NBA Rumor: Shaq To The Nets
Shaquille O'Neal (photo. Chenoa Maxwell)
Whenever I get into the debate over where LeBron is going to sign this summer, people ask me why I don’t think he’d sign with the Nets. While Jay-Z and playing in Brooklyn are great incentives, people don’t realize that the Nets will spend the next two seasons at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. But there is one free agent that not only would love to play in Newark, but hopes the team never leaves: Shaquille O’Neal.
As a Newark native, after losing to the Celtics last week, Shaq told the New York Post that he would consider the Nets as a destination this summer now that they reside in his hometown.
“I think it’s better than most arenas, I think it’s one of the best arenas in the country,” O’Neal said. “Hopefully they can stay there forever. I don’t know what’s going on with the Brooklyn situation, but it says a lot for the city of Newark.
“I’ve got a lot of options. We’ll just see. I still got to sit down and look at all my options. I don’t want to comment on [the Nets]. It’s too early.”
As the oldest active player in the NBA, it’s actually not a bad idea. Coming into a team that can only go up from here, Shaq could end his career in Newark before the Nets move to Brooklyn for the start of the 2012-13 season. And with young seven-footers in Brook Lopez and Yi Jianlian to tutor, they’d welcome him with open arms.
What do you think? Where should Shaq play next year?
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May 17th, 2010 at 11:49 am
J says:
Shaq to Lakers as Mbenga’s backup!
May 17th, 2010 at 11:59 am
Rizwan says:
Do you think Shaq is gonna like playing second fiddle to Brook Lopez?
May 17th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Kermit The Washington says:
OMG why is this dude still PLAYINGGG?!?! Retire already…He hasn’t been relevant since 2006 at the LATEST. And you know what? He’s been promising championships EVERY YEAR SINCE THEN.
May 17th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
Kermit The Washington says:
Definitely time to go LOL
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/11419/index.htm?eref=sircrc&eref=sisf
May 17th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
sh!tfaced says:
Shit, man, go become a cop already…
May 17th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
clay says:
Who actually cares? Retire please
Dude can still kinda mix it up but he’s pretty much irrelevant and annoying as f@ck
So slow he makes Arvydas Sabonis look like Usain Bolt on speed
May 17th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
dmitry of jersey says:
Oh man i really hope not. The Nets do NOT need shaq — between him and Yi we would have the 2 most useless 7footers in the NBA.
and as a side note, the PRU center doesnt say anything about the city of newark. It’s still a piece of crap city, just with a nice arena in the middle of it. Just don’t stick around too late after games unless you wana get stabbed.
May 17th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
boomshakalaka says:
I wonder how much weight Shaq’s going to “reportedly lose” before the beginning of next season.
May 17th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
My Favorite Superhero says:
LMAO @ “So slow he makes Arvydas Sabonis look like Usain Bolt on speed”!
Shaq needs to stop chasing rings and just get that good backup center money…
IMO, he’d work out in Jersey and be able to teach a few things to Lopez…
May 17th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
jay says:
he wud sell tix. way past being usful but the new owner has money to burn…we shall see. maybe he should just be a part owner and convince jay-z and the russian to stay in newark..get wall and maybe lebron and you got a solid team. trade dev harris and get say bosh or booz and you have a real solid team!
May 17th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
dmitry of jersey says:
The Russian will never stay in Newark.. not even bc of Newark, but because of the huge Russian population in BK.
I actually do think that Newark could sustain an NBA franchise, but it won’t be the Nyets.
May 17th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Gunner J. Matthews says:
This will never happen. He’s gonna stay in Cleveland or retire
May 17th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
LMNOP says:
hi, my name is Shaquille O’Neal, i like slowing down the suns, getting in LeBrons way and taking minutes away from Brook Lopez. thanx.
May 17th, 2010 at 2:45 pm
Mikey F Baby says:
Why is Jay-Z an incentive to play somewhere in the first place? yikes Stan
May 17th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Jau says:
If i were to guess. I say he goes to the lakers
May 17th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
JH says:
Shaq should call it quits…no doubt.
May 17th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
ShaqFu says:
Much like the Dream and Ewing Shaq has not been able to make the transition to role player (e.g. Mutumbo and D. Robinson) at this stage in his career. It speaks volumes that the suns traded him for two guys they waived and are now in the conference finals. Only team I could see taking a flyer on him for the mid-level is the Spurs. Their slow half court game would allow him 20-24 mins a night without embarassing himself. I am the biggest Shaq fan going, but honestly he should retire. He has been Jordan on the Wizards ever since he left Miami. Time to hang it up Big Fella and fullfill your destiny as the next Charles Barkley on TNT!
May 17th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
s.bucketz3 says:
i think he shood go the WWF and be a manager or some shit…but i do like the jersey reppin
May 17th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Ianny b says:
How about co-starring on ‘Basketball Wives” ROTFL.
Shaq needs to do an MJ and i aint talking about Mike Jordan. More like Mike jackson and BEAT IT…………….
May 17th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Buddahfan says:
At this point in their respective careers teams would be almost as well off with Kwame Brown as with Shaq and Kwame would come a lot cheaper.
Shaq can’t guard anyone anymore unless the opposing player accidentally runs or gets pushed into him.
May 17th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
buffaloballa says:
what’s he gonna call himself, the Big Soprano?!
May 17th, 2010 at 11:31 pm
pete says:
Let me start by saying Im a huge Nets fan but I rlly dont see shaq’s motive to still play. If he’s considering to win another championship, NJ is the last place he will want to go. There’s no way he can play starter minutes and the most he can do is contribute as a role player on the bench and there’s no more fire left in him.
I think the Nets should trade Yi and if Shaq does want to go to NJ, NJ might get him cheap. Yi’s got some potential and I do like his a lot despite constantly disappointed with his performance. He needs to go to a team that can offer him some tutoring. I think, and dont hate me for thinking this, Yi might fit well with the Suns since the Suns have a relatively small lineup and Yi is pretty quick for a 7footer.
Shaq in NJ can certainly offer some advice for Lopez who is rlly a bright centre stuck on the worst team in the league. Shaq can probably help develop Lopez into a more mature, dominating bigman who plays and dominates in the post like Yao.
With that being said, I wouldn’t mind seeing Shaq in NJ. Maybe even Common will sign with the Nets if plays well in his movie Just Wright. lol
May 18th, 2010 at 7:25 am
kp10 says:
he will never go cuz he does not want to be a backup center…to much pride for that.
and if het nets sign him they can forget about lebron or any superstar so they wont sign him…
May 18th, 2010 at 7:27 am
kp10 says:
he does not want to be called The Big Backup
May 19th, 2010 at 2:48 am
David says:
Wow, some of you guys are truly idiots
Shaq, while being old and not the player he once was..still avg a doubble doubble in 25 minutes and had a top 25 FG% in the entire nba while being a good post defender this year.
In the previous year…his last in arizona…he had one of the best statstical seasons of his carrer avg over 20 points and over 60% fg percentage
its always funny to me…so many people commenting who know little to nothing about basektball…”oh wow hes so old retire already”…actully break down the numbers and see hes still a top 10 center in the game…