Can Shaq carry the Heat to the playoffs - without Wade?

[Lurker]

Dwyane Wade dislocated his left shoulder late in Miami's 112-102 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night, though the extent of his injury is not yet known.

...the team watched as Wade, with tears in his eyes, was in so much pain that he had to be taken off in a wheelchair in the fourth quarter.

Here is the opportunity Shaq has been waiting for...time to step up and prove he is still the man.

[rickortreat]

No, not even Shaq could do that!   I don't think any one player could make up for the loss of Wade unless you can get Lebron or Arenas to come to Miami.  I don't think Miami has enough talent on the team to overcome the loss of Wade.  They may still be a playoff team, but without him they won't get too far.

Maybe Miami will try to get Kidd if this injury is serious.  They need to get rid of a few of their old guards anyway.

[msc]

Oh man, what a bummer.  I feel for Wade, I hope it's not serious, but if he truly dislocated it, I don't see how he'd be back during the regular season. 

Regarding the subeject of the thread, no way in hell Shaq can carry this team by himself.  Wade is clearly the engine that makes the Heat go.  Shaq is an excellent compliment to Wade, but without Wade out there slicing up the opposition's D, teams will be able to focus more on Shaq and at this point in his career he's not capable of putting up 40/20 games which is what it would take to carry the Heat this year sans Wade.

[Rolando Blackman]

Hey msc!
   
Even though Shaquille O'Neal remains an 'unstoppable juggernaut', his aging body does not permit him to 'dominate' as he did in years past.  Without D-Wade, that lack of a consistent offensive threat (read: Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, et al) other than "The Daddy" will quickly render Miami a one-dimensional offense that will go down quickly in the playoffs, if they even get there. Sad.
   
-RB
Shaq #1

[westkoast]

SUCKS!!  Watching Wade play basketball brings cheer to my life!

I disagree Rick, there is not enough talent on this team to overcome the loss of Wade.  Wade makes everyone around him better and there is not another player on this squad that can fill that void.  Def not Shaq at this point in his career.  He just does not have it in him to play 40+ minutes a night at a high level.  Walker, Williams, Payton, Haslem, Posey, Kapono, and Mourning are all solid players but none of them can lead on the court like Wade.  Without Wade being the focus and defensive players not having to really play it safe in case Wade goes off it is going to be tough for them to get it done.  I don't expect them to fall apart ala The Lakers but I expect them to take their lumpings until he shows back up.

Come playoff time...not a question, if he is not back ready to play they will be out fairly quick.  Wade, not Shaq, is the reason they've had success the last 2-3 seasons and the year before that when Wade put this squad on his shoulders in his rookie season.

[Laker Fan]

You can stick a fork in the Heat, they are done if Wade is out for any serious length of time, I guess now we'll see how smart Kupcake was dumping "the Big Over the Hill". He was not the reason they titled last year and he cannot and will not lead them to the promised land by himself this year. Oh I know, Kobe can't do it by himself either, but he, unlike Shaq, is someone you can build a championship team around, just like the Heat built a championship team around Wade, not Shaq, those days for him are long gone, and Kobe, despite this horrible stretch they are going through right now, is still a legitimate superstar, someone who can anchor a team.

That being said, I feel terrible for Wade, a class kid and tons of fun to watch, i hope this is not too serious.

[Rolando Blackman]

Oh I know, Kobe can't do it by himself either, but he, unlike Shaq, is someone you can build a championship team around, just like the Heat built a championship team around Wade, not Shaq, those days for him are long gone, and Kobe, despite this horrible stretch they are going through right now, is still a legitimate superstar, someone who can anchor a team.

   
Are you delusional?  The last I knew of, the count was:
   
Championships since 2002:
   
Shaq: 1
   
Kobe: 0
   
Plain and simple.  Kobe? "Someone you can build a championship team around"?!...ROTFLMAO
   
-RB
Shaq#1

[rickortreat]

Don't try logic with Laker Fans.  They will never admit that Shaq was the reason for the titles.  They will use every opportunity to insult Shaq or say he's over the hill, simply to save themselves the embarrassment of admitting their team traded away the greatest center of the modern era.

They will never give Shaq any credit for what he does, and always compare him unfavorably with the way he USED to be.

There appears to be something wrong with the educational system in Southern California.  How else can you explain Westcoast saying he disagrees with me, when everything he writes is reflective of my opinion?   

[Lurker]

Don't try logic with Laker Fans.  They will never admit that Shaq was the reason for the titles.  They will use every opportunity to insult Shaq or say he's over the hill, simply to save themselves the embarrassment of admitting their team traded away the greatest center of the modern era.

They will never give Shaq any credit for what he does, and always compare him unfavorably with the way he USED to be.

There appears to be something wrong with the educational system in Southern California.  How else can you explain Westcoast saying he disagrees with me, when everything he writes is reflective of my opinion?   

Sorry Rick but your reading comprehension is lacking.  The resident Laker fans will admit that Shaq was a very big reason the Lakers won 3 straight.  Their argument is that when it came down to choosing between Shaq & Kobe the logical choice was to choose the player entering into his prime instead of the one who is going downhill.  And they were right...Shaq did very little last year to carry the Heat to the title.  If it wasn't for Wade's outstanding 4th quarters the Heat probably wouldn't have made it out of the Eastern conference.  Shaq is no longer capable of carrying a team on his back.

[westkoast]

There appears to be something wrong with the educational system in Southern California.  How else can you explain Westcoast saying he disagrees with me, when everything he writes is reflective of my opinion?   

 

All of that because of a typo? LOL.   First,  Did you ever stop to think about that after reading my entire post that hay maybe it was a typo?  The supreme school system in Philly should have at least pushed you in that direction.  Second,  How does that apply to all Laker fans?  Or the California school system?  Should I take a shot at Philly's mental health care system cuz you believed that the Sixers were going to be a good team the last 3 years?

Refer to Lurker's post because that is exactly how all the Laker fans on this board feel.

[msc]

Don't try logic with Laker Fans.  They will never admit that Shaq was the reason for the titles.  They will use every opportunity to insult Shaq or say he's over the hill, simply to save themselves the embarrassment of admitting their team traded away the greatest center of the modern era.

They will never give Shaq any credit for what he does, and always compare him unfavorably with the way he USED to be.

There appears to be something wrong with the educational system in Southern California.  How else can you explain Westcoast saying he disagrees with me, when everything he writes is reflective of my opinion?   

Sorry Rick but your reading comprehension is lacking.  The resident Laker fans will admit that Shaq was a very big reason the Lakers won 3 straight.  Their argument is that when it came down to choosing between Shaq & Kobe the logical choice was to choose the player entering into his prime instead of the one who is going downhill.  And they were right...Shaq did very little last year to carry the Heat to the title.  If it wasn't for Wade's outstanding 4th quarters the Heat probably wouldn't have made it out of the Eastern conference.  Shaq is no longer capable of carrying a team on his back.

Exactly!  Thanks Lurker. 

[Reality]

WayOutWest

Regarding the score, in the end all that matters is who has the most rings.  Right now Shaq and Kobe are tied at 3, we'll see who wins that contest.

msc(after Shaq I in Miami)

Score after one season 0 - 0. 

There is no prize for second place, there are no moral victories.  In 10 years no one will remember how many games the 2004-2005 Laker/Miami teams won, the only thing that anyone will remember is that the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Championship that year. 

Shaq guaranteed the fans of Miami a championship before the season started and he didn't deliver. 
So Reality, here's my prediction of the score over the next three years and I'll bet you a Double-Double Animal-style that I'm right. 

Ready? 

Here it is ....

0 - 0. 

burntToast re above

No reason for me to post...that about says it for me also.

msc   

Last time I checked getting to the Conference Finals doesn't mean anything.  That and $1.50 might get you a cup of coffee.  Maybe in Sacramento or Dallas this is considered a victory, but in Los Angeles, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, and I thought Philly (but your statement is making me wonder) its win it all or nothing.  We don't hang our Conference Championship banners up in Staples like they do at Arco ... there isn't room for all of them.  And Miami didn't even win one of those ... so I'm not sure how it’s considered 1 for Shaq.  All this on top of the fact that Shaq guaranteed the people of Miami a title ... sad. 

The Departed Randolph   

This pays off for Miami if they can win a title

LakerFanDan   

  Funny but Miami was just about convinced the title was in the bag once "The Big by Large by Fat" arrived in town, but as we Laker fans know, his presense guarentee's nothing but windfall profits at the local Burger King.

[msc]

^^^

Where do I say that Shaq didn't have anything to do with the titles in LA?

[rickortreat]

I went too far.  Laker Fans will admit that when Shaq was with the Lakers, at least up to the year they got rid of him, was an integral part of their team.

Logically it DID make more sense if you had to, to get rid of Shaq, since Kobe was younger.  However, it is a real shame that the Lakers couldn't keep that team together, as that would have likely resulted in another title.

IMO, Miami may still get to the playoffs- and if they do, it will be because of Shaq.  But they're not good enough to do anything in the East without Wade.

disagree - agree  Typo?  Hmmn.

[westkoast]

I went too far.  Laker Fans will admit that when Shaq was with the Lakers, at least up to the year they got rid of him, was an integral part of their team.

Logically it DID make more sense if you had to, to get rid of Shaq, since Kobe was younger.  However, it is a real shame that the Lakers couldn't keep that team together, as that would have likely resulted in another title.

IMO, Miami may still get to the playoffs- and if they do, it will be because of Shaq.  But they're not good enough to do anything in the East without Wade.

disagree - agree  Typo?  Hmmn.

Rick, if the entire post I was agreeing with your statement but typed disagree first...what do you think happened?  As if disagree and agree are not close to one another?

Reality, swing and a miss