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Just in case you were wondering .

Basically, Rosen says that if Shaq is willing to be a good role player, Boston could be a legitimate threat .

But with LeBron James at the helm, what else would NBA fans expect? Shaquille O'Neal had surgery on his injured right thumb Monday and the Cleveland Cavaliers say he will be out 6 to 8 weeks. O'Neal was examined Sunday by specialist Dr. Thomas Graham at the National Hand Center in Baltimore. Graham performed the surgery. The recovery timeline means O'Neal may not be ready by the time the NBA playoffs start April 17. The Cavaliers acquired O'Neal last summer with an eye toward the postseason, after Dwight Howard and Orlando eliminated Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals. So if Cleveland losses to Orlando or the Lakers in the postseason, we all know why: "Shaq's thumb hindered his play, and it hurt the team's overall performance." Gotcha.

And here's the most significant bad news for the Cavs: With Shaq stationed in the paint, there'll be precious little room for LeBron's powerhouse drives. In fact, the presence of Shaq will mostly limit LBJ's offense to the least efficient aspect of his game -- his jump-shooting. Also, if Shaq is such a desirable player, why did Miami trade him 16 months ago, and why is Phoenix so willing to deal him now? In sum, since it's virtually inconceivable that even with Shaq the Cavs can total more than the 66 wins they posted last season, this trade is exclusively geared to enable Cleveland to beat Orlando in the playoffs. Amen ; this trade certainly wasn't for wins: Cleveland had home court advantage for the entire Eastern Conference. If the Cavs did this just to beat Orlando, they may get their wish; but now they're going to have to deal with the non-Orlando teams who have players that will wear Shaq down. And if you see stories about how James has been reduced to...

Joe Arpaio , a.k.a. “America’s Toughest Sheriff” did. The victim? Shaq ; for the language he used in his rap dis of Kobe Bryant .