Confident Shaq joins Cavs

Published: Friday, July 3, 2009 11:57 a.m. MDT
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INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — His nickname hasn't arrived. His motto with Cleveland is already in place.

"'Win a Ring for the King,'" Shaquille O'Neal said in announcing his goal to help LeBron James get his first NBA championship.

The Big Benefactor?

Dressed smartly in a black suit, pink shirt and matching tie, the inimitable Shaq was introduced Thursday for the first time as a member of the Cavaliers, who traded for the 15-time All-Star center last week with the belief that he can end this city's title drought.

Alternately joking, laughing and turning serious when the topic turned to basketball, O'Neal, who has won four titles, said he's got a lot left and that he plans to play three more seasons.

"There's only four or five good centers in this league, and I'm in that number," he said.

Flanked by Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry and coach Mike Brown, O'Neal held court for nearly a half hour as only the big man can. In front of an audience that included Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, media members, season-ticket holders, corporate partners and kids from a summer camp, O'Neal gave Cleveland fans their first glimpse of what's in store next year — and maybe beyond.

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Joined by his wife, Shaunie, O'Neal was calm, comedic and oozing — as always — with confidence. Clutching the microphone and delivering his answers in his unmistakable, bottomless baritone, the 37-year-old addressed topics ranging from a possible contract extension in Cleveland to James' future to his Twitter page to a budding rivalry with Orlando center Dwight Howard.

The Cavs lost to the Magic in the Eastern Conference finals this season partly because they had no interior answer for Howard.

Now, they do.

"We will not have to double (team) anybody and you can underline that 100 times, we won't have to double anybody," he said, slapping hands with Brown.

O'Neal feels he can still dominate. In the past, he has taken shots at the 21-year-old Howard, who has stolen Shaq's Superman moniker and seems to be following O'Neal's sneaker prints to stardom.

Make no mistake, O'Neal believes he's still the NBA's ruling enforcer.

"I'm still here. I'm a force to be reckoned with ... you have to come take my spot, and not through Twitter and not through the media, come take my spot. I'm ready to go. As big men in the league, there are two who have done something special during this millennium. I'm one and Tim Duncan is the other. Anyone else has to come upstairs and see the Shogun. I'm still the Shogun."

O'Neal is under contract for one more season, but would like to play three more years.

Recent comments

I see a few problems that will pop up during the season. Lebron loves...

TJ | July 3, 2009 at 2:28 p.m.

I thought this was Shaq's last year. Guess it's hard to turn down...

Anonymous | July 3, 2009 at 1:04 p.m.

I'm glad. Shaq will help this team win a championship. All Cleveland...

It's over Kobe! | July 3, 2009 at 12:56 p.m.

Image
Phil Long, Associated Press

Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal accepts his Cavs jersey from Patrick Powell, 13, left, of Cleveland and James Robinson, 14, also of Cleveland at the O'Neal introductory news conference at the Cavaliers practice facility in Independence, Ohio, Thursday.

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