Eighteen-year league veteran and former all-star center Jermaine O’Neal appears to be ready to give the game one last go, if his recent social media activity is any indication.
O’Neal posted a picture to his Instagram on Monday from Germany, where he is getting the same treatment on his knees that he has attributed to extending his career through successful one-off stints with the Phoenix Suns and Golden State the past two seasons.
O’Neal has career averages of 13.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, and is a six-time NBA All-Star. He has averaged 8.1 points and 5.1 rebounds a game to go along with a 49.3 percent field goal percentage in 19.8 minutes per game in his last two seasons after suffering a significant drop in production the two seasons prior as a member of the Boston Celtics. His output in Boston was his worst since when he began his career as a member of the Portland Trailblazers.
Ironically enough, the Trail Blazers have now joined the race to try to convince the 36-year-old to join them for one last season. O’Neal was drafted out of high school by the Trailblazers in 1996, and spent his first four seasons with the team before being traded to the Indiana Pacers in 2000, where he would go on to improve significantly on his way to becoming a regular all-star fixture.
Portland is looking to plug some holes in their front court after injuries suffered by starting center Robin Lopez and his backup, Joel Freeland. Lopez could be out until February with a fractured hand, and Freeland will miss at least two weeks with a shoulder injury. Even with both players back, Portland sees O’Neal as a beneficial piece who is capable of providing similar production on the offensive end and perhaps some improved play on defense. And of course, his veteran experience and playoff wisdom is a major factor as well.
So who else is in the running for O’Neal? The Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Clippers have all expressed interest in O’Neal this season. The Cavs are obviously not an option after receiving center Timofey Mozgov in a trade Wednesday, so that leaves the Clippers, Mavericks, and Trailblazers, although L.A. has quieted down in recent days about such a move.
All three teams remain a possibility, but the Dallas Mavericks can be considered the front-runners. O’Neal has made the Dallas area his offseason home over the last few years and played under Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle during the peak of his career while the two were in Indiana.
The Mavericks’ acquisition of Rajon Rondo has given them another edge in luring O’Neal back to the league, with one league source describing O’Neal as “highly intrigued” by the idea of joining his former Celtic teammate as an in-season addition to the Dallas roster.
O’Neal’s deep ties to the Portland area however do establish the Blazers as an interesting new suitor.
O’Neal is expected to spend the next two weeks in an intense fitness program to make sure he would be fully ready for a 19th year in the league, but even if he gets the green light from trainers, there are still some other factors at play.
Ultimately, as previously stated by the veteran center, the decision of a comeback rests with his wife and their two children.
O’Neal elaborated recently on a Dec. 23 Twitter post:
For 18 long years, sports has dominated my family’s life to a point that they have had to sacrifice things that were important to them. So you can believe now whatever decision I make will be a pure family decision that my family will have a huge part in making with me.”
“Do I still love the game of basketball? Yes without a doubt! Can I physically still play? Probably better than 60% of the bigs in the league today! That’s not a knock on anyone but more about how I feel. … I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to play for some great coaches, organizations and cities and I will always have love for them! But I love my family more than I love life itself and they will have the final say on my playing career or the closing of my career! If the decision is to play I promise you that when I hit the court I will be ready physically and mentally to help a team!”
Mavericks president Don Nelson told a Dallas radio station shortly after O’Neal’s statement that the Mavericks “feel pretty good that we’ll be able to come to terms” with either O’Neal or then-free agent Josh Smith, who had been waived the day before by Detroit, but obviously has since ended up in Houston.
Should O’Neal return to the court as a member of the Mavericks, he would provide more-than-solid play as a backup to both Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler, in a league where stubborn interior defenders such as O’Neal are a fading commodity, and extremely valuable in the postseason. The addition of the veteran, combined with the recent acquiring of Rondo, would be the final piece in further equipping an already dangerous Dallas team going forward into whats likely to be a highly contested playoff season. [dropcap][/dropcap]
