<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"The Heat had another meeting with Shaquille O'Neal's representatives Monday in Los Angeles, and an agreement on a new deal seems imminent."</div> http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sport...ll/12111455.htm
Glad to hear it. This really was the best move Shaq' could have made. He isn't about to leave Wade and Miami.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">LONG BEACH, Calif. ? Heat President Pat Riley said Monday a contract agreement with Shaquille O'Neal appears imminent. "After a week of talking, it's closer," he said. "We're getting closer every day." Getting a new agreement with O'Neal is the key to the Heat's plans for the free-agent signing period, scheduled to begin July 22. "We've had a lot of conversations with all of our free agents and a lot of other people," Riley said. "But, obviously, this week we've focused on Shaquille." Once O'Neal's contract is agreed upon, the Heat will have a better measure of where it stands against the luxury tax, the dollar-for-dollar payment to the league for excessive payrolls. With O'Neal expected to take a cut from the $30 million he otherwise would have earned this coming season, the Heat then will have a better feel for offers to incumbent free agents Udonis Haslem and Damon Jones. "It's not something I'm really worried about,'' O'Neal said after Monday's lengthy negotiating session. Riley spoke at The Pyramid on the campus of Long Beach State, where the Heat's summer league team faced a team of Dallas Mavericks rookies and free agents in the Southern California Summer Pro League. "Shaq is like a house of cards," Riley said. "Once we get that done, everything else will fall into place." Riley said the team also appears close to an agreement with Haslem and will talk to Jones' representation this week. "We're planning on meeting this week with Mark Termini, his representative," Riley said. "We're going to get on with what we have to get on." The Heat has been linked to free-agent point guards Antonio Daniels and Earl Watson, but Riley cautioned about such reports. "You focus in on signing your guys back," Riley said of the team's priorities. "You have all the dialogue, but, at the same time, you've got to cover yourself, make sure you're covered. You've got to cover your back during this." Riley particularly cautioned about the Heat being linked to Shareef Abdur-Rahim, amid reports the free-agent power forward would visit South Florida this week. "I'm not aware of that if he is," he said.</div> Source
Shareef would be a great addition to the heat although then we would have 3 pfs that would be able to start.
Heat starters next year if we get Shareef PG: Dwayne Wade SG: Eddie Jones SF: Shareef Abdur Raheen PF: Udonis Haslem(if he stays) or not Wayne Simien C: Shaquille O'neal
5 Year Deal !!!??? The Miami Herald reported that the Heat are negociating a 5 YEAR deal with Shaq. This will keep Shaq under contract till he is 38 years old. I don't know how Shaq's body will be by then. I sure hope Riley knows what he's doing. There surely will be weight & performance clauses in this 5 year deal. LINK http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sport...ll/12111455.htm
It's reportedly a 5-year, $125 million deal. I have no problem with the money he's getting, but 5 years? $25 million a season is half the salary cap and when Wade gets his new deal, he'll take up another quarter of the salary cap. That leaves the Heat with about $10 million + the MLE to sign the other 13 players. I don't know man.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting playmaker31:</div><div class="quote_post">Heat starters next year if we get Shareef PG: Dwayne Wade SG: Eddie Jones SF: Shareef Abdur Raheen PF: Udonis Haslem(if he stays) or not Wayne Simien C: Shaquille O'neal</div> Shareef won't sign if he has to play SF, he's already said he's not playing SF. If the Heat sign Shareef, it likely means Haslem will be coming off the bench, and the starting 1-3 will likely be Wade-Jones-Butler, or a PG-Wade-Jones.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting og15:</div><div class="quote_post">Shareef won't sign if he has to play SF, he's already said he's not playing SF. If the Heat sign Shareef, it likely means Haslem will be coming off the bench, and the starting 1-3 will likely be Wade-Jones-Butler, or a PG-Wade-Jones.</div> damn he's taking a cut for his current contract? that's sure to benefit the heat in the short term.
