Terrible trade for both teams

News flash -- The Beast of the East is Back! Diesel is back in town... Well, back on the East Coast, maybe.

It has been reported that Shaquille O'Neal has accepted a trade that would send him to the Miami Heat for Brian Grant, Lamar Odom and Caron Butler.

My first reaction, "What are these guys thinking?!"

Heat Side

Don't get me wrong, I think that Shaq brings Miami closer to a title, but will this team be that much better than the Lakers' team that just lost to Detroit in the Finals? Isn't that same Detroit team still virtually intact?

Miami developed an identity last year. They were exciting, they were run-and-gun, they were downright fun. If it wasn't Dwyane Wade making a highlight play, it was Odom, or Butler, or Eddie Jones, or ... well you get my point. This team had a young and exciting persona that fans genuinely enjoyed. Is acquiring Shaq really worth breaking that up?

Depth and lack of flexibility are also issues.

This team will revolve around Wade, Jones and O'Neal coached by Stan Van Gundy. In my eyes, this does not seem like a title team, let alone an Eastern Conference Champion. Shaq and Jones' contracts also make it difficult to make any moves to improve the team if the need arises.

Many people have said that Pat Riley can make magic happen with unheralded players and second round draft picks, but I am going to have to see it to believe it.

This trade leaves the Heat with little depth and little flexibility to improve. The fact is, if Shaq or Wade sustain injuries, the Heat season is essentially over.

Again, is all this worth breaking apart this young group that was looking so promising?

Lakers Side

The same thought with the Lakers. Shaq and Kobe equals titles. Kobe and company equals having a hard time winning playoff games. Think about that roster.

Starting Five C. Brian Grant PF. Lamar Odom SF. Caron Butler SG. Kobe Bryant PG. Gary Payton

Does this team excite you in the West? Does this lineup strike fear in your heart, or does it remind you more of a Dallas Mavericks concoction?

The combination of players is not the only issue the Lakers face in this trade. The players themselves carry a substantial amount of baggage. 1. Butler is coming off of an injury and lacked explosion during most of the season that made him so deadly as a rookie.

2. Odom has played in L.A. before and that didn't exactly go well. I contend that the change of scenery is what caused his miraculous turnaround, going back to the place where he failed may lead him to revert to his old self, but this time with a long term, big money contract attached.

3. Grant is a 32-year-old, undersized (6'9), $14 million, 8-and-8 guy, who doesn't strike fear in anybody's heart anymore.

The last thing that has to bother the Lakers' management is: what if Kobe goes to jail? They basically lose any chance at a title for the next five years minimum. Trading Shaq and banishing Phil Jackson to appease Kobe is a huge risk. If the worst-case scenario occurs, the only saving grace would be the players they get back for Shaq. These players, with their baggage and without Kobe, have no hope of contending for anything.

This trade doesn't seem to make sense for either side, but fans are going to have to have faith Heat and Laker management know what they are doing. If not, it will prove to be long season for both LA and Miami.

You can read more of Stephen Masterson's writing at http://www.thesportmanagementnetwork.org