Jermaine O'Neal trade rumors dying

For what seems like eternity, the Indiana Pacers have struggled, and all the meanwhile Jermaine O'Neal has been shopped to virtually every team possible. However, now that the free agency market is dwindling, O'Neal's name is not surfacing nearly as much as it normally is. And that's odd--because the Pacers neither have bulked up their team with studs to help out O'Neal, and other teams that need him don't seem to even bring him up any longer.

So, what's the deal? To me, it's a matter of two things. One, O'Neal is a prima donna. He constantly has whined about playing out of position at times, having to be the "guy" for the Pacers and not getting any help, and has even gone on record that he "is not the person to win the Pacers a championship". The fact remains though that the Pacers PAY him like he IS the guy, and so many teams are backing off of his overpriced contract as well as his attitude. Who would want a guy who averages what he does but obviously doesn't have the hunger and will that players like Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, and other worthwhile stars show year in and year out? The answer is simple--you don't want him.

Yet GM Larry Bird says he's glad that O'Neal isn't being talked about--stating that when "he's double-teamed, we're going to have players that can hit the shot out there now,". Number 1-I want some of what Bird has been smoking and 2-the only shot that the Pacers have been able to hit consistently usually comes from a gun over the past few years. I don't see that changing any time soon.

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Jermaine O'Neal trade rumors dying

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