The Cavaliers traded for Shaquille O'Neal a week ago, but his introductory press conference didn't happen until Thursday afternoon. And for the most part, it was worth the wait. As we've come to expect when Shaq gets in front of a microphone, there were plenty of interesting and entertaining quotes that came out of his first meeting with the Cleveland media.
Shaq kicked things off by flashing the picture to your right, claiming that when he received the initial call from Cavs' GM Danny Ferry, he had to Google him, and when he did, this was the one of the first things to pop up.
Nice way to break the ice, Big Fella. Here are some more highlights from Shaq's first official day as a Cavalier.
The Cavaliers are going all out to try to win a championship next season, before LeBron James can even think about becoming an unrestricted free agent in the magical, mystical summer of 2010. They've already traded for Shaquille O'Neal, and are rumored to have interest in the services of the recently freed Charlie Villanueva.
The team's heavy activity this summer would lead you to believe that minutes on the court will be in short supply for Anderson Varejao in the coming season. And that might be a big reason why he opted out of a contract which would have paid him $6.2M, when it's pretty unlikely that any team would offer him much more than that once he hit the open market.
The deal that sent Shaquille O'Neal to the Cavaliers last week had been rumored since the trade deadline back in February, so it wasn't exactly a huge surprise. But had Shaq gone to another team -- like, say, the Portland Trail Blazers -- that would have been a pretty shocking development, mainly because we hadn't heard even a whisper of that being a possibility.
Apparently, though, the Blazers were indeed in talks with the Suns to bring O'Neal to Portland. This semi-bombshell comes from Shaq himself, who also says that the talks came to an end once he informed Steve Kerr he wasn't interested in being sent to the Blazers.
For those of you in Cleveland anxious to get your hands on some official Shaquille O'Neal Cavaliers gear, the wait is over.
The team has confirmed that Shaq will wear the number 33, and of course, replica jerseys are already available for purchase.
O'Neal hasn't worn 33 at all in the pros, however it was the number he used both in high school and during his college days at LSU. Shaq has been No. 32 for the majority of his professional career -- save for his time with the Lakers from 1997-2004, when he wore No. 34 for the purple and gold.
Shaquille O'Neal going to the Cavaliers to play alongside LeBron James seems like a positive way for the future Hall-of-Famer to finish out his career, right? Well, it seems that Shaq himself is a little bit conflicted about it emotionally, as evidenced by the following video he tweeted to his many followers after the deal became official on Thursday afternoon.
I heard Michael Jackson died at approximately 5:30 PM ET. Hours later, I still don't think it's fully hit me. This was the man I idolized growing up as a kid ... I watched Moonwalker about 80 times on VHS (Joe Pesci was the villain). I once furiously outbid someone $159 for a replica Beat It jacket with 13 zippers. I actually have an 8x10 glossy of Billie Jean Michael taped next to my bedroom door.
Everyone -- from celebrities to sports stars to ordinary people -- had their way of trying to feel connected to the King of Pop. In his mere presence, fans have fainted and needed medical attention. So when news broke that Jackson had passed away, the reverberations on social media sites like Twitter were immense. Outspoken wide receiver Chad Ochocinco even went on to tweet "this is just as sad as 9/11" and then tried to play damage control after his offensive comment.
After the jump, read the emotional reactions from current and former athletes.
New Jersey will only save about $1 million in payroll for the 2009-10 season. But Carter is the only player in the deal with a contract extending into the 2010-11. (There are cheap team options on both Anderson and Lee. Cheap, as in $1.3 million.) With this trade, the Nets now have less than $20 million committed for the 2010-11, giving the team some $40 million to offer up to multiple free agents, or to use in trades. Yes, the Nets can pull two max players in the vaunted summer of 2010.
On the eve of the NBA Draft, what's likely to be the biggest trade of the season has nothing to do with any of the players that will be shaking David Stern's hand on Thursday night. Shaquille O'Neal is headed to Cleveland to play alongside LeBron James, and Matt Moore joined me to break down the implications.
Are the Cavs now officially contenders? Did the Suns get anything more than cash savings in return? And most importantly, will all of our heads explode if Shaq, Lebron, and the Cavs face Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the Finals next year?
Important stuff to be sure, and we discuss it all, after the jump.
The offseason is likely to be a lot like the regular season was for the Phoenix Suns. As you may recall, rumors involving both Amar'e Stoudemire and Shaquille O'Neal swirled around the club up until the trade deadline. And even after a coaching change that took place right after the All-Star break, the team was in a constant state of flux that most would admit was at least partially responsible for the club missing the playoffs.
In an attempt to solidify the Suns' immediate future, Steve Kerr made a quick trip to New York to meet with Steve Nash, with hopes of beginning to convince him to sign a contract extension now, instead of waiting until the end of next season, when he would become an unrestricted free agent.
But Nash will certainly want some assurances before doing so, and I believe there's one word he wants to hear from the organization most of all: Consistency.
The Cavaliers traded for Shaquille O'Neal a week ago, but his introductory press conference didn't happen until Thursday afternoon. And for the most part, it was worth the wait. As we've come to expect when Shaq gets in front of a microphone, there were plenty of interesting and entertaining quotes that came out of his first meeting with the Cleveland media.
The Cavaliers are going all out to try to win a championship next season, before 
OK, sure, stacking 
The deal that sent 
For those of you in Cleveland anxious to get your hands on some official 
Orlando certainly got the best player (
On the eve of the 
The offseason is likely to be a lot like the regular season was for the Phoenix Suns. As you may recall, rumors involving both 
