The Lakers are going to get hammered next year in the West. The makeup of their team is going to make them look like the Suns.
I'm pumped about this trade. I can't wait for him to step on the floor at the AA, we are FREAKING contendors just by having him. The Heat was off to a poor start this offseason, I didn't see them making moves to improve over last year. Yes we had a great run, but deep down inside you knew that if the Heat didn't develop a strong, physical inside player we would be doomed to 1st or 2nd round exits. On top of that you lose your sparkplug at the point to the Raptors and have drafted a project.
Every heat fan I know DREAMED of having Grant and Jones off the team to clear up some cap space. Odom was awesome last year, but is he capable of carrying a team down the stretch and developing a game like Garnett? Caron plays with a lot of heart and is a great defender, but he can be replaced. His game may get better, but he will never be a 20+ point scorer in this league.
What you get in return is the most dominating player in our era. He is a freak of nature, a giant amongst giants that can DOMINATE players on a nightly basis. In the east, other than Jermain O'Neil, who can match up with him? Imagine if he had been traded to a team in our division, how we would feel knowing we had to face him 4 times a year? He is one of the greatest players of all time and has 3 championship rings. You have to take a chance to win now, and trading for Shaq was the right move. Its really sad for me to see Odom and Caron go, but I agree 100% with the decision. I'd like to thank them for bringing us back to being respectable and for playing with heart and passion that will go down as one of my favorite sports moments ever.
With that being said, its time to make a real run for the title. We in Miami are used to teams that make half *** moves, too cautious to pull the trigger and go for broke. This may turn out great or may be the worst move ever, but at the end of the day, at this time, its the right move to make.