It's official: Shaq to Miami

This was a difficult decision by the Lakers to part company with arguably the greatest center ever, but it was a move they had to make. Shaq's skills are diminishing and by trading him while he still was under contract, the Lakers received some good players in return. Having said that, Shaq is still far and away the best center in the NBA by a long way. He instantly turns the Heat into contenders for next year in the East. That big sigh you hear is the western conference teams breathing easier now that they only have to face him twice a year and not four or five times. Minnesota and San Antonio start off prohibitive favorites in the west. I can't wait to see the look on Shaq's new teammates faces when he shows up to training camp overweight and out of shape. As for the Lakers, obviously this is a huge gamble. For all we know Kobe is going to be playing in the Colorado penal league next year or worse, with the LA Clippers. If either of those scenarios come to fruition, the Lakers are, pardon my expression F*$#KED. My educated guess though is that he re-signs with the Lakers and he beats the rap in Colorado. They(Lakers) are now also left without a center.Great. They are going to have to run the court like no other, which is fine for Kobe. That's what he has wanted to do ever since he came into the league. In my opinion it is going to take them a couple of years to put all the pieces into place, but once they do, they could model themselves like the Michael Jordon Bulls of the 90's.