Every time I hear how the Cavs “gave up nothing” to get Shaquille O’Neal, I have to be honest, I feel a little bit for Big Ben Wallace. Sure, by the end of last season he was a shell of his former self - after all, he was coming off of a broken leg - but by some measures he was very productive during the 2008-2009 campaign.
In fact Big Ben at .159 WP48 was only slightly less productive per minute than Shaq at .167 WP48. Shaq played more minutes so he produced 7.9 wins for Phoenix, while Ben produced only 4.3 for the Cavs.
Of course, we can all debate who was - and will be - ultimately more valuable. Ben’s a stronger rebounder than Shaq but can’t create or take a shot to save his life while Shaq can, plus Shaq should be more equipped to guard centers in the post one-on-one, although he can’t defend the pick and roll. Plus, it’s not like either player would help the Cavs spread the floor.
Right now both guys are old, and we can’t expect to see in the present what we remember seeing from either player in the past. So we’ll stop the argument about the past there, and start the argument about the present here.
Big Ben vs. Shaq by the Numbers (Per 36 Minutes) - Ben on Top
FG FGA FG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1.6 2.8 56.3 1.2 2.5 50.0 4.8 7.1 11.9 .9 1.6 1.6 1.1 3.5 4.4
6.9 12.7 54.0 2.0 4.9 41.7 2.0 8.5 10.5 2.2 .6 2.4 2.2 4.2 15.8
Statistically then, Shaq is performing better than Ben in every category except FT%, ORB, STL, TOV, and PF.
You can see then how Shaq’s contribution differs: he scores more points and gets more shots but turns the ball over a bit more as a result. Hilariously, he’s shooting worse from the free throw line, and as I’ve noted previously, Shaq is not a great offensive rebounder. At the same time, Shaq’s been a better shot blocker, but Ben’s been better with steals and has fouled a little bit less.
Ultimately, Shaq’s impact on the Cavs will be measured by the amount of wins the team ends up with in the playoffs. If Cleveland wins 16 games in the postseason, Shaq will be considered the difference maker; if they don’t, his acquisition will be deemed a failure.
I’m not sure that that is completely fair, but it is the nature of the beast. And although these stats can’t measure things like how Shaq will guard Da-wight in the playoffs, the impact Big Ben’s activity, effort, and IQ had on the Cavs’ team defense, and how important Shaq’s ability to create shots and (potentially) draw a double team is for the Cavs’ team offense, just remember that Big Ben was a whole lot better than “nothing” - and he appears to have something left in the tank for Detroit, although just like Shaq, his numbers are down so far this season against his career averages.
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