Shaq Trade: How it helps Cavs - and motivates Heat

What's Shaq now, The Big Mistake By The Lake?

Funny, the guy who once couldn't wait to leave Orlando for a big market has now barked his way to Cleveland.

Still, Cleveland's completed trade for Shaq on Wednesday night is a good, final attempt to bring a title next year and keep LeBron James around after it. Shaq, at 37, isn't what he was in winning a title with the Heat three years ago with three years ago, when he wasn't the player he was with the Lakers.

But he still occupies space, still puts up decent numbers (17.8 points, 8.4 rebounds last year) and still will be a good counterbalance to James.

Most important: He'll be on his mock-good behavior, unlike at the end with the Heat (and Lakers and Suns and Magic). It'll be interesting to see if the national image of O'Neal starts to sink as he trashes (as he will) another franchise he left or his championship rings and good sense of humor will again carry him through.

Two parsels of good news for the Heat in this:

1. This is a short-term solution, not a long-term one, for James. If it works for a year, that's all Cleveland can hope. So it's not like the Cavs went out and got Chris Bosh to set up a run for years.

2. It begs the Heat to make a move to answer. Pat Riley was surely going to do something to shake up the roster this off-season. But having a turncoat like Shaq back in the East demands it. He won't burn a year to watch Shaq make a run at a title

Question is: What's the best move now?

Source: SunSentinel.com