Hawks still considering signing Shaq

[mrhonline]

It sounds to me like the Hawks are willing to move Zaza and Evans -for- Shaq, but nothing else on the roster. (Perhaps rights to one of the Euros?). Evans is necessary only if Shaq requires more than $5.4M starting.

The Cavs obviously wanted Marvin Williams.

[AHF]

And why is Horford simply a Pick and Roll PF? We all know that Al's back to the basket game is weak. He can be a very good spot up shooter from midrange though, which should come more to him, if Drew's offensive plan proves to be successful. We definitely need to up his usage. But there's a reason why Shaq's usage is high. His usage is high because he's SUCCESSFUL in the low post.

But having said that, usage usually only affects the chances you have to score and maybe pass the basketball. It doesn't affect things like rebounding, and your FG%, and your ability to block shots.

The fact is that we'd have BOTH of these guys on the team. And you could play BOTH of these guys together at the same time. How good could Horford be, if he's able to play some time at PF, with a space eater like Shaq anchoring the middle? This isn't a limited offensive player like Anderson Varejao we're talking about playing alongside Shaq. Or a guy that feels he needs to touch the ball on every possession like Amare. This is Al Horford . . a guy who has the best midrange jumper on the team when he's open. But he's also a guy that is best when he doesn't have to create his own offense down on the block.

Shaq isn't replacing Horford. He's complimenting Horford and adding much needed depth to the entire frontline. Instead of a guy like Zaza, who shoots in the high 40% FG, you're adding Shaq, who shoots in the high 50% FG.

Why people wouldn't want that on this team, is beyond me. The ONLY thing people can bring up, is Shaq's "divaness" and his ability to play a full season. But you fail when they try to diss his basketball playing ability. Basketball wise, this dude can still play the game.

This is my view as well. Bring him on board if you can do it without mortgaging the future because he would be a great situational player addition.