'Shaq to Cavs' Has Traction, Resistance

Well, you put together your best team in franchise history, led by the best player in the game. You won more games than any other team in the regular season. You crushed your first two playoff opponents by double digits in every game.

And you were sent fishing. Again.

So what strategy can the Cavaliers turn to in order to get them over that final hump that continues to evade them? Go after a 37-year-old center with conditioning issues. Again.

The Cavs are in pursuit of Shaquille O'Neal. Yes, again. Well, maybe.

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The Arizona Republic's prolific beat writer Paul Coro reports that talks are heating up again, while ESPN has a report that no deal is imminent. Talks have been ongoing since before the trade deadline, when a suggested deal was on the table but fell apart. Now that the Cavs have been eliminated in large part to the efforts of Dwight Howard, the best center in the league, they're considering adding some more muscle.

The primary pieces in play revolve around, of course, money. Ben Wallace hinted at retirement after the Cavs' elimination, and his expiring $14 million is a delicacy that every GM in the league has a craving for. Throw in Sasha Pavlovic's $4.5 million and it's icing on the cake. All of this is necessary for the Cavs to be able to take on the $20 million that The Shaqtus/Big Aristotle/Big Tweeter is owed this year.

And what would the Cavs get for that price tag? A formerly dominant All-Star center who instantly boosts the financial value of the team and makes the profile of the franchise even brighter. Of course, they'd also get a player that's 37 year old with a history of conditioning issues (and the Cavs don't have the Suns' renowned trainers) and a penchant for alienating players by attaching blame.

The Suns, on the other hand, would get cap relief, which could help with ... keeping Steve Nash when his skills will be further diminished? Re-signing Amar'e Stoudemire when they've considered trading him anyway? Just clearing space? Steve Kerr has made a lot of questionable moves since taking over the reins, including the acquisition of Shaq, but this one would certainly raise even more questions as to his long-term plan, assuming he has one.

For the Cavs, it could be the move that puts them into championship gold, or the unraveling of a contender. It can happen just that fast. Ask Kerr.