<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">An $80 million question The dilemma for the Heat is that O'Neal wants a contract extension worth about $80 million over three years. That was one of the major breaks in his relationship with the Lakers. Club president Pat Riley made him a promise the Heat would come through. O'Neal likes to call himself the "Most Dominant Ever" and that title always has been open for debate when compared to the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Not to mention Hakeem Olajuwon, who schooled O'Neal in their only playoff meeting in the 1995 Finals. But even accepting the hyperbole, the older Shaq cannot measure up to the old Shaq. Shots go awry What the basketball world saw from O'Neal was a player no longer capable of knocking down opponents like a twister in a trailer park. O'Neal and the Heat management will, of course, point to the deep thigh bruise he suffered late in the regular season that inhibited his mobility through the playoffs. Yet there were opportunities for O'Neal to do more against the Pistons and he couldn't deliver. He was most effective in the first quarters of games, and his stamina waned late. He couldn't hit his jump hook or turnaround shot consistently. His 27 points in Game 7 were his high for the series. "You just try to do what you can do," said undersized Detroit center Ben Wallace. "You try to limit his dunks." "I thought we did a good job on him down low," said Pistons forward Antonio McDyess. "He's going to get his points. But I thought we pressured him enough to keep him in check when we needed to." Will O'Neal have the same anti-Lakers fire and dedication in the offseason to report to training camp next fall in shape? It always gets harder. What can he do to turn back the clock? "I'll take the blame," O'Neal said. "I always do. I'll have to live with that." And the recognition that even comic book characters grow old.</div> Source
3 seasons for 80 million..deng, hes worth that much but hes not as valuable anymore, hes getting older and injuries are starting to settle in.
Since when did the dollar amount drop from $100Million to $80Million? Shaq has said it many times he wants a 3 year extension at $100M. He wants a raise from his current deal not a salary reduction.
Yeah i didn't hear about it dropping to 80 mils until now. I would have thought that if he really wanted to come through with his promise of bringing a championship to Miami he would take a major paycut (along the lines of a few mils a year but only for a season or two) so that they could get a third ace to add to their roster. They can still win a championship anyway though.
