Big Shaq Experiment working so far for Cavaliers
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Shaquille O'Neal isn't seen or heard from as much as he used to be, and that can only mean one thing: This Shaq experiment might just be starting to work.
For a while Sunday night, the most notable thing Shaq did was stumble out of bounds and hug Daniel Baldwin, he of the Long Island Baldwins and now a resident of Portland. Everybody had a big laugh, and Shaq went on about his nightly business for the Cleveland Cavaliers, which now consists of the pedestrian task of putting up about 10 points and a half dozen rebounds, or thereabouts.
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| Shaquille O'Neal played a small but important part in the Cavs' win at Portland on Sunday. (Getty Images) |
"He's an interior force that we haven't had," said LeBron James, who scored 41 in the debut of his different-colored Nikes -- one orange and one blue, to match Cleveland's throwback jerseys.
Unlike LeBron, the biggest chameleon on the court now has to be happy with doing the little things. And just before heading to the bench for the night against the Blazers, Shaq made a play that I thought might've been the most important of the night. Brandon Roy, leading Portland back from a 17-point deficit, missed a 3-pointer that would've made it a three-point game with four minutes left. LaMarcus Aldridge got the rebound, and O'Neal quickly sealed off his path to the basket and fouled him.
Shaq was replaced by Jawad Williams, who had 10 points in 17 minutes off the bench as Mike Brown played a small lineup for an extended period against the undersized Blazers. With O'Neal toweling off his sweaty dome on the bench, Aldridge missed both free throws. The Blazers got within six only once more before losing by 12.
"We've got a lot of guys that never show up in the box score," James said. "With Shaq, he's done enough in his 17-year career where he doesn't have to show up in the box score at this point."
He showed up in other ways -- drawing at least 10 fouls, making five of his eight free throws and dishing five assists out of double teams. For the first time all season, the Cavs seem to be finding a method to the madness that could've been created by Shaq's arrival.
"In our locker room, he's the only one with four championship rings," Brown said. "He knows this is LeBron's team, but four championship rings says a ton."
Brown went out of his way Sunday night to thank owner Dan Gilbert and general manager Danny Ferry for spending the money to give him this team. Be careful what you wish for, Mike. Shaq's presence has put a nightly burden on Brown, forcing him to juggle his minutes, assuage his ego just enough and use the right lineups at the right times. As everybody knows from the playoff debacle against Orlando last season, lineup combinations are not Brown's forte.
Brown has been in tinkering mode all season as far as when and how to use Shaq, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, J.J. Hickson and Anderson Varejao with very mixed results. Heading into the weekend, the Cavs were worse with every combination of James and/or Varejao with Shaq than they were without Shaq. For example, with James, Shaq, and Varejao on the floor, the Cavs were a robust plus-12, according to stat guru Wayne Winston. But with James and Varejao on the floor without Shaq, they were twice as good -- plus-24.
Despite the numbers above, Brown hasn't contemplated returning Ilgauskas to the starting lineup and bringing Shaq off the bench. It would be a futile exercise, representing one indignity Shaq wouldn't accept. So the Cavs have to make it work with Shaq starting games, sometimes finishing them and always a few minutes of bench time away from discontent.
"It's been a real big positive to have him come in here and accept the role, knowing that as the season goes along -- especially come playoff time -- that's going to increase," Brown said.
Whether the Cavs succumb to the temptation to trade Ilgauskas and his $11.5 million expiring contract for a more athletic big man to complement Shaq remains to be seen. There's no indication they're willing to do anything of the sort, given the versatility that comes with mixing and matching two differently skilled 7-footers against teams with brute-force interiors like Orlando, Cleveland and the Cavs' presumed Finals opponent, the Lakers.
One thing for sure is that there are plenty of teams ready to tempt them with a scoring power forward, especially if it meant saddling the already cap-strapped Cavs with more money for 2010-11 and beyond. Antawn Jamison and Al Jefferson, both on the trading block, come to mind. With LeBron's impending foray into free agency, everybody knows the Cavs are in win-immediately mode.
But for now, this thing might just be working. The Cavs have won nine of 11, allowing 100 points only twice during that stretch. They seem to be getting their defensive feet under them after Brown was forced to tweak the scheme -- no more attacking pick-and-rolls with big men when Shaq is on the floor -- and there's enough offense on most nights from people not named LeBron. James only needed 19 shots to amass his 41 points, only 10 of which came after halftime.
As James gave his usual dissertation about how he will never force up too many shots, Shaq was already headed toward the loading dock for his usual meet-and-greets with friends and foes alike. The big fella is as silent off the court as he is on it these days, and that part seems to be working, too.
