Should Riley Have Kept Odom and Butler?

[KDS91]

Coming off back to back ships this is what we're discussing

Yep, still in August... October needs to hurry up

[Big NBA Fan]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

I have enjoyed reading your comments when it comes to the Odom/Butler for Shaq trade.

[Chosen01]

Heat would basically be a PHX Suns team at best. Doing well in the regular season, getting to the 2nd round/ECF but never having enough to make that push to the finals and championship.

Shaq's impact in 2005-2006 was more than Odom and Caron's combined, plain and simple.

[Riley is God]

Lol @ this..Odom is possiblyu the most ovverated player in heat history.. I love CB4 but what was his true ceiling? WHat a joke

[Big NBA Fan]

In LA, Odom was an excellent # 3 option and the Lakers were at their best with Odom/Gasol instead of Gasol/Bynum.

All Pat would have needed was a decent big-man by trading Eddie Jones and the Heat would have been set for years.

Granted, they wouldn't have been good as LeBron/Wade/Bosh, but they would have been excellent. Shaq sucked after 2006.

Prime Wade/Prime Odom/Prime Caron/Prime Haslem coached by Stan van Gundy would have been a great team for many years.

[qm22]

I assume the Heat would have had cap room, so it's not impossible they would be a contender. Would have liked to see them keep Eddie Jones too, I loved his game. Too bad he missed the 06 championship. I'm sure Riley was well aware Shaq had a declining window. One single championship is extremely valuable. Aside from being unlucky with injury in 05 to Wade and Shaq, I wonder how far the Heat would go in 07 if Wade had been healthy. It would have been interesting.

[dolphinatik]

no , i liked our team of Odom, Butler and young Wade but u have a chance to bring in Shaq you do it. We got a championship out of it so will always be a good move.

[Axel]

Six very good years out of a Wade/Butler/Odom and a treadmill team destined for first round exits as opposed to two good years with Shaq and one championship..... yeah I still make the Shaq trade 100 times out of 100

First round exit are you kidding me??

Wade was arguably the best player in the NBA during the time that core would have been together, and they all would have been in their prime at the same time. At their prime, their games would have been very complementary. All they need is a solid big man alongside Odom, and they'd be as good as the 07-08 Lakers.

The trade worked out for us because we won a championship. That said, we would still have had a chance at a titleif we had built around what we had.

[kyphi]

this is simply my opinion

Riley did the correct move by acquiring Shaq :the Heat won a title.

then Riley traded Shaq for Marion and Marcus banks

next, he traded Marion's contract for J. O'Neal (contract expired when lebron, bosh, wade's did)

The Heat create enough cap space to sign all three

Two rings and 3 finals appearances in 3 years.


My answer is In Riley We Trust.

[wallsfamily]

No! You always pull the trigger for a superstar. Here is the truth Shaq gave a 3 year window Heat was top three team in that window. In addition Wade and Haslem are exposed to winning early which keeps the desire of winning at the forefront. Ask Horry and Cassell how that feels. Winning young and early also helped them prioritize and be willing to take less money to get there again. Finally, wade is still injury prone and extra work would be detrimental to his career. Having Shaq take media attention and extra defenders (Haslem developed his jumper) allowed Wade to take the league by storm!

[BenoUdrihFTL]

this is simply my opinion

Riley did the correct move by acquiring Shaq :the Heat won a title.

then Riley traded Shaq for Marion and Marcus banks

next, he traded Marion's contract for J. O'Neal (contract expired when lebron, bosh, wade's did)

The Heat create enough cap space to sign all three

Two rings and 3 finals appearances in 3 years.


My answer is In Riley We Trust.

This right here. Some might say the 2006 Heat could've still won with Odom/Butler instead of Shaq since Shaq might not have even been our best center vs Dallas, but even though I'm far from a Shaq fan I truly believe that we needed Shaq to get by Detroit. Shaq in the 2006 ECF vs Detroit: 22ppg & 11rpg.

[NBADraft2003]

There's no doubting that Shaq is a better player all time than Caron and Lamar, but he was starting to decline after his first year, and then gave Miami NOTHING after 2006.

Let's not forget how incredibly disruptive he became in the locker-room towards the end of his time in Miami. At-least Caron and Lamar were good locker-room guys in Miami.

- Running out Stan, calling Wade 'wonderboy' behind his back, nearly fighting Riley in practice, refusing to cooperate with the medical staff, and eventually demanding a buy-out.

I personally think Pat should have kept Odom and Butler.

We needed Stan out for sure. It was December and things were still looking bad for us although we were GREAT the year before. If Wade never got hurt we would've played the Spurs in the Finals and that would've been a great series. Upcoming Wade who was exciting as hell to watch and a Shaq who was a monster vs. the Spurs Big3 and we had a good supporting cast.

[KingDavid]

Hi everyone,

I am just a huge fan of the NBA in general and I just wanted to get your thoughts about the Shaq trade in 2004.

In hindsight, should Pat Riley have kept Odom and Butler instead of trading for Shaq? Shaq only gave Miami two productive years before he eventually forced his way out, while Butler became an All-Star and Odom played a huge role in helping the Lakers win back-to-back championships and make the Finals 3 times.

Do you also think Riley regrets making the Shaq trade?

I personally think Pat, looking back, should have kept Lamar and Caron. All he needed was one quality Center and they would have been set for years with the core of Wade/Odom/Butler/Haslem.

Also, Shaq ran out one of the best coaches in the NBA in Stan van Gundy.

What do you think?

Lamar Odom did not have the same impact as Shaq. If we kept Odom and Butler, we would not have passed the Pistons and we would have been destroyed by the Lakers.

Not many NBA teams win the Finals and up until '06, we were another one of those teams. At that point, you take them while you can and unfortunately, injuries messed us up on getting more than one. Lamar Odom and Caron Butler would not have attracted veterans o play with us and would have gotten us nowhere being focal points of our offense.

We would have been a treadmill team with your projected roster. And still not good enough to beat the Pistons in that era.

[HeatFanSince87]

No way.. No how. Winning that title in 2006 validated Wade, as well as the Miami Heat.. Along with re-validating Riley. It's a big reason Lebron chose to come to Miami.

Fact is, had Wade not tore his rib in game 5 after going uo 3—2 in the ECFs, we most likely win the 2005 NBA title as well. 2007 even with Wade healthy pry not.. But I feel we go back to back in 2005 and 2006 if wade wasn't hurt. The spurs had NO ONE that could stop prime wade, and Shaq would still have had his way with Duncan. Parker wasn't the player he is now...

The insane good Pistons D couldnt stop wade in 2005... Except when he was hurt.

The mini Big 3 was fun(Wade, Odom and Caron) but fact is they are very good players.. Not great enough to win it all with just Wade. Eddie Jones and Brian Grant were basicslly done the following season.. Yes UD emerged but really don't see that core beating the Pistons like the 2006 heat team did. Then before u know it, the big 3 in Boston formed in 2008... We wouldnt have beat them either.

It all worked out... 3 titles and Lebron. Had one thing tone different, it could have changed everything lol.

Haven't u ever seen Back to the Future III??

[BBallFreak]

Championships are better than treadmill teams any day. Brilliant trade by Riley. You play to win rings, not put versatile teams on the court...

[Rock Hardy]

It was the right trade. We contended the first year and won the second. Plus, Shaq brought a lot of hype and excitement to the city. Then again, I'm biased because Shaq was my favorite player in the league.