Bloggers have quickly become a great resource around the net and we’ll be trying to get in touch with the best blogs around the league as the Raptors play their respective teams.

Today, we have Vivek from Crazy from the Heat.

Q: Is this the end for Shaq, and is there some way for the Heat to get out of his contract?

Granted, Shaq’s best days are definitely behind him, but to say that doesn’t have good days ahead I think would be ill-advised and very premature. There are two things that I feel directly attribute to Shaq’s current state.

1.) The officiating nowadays has turned his main strength – his power game – into a weakness because things are more suitable for a finesse style. Finesse play is alot easier for a center who has youth and stamina, two things Shaq is rapidly losing.
2.) Going back to Shaq’s ‘Magic’ and ‘Lakers’ days, he has always had a supporting cast that knew the art of how, when, and where to deliver him the ball. This current roster he’s on is far less experienced and doesn’t have that ability, which explains the decreased shot attempts, which further explains the lower point totals, etc. No doubt he isn’t the Shaq of old, but this ‘old’ Shaq, can still be better than half the competition out there with the right supporting cast.

Q: Will Pat Riley be around for the rebuilding process that’s bound to take place?

Yes, Pat Riley will be around for the rebuilding process that’s about to take place. Unfortunately, it’ll be in a front office capacity, as opposed to patrolling the sidelines. I think the only way Riley returns as a head coach is if he’s able to land some very quality ‘pieces’ on the roster in the offseason. If he isn’t, I expect him to hand the head coaching duty over to his young and very credible assistant, Eric Spoelstra, which I think would also indirectly address the issue with Shaquille O’Neal. Few in the media have openly stated this, but heavy speculation in the Miami area has been that the whole Stan Van Gundy departure debacle – when Riley returned to the bench – was precipitated by a number of vets on the team, (mainly Shaq), who had a problem with the credibility of a coach who had never gotten it done on the big stage. Only the team knows if this is indeed a fact, but Shaq, Zo, and a number of players were very vocal about wanting to play for a coach who had delivered on a Championship level and I don’t think that will change if Riley steps away this time.
Q: Was this year an aberration, or a sign of things to come?

The fan in me says that this season was totally an aberration, but if this is indeed the prequel to a rebuilding process, it could very well be a sign of things to come. With a healthy Wade and Haslem along with a more seasoned tandem of DaeQuan Cook and Chris Quinn, adding a potential top 5 pick in next years draft could set the stage for nice rebound of sorts. Either way, I think the best way to answer this question is to select both. No doubt that this season qualifies as an aberration when you consider the teams normal standard, but after the rebuilding officially begins, there will be plenty of agonizing nights in defeat along the way.

HoopsAddict.com would like to once again thank Vivek for his time. Please don’t forget to visit Crazy from the Heat!