Article:Jermaine O'Neal Headed to Cleveland to Help Lebron?

While I have been following the NBA Draft pretty thoroughly with my Orlando Pre-Draft Camp coverage, there are also some trade rumors out there that involve some veteran players and draft picks.

One of those rumors is that the Indiana Pacers are trying to package the # 11 pick along with Jermaine O'Neal, so they can dump his contract. One possible destination for O'Neal is in Cleveland with Lebron. I guess the trade would be the # 11 pick & Jermaine O'Neal for the expiring contracts of Wally Szczerbiak and Eric Snow. I'm sure some other players would have to be added to the deal on Cleveland's end, they probably would pick up Cleveland's first round pick at # 20 too.

Now if I'm the Pacers, I would do this deal in a second. At this point in his career, Jermaine O'Neal is one of the most overpaid players in the NBA and he can't stay on the court to save his life. The last four seasons he has played 44, 51, 69, & 42 games. Even Chris Webber was on the court more than that. I mean it's great that Cleveland wants to surround Lebron with good talent but I really don't think that Jermaine O'Neal is the answer to that. He can't stay on the court and quite frankly when he is on the court he isn't even that good anymore. I mean who wants a center that shot 43% from the floor the last two seasons?

Personally, I would pass on this deal if I was the Cavs and I think the Pacers are doing the right thing by trying to unload Jermaine O'Neal. I don't think Jermaine would even see the court more than 50 games next season. The only benefit I can see from this is that the Cavs also get the # 11 draft pick and it's possible the could end up with a decent PG in D.J Augustin if for some reason he drops in the draft. They also would have a very good shot at Joe Alexander. However, there is no guarantee that Augustin will be there at # 11 or that Alexander will be able to help Lebron much next season.

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