The finals are over and the Yankees are champions!  Excuse me, I mean the Lakers.  Kobe deserves props.  Hopefully now he can stop scowling and relax that painful underbite.  Moving on.

It’s the offseason!  Only two and half months of boredom.  (Unless you’re a Padres fan, in which case it’s two and half months of agony.)  Then football season starts, and before any of us know it, basketball will be here again.  Until then, it’s time to address the draft, rumor mill, and all the other off-season activities.

As Mr. Gomez pointed out, ESPN is reporting that talks have begun between the Suns and Cavaliers regarding the big saguaro, the Shaqtus himself, Shaquille O’Neal.  As currently constructed, the rumors suggest that Ben Wallace, and Sasha Pavolovic would be exchanged for Shaquille “the big aristotle” O’Neal.  The Suns would be freed of their largest contract; while the Cavaliers would immediately bolster their inside presence.  Adding to the intrigue, Ben Wallace mentioned retirement after the Cavs elimination from the playoffs.  It’s a chance for the Suns to save even more money, with a potential buyout.  In all reality the Suns’ interest is purely financial.  Shaq is 37 and can’t be good for more than one or two more solid years.  The Cavs obviously feel they are close but can Shaq physically hold up?  If he is the revitalized player we saw this past year then the Cavs will be sitting pretty.

In other news, free-agent talk is heating up.  Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza are both free-agents and will likely seek big contracts, meaning the NBA Champs may be forced to choose between the two.  Hedo Turkoglu’s representation said they would test the waters.  Ben Gordon is a free agent, as is Ron Artest.  A couple other notables: Shawn Marion and Allen Iverson.

I’ll take a look at the draft soon, but that’s all for now.

Filed under: General, NBA | Tagged: Ben Gordon, Ben Wallace, Kobe, Lamar Odom, Lebron, Lebron James, Pavlovic, Sasha, Shaq, Trevor Ariza | 2 Comments »