For weeks ESPN has ranked 38 year-old veteran Shaquille O'Neal as the top free agent on the market.
From Atlanta Hawks sign-and-trade rumors , to signing with the Boston Celtics , to even possibly re-joining with the Miami Heat, O'Neal's name has certainly been tossed around throughout the league this offseason.
So why exactly hasn't Shaq found himself a new home yet?
Simple, O'Neal's asking price begins above the mid-level exception.
Bigger question, is Shaq deserving of a contract that starts at a minimum of $6 million per year?
Taking it back to last season, O'Neal tied for 14th (with Jermaine O'Neal) in John Hollinger's PER for centers out of a total of 59 big men.
In a career low 23.4 MPG the diesel averaged a mere 12.0 PPG to go along with 6.7 RPG and 1.2 BPG, as opposed to Jermaine O'Neal who logged 28.4 MPG, posting 13.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 1.4 BPG.
Jermaine signed a two-year mid-level exception deal with the Boston Celtics, making $5.765 million in the first year and $6.226 million in the final year according to Hoopshype.com
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Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Brandon Ribak
Shaquille O’Neal: Can The Diesel Find a New Tank To Fill This Offseason?
August 2nd, 2010 by Brandon Ribak Leave a reply »
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