't been in years. It's like no one bothered to watch O'Neal in Phoenix, or has been so blinded by LeBron that they don't notice what else makes the Cavs click. For the sake of this season, I can only hope that over time, Shaq become a genial sideshow providing heft off the bench, and this team does whatever necessary to make sure Delonte's playing and plugged in. It's not that West is a neglected All-Star, but for this team, he's indispensable.
That's the kind of thing that determines what direction a season heads in, LeBron or no LeBron.
SportingNews
There's a strange disconnect between reality and fantasy going on in Cleveland right now. The team many (not me) picked to win it all has had a bumpy start; key culprits have been Shaquille O'Neal, adjusting to a new team, and Delonte West, dealing with a mess of off-court issues and available for the first time last night.
The differences between the two players couldn't be more pronounced. O'Neal is a legend who wins championships anywhere he walks. West is a journeyman combo guard who got his first consistent starting minutes ever with the Cavs last season—and missed a bunch of those with injury. And yet fans looking to diagnose what's up in Cleveland would do well to get their heads straight about who really means light and goodness for their team.
I appreciate that Shaq is still big, smart and an excellent passer. He blocks the entire lane, which is good and bad, and provides an inside presence unlike any other. However, those waiting for O'Neal to suddenly bust out some All-Star caliber play or make contributions that don't just seem like the work of a big, bad role player, need to get properly reeducated.
I know you can't judge a town by its newspaper; however, I was a little surprised to see these passages in the Beacon Journal:
For anyone watching the Cavaliers' first four games and, in particular, paying attention to center Shaquille O'Neal, there has been a growing sense of anticipation — wondering when he will grab the spotlight. O'Neal came to the Cavs after averaging close to 18 points for the Phoenix Suns last season, but he hasn't had that one game offensively where he has broken out. Some of the problem can be attributed to bad bounces, where shots just do not fall for him.
It goes on from there, including the stunning admission by Mike Brown that Shaq could work best off the bench. Our author dismisses this: "But doing that would have been a mistake. Brown knows it, as does James. O'Neal gives the team a presence down low that it has never had before." Yet if Shaq is no longer foundational, and is best used as-needed, when he's not getting Bron's way and Z is getting rocked down low … isn't that the definition of a bench player?
Reeling ourselves in a bit, Delonte West made his triumphant return on Halloween, shot 71% from the floor, hit 1 out of 2 threes and had some other, residual numbers. The Cavs won. But that's not really the whole story. West not only can create for himself, he's always looking for opportunities off the ball to nudge things into motion. Without West, Mo Williams can easily turn into a runaway train. Forcing him to share with Delonte keeps him balanced (no pun intended). In the same way that the Wizards are benefiting from having players who cover more quadrants of the floor, the Cavs badly need West to make the decisions, imagine the plays and bring the roster together.
And yet it's not West who is seen as the secret to the team's success, even though I could've told you this in the middle of 2008-09. Mike Brown has high praise for Delonte, but the Beacon Journal has this far briefer item after the inquiry into Shaq's current condition:
Brown isn't prone to dishing out praise lightly, but it was clear that not only was he relieved to have Delonte West back in the lineup, but he was happy about it as well … ''He's a guy who can carry a team by himself, like Mo [Williams], like LeBron, and not only that, but he's a guy can run your team and distribute the basketball at the right time so guys can get some great looks,'' Brown said.
Yes! Exactly! If only the rest of the world would realize this and stop harping on whether or not Shaq will ever be something he hasn't been in years. It's like no one bothered to watch O'Neal in Phoenix, or has been so blinded by LeBron that they don't notice what else makes the Cavs click. For the sake of this season, I can only hope that over time, Shaq become a genial sideshow providing heft off the bench, and this team does whatever necessary to make sure Delonte's playing and plugged in. It's not that West is a neglected All-Star, but for this team, he's indispensable.
That's the kind of thing that determines what direction a season heads in, LeBron or no LeBron.