The Big Shamrock Is Formally Introduced

At the Big Shamrock's press conference Tuesday in Waltham, Shaquille O'Neal said all the right things in regards to joining Boston.

In his introductory statement, Doc Rivers made it clear he thinks Shaq has a role on his team. He also discussed the goal for the upcoming season.

We're looking at Shaq as another piece to the puzzle. We are trying to put together a puzzle together to make another title run.

When the Big Shamrock spoke he made his point of what continues to drive him to play. He also talked about the type of team he was looking to finish his career with.

"I still have hunger, I still can play, I still want to win," O'Neal said. "When I close my book at the end of the day it's all about winning, nothing else."

"This summer I had many options but I wanted to be with a team that was used to winning, with a team that was one or two pieces away. I think it's a good fit."

Shaquille O'Neal: 'I’m A Role Player'

Even before Tuesday's introductory press conference that officially introduced Shaquille as a member of the Celtics, the big man was already saying the right things.

In the Boston Herald, Shaq was quoted as saying he's ready and accepting of his new role on Boston's bench.

"I'm at the point of my career where I'm a role player," O'Neal told reporters at a charity basketball game in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday. "I'm going to do whatever they ask me to do. I'm not looking to come up there and dominate the ball and do too much. Whatever they need me to do, I'm going to do."

WATCH LIVE: Celtics Officially Introduce Shaquille O'Neal On Tuesday

The Celtics are set to introduce their newest addition on Tuesday, when Shaquille O'Neal is officially introduced in a press conference in Waltham. The whole announcement is being broadcast live at CSNNE.

Shaq Plans To Retire As A Celtic

After a charity basketball game in Orlando, where he started his NBA career with the Magic, Shaquille O’Neal told the media he intends to end it with the Boston Celtics once the two-year deal he signed with them last week expires:

“Brett Favre only plays 12 games,” O’Neal joked when asked if he wanted to extend his playing day past his 40s like Favre.

By the time his Celtics contract runs out, The Diesel will be three months removed from his 40th birthday. It’s hard to imagine him trolling the free-agent market once again for offers at that age, but then again, if anyone can do it, it’s Shaq.

Shaq's Deal With Celtics Reportedly Worth Around $3 Million Over Two Years

After some back and forth, Shaquille O'Neal officially signed with the Celtics on Wednesday, saying, in part, "I cannot wait to get to Boston to get started in pursuit of another championship."

Per team policy, the financial details were not announced, but the Boston Herald is reporting that it is a two year deal, "believed to be worth approximately $3 million."

Talks hit an initial snag earlier in the day when the Celtics attempted to limit the deal to one year.

But O'Neal, frustrated by a dwindling field of suiters that included the Celtics and possibly the Hawks, eventually had it his way.

It's unclear whether O'Neal pushed for a more lucrative sign-and-trade arrangement between the Celtics and Cleveland that would send the retiring Rasheed Wallace's $6 million salary slot to the Cavs.

Those numbers match that of what the Globe's Gary Washburn is reporting, which is two years at $2.8 million (two years of the veteran's minimum).

Read more at CelticsBlog.

Shaquille O'Neal Will Wear No. 36 For The Boston Celtics

A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports on Twitter that Shaquille O’Neal will wear No. 36 for the Boston Celtics. He also notes that no player in the franchise’s illustrious and lengthy history has ever worn the number before.

Celtics Officially Announce They've Signed Shaquille O'Neal

So much for reports that the Celtics and Shaquille O'Neal were still haggling. The Celtics themselves have announced that they're reached an agreement with The Big Diesel Aristotle Cactus MistakeByTheLake Shamrock.

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed free agent center Shaquille O'Neal. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.    

Those contract terms are not immediately available. We will keep you posted once they are. 

"I am honored to be joining the Celtics," said O'Neal. "I have played against Paul, Ray, Kevin, Rajon, and Jermaine for many years and it will be great to be able to call them my teammates. I cannot wait to get to Boston to get started in pursuit of another championship."

For more, check out CelticsBlog. 

Report: Celtics Talks With Shaquille O'Neal Still 'Up In The Air'

Contrary to previous reports, the Celtics and Shaquille O'Neal have not yet reached an agreement. According to the Boston Herald, the two sides are still haggling over money.

According to a league source, the NBA legend still appears to be balking at what the Celtics are willing to give - a one-year deal worth the veteran's minimum of $1.39 million.

O'Neal, frustrated by a dwindling field of suiters that may only include the Celtics and possibly the Hawks at this point, is still attempting to get more money out of the Cs.

Shaq's problem is that a one-year contract for the veteran's minimum is all the Celtics can realistically offer. The team is over the salary cap, already used their mid-level exception on Jermaine O'Neal and already used their bi-annual exception last season on Marquis Daniels. Unless the Celtics can do some complicated sign-and-trade scenario, Shaq's only hope is for them to offer a two-year contract rather than a one-year contract. Considering Shaq is already 38, that's a tough thing to expect.

Making matters worse, according to SI's Chris Mannix, the Celtics themselves are divided about even bringing Shaq in. Therefore, if Shaq wants to come to Beantown, he may have to accept that he won't get as much money as he would ideally like. 

Shaq Adds More Star Power To The Celtics, But Is That What They Need?

The Celtics might have one of the better all-time lineups based on names alone. I mean, forget about the pair of likely Hall-of-Famers in Pierce and Allen, the All-Star going on superstar in Rajon Rondo, and six time All-Star Jermaine O’Neal. Just consider the front court of Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Garnett! Those are two of the best players of all time at their position playing on the same team.

Unofortunately, though, it’s 2010, and only Rondo is still capable of playing at the level that earned them their reputation with any consistency. The Celtics aren’t signing Shaq, they’re signing Shaquille O’Neal, a 38-year-old veteran minimum player. So what do we get, realistically, from O’Neal? Tom Halzack has some ideas.

So the Celtics will take care of a big need by signing both O’Neals – Jermaine and Shaquille, two centers who have seen better days, but still offer solid defense in the middle. They are quite different players and in some ways compliment each other.

When you want to draw defenses out of the middle Jermaine’s mid range game must still be respected. When you want to clog the middle, Shaq still is a force, rebounds well and can still block shots. Scoring-wise, Shaq was more productive last season than Rasheed.

By combining the two O’Neals, the Celtics have made their big-man combo more manageable. With Rasheed, you never knew what you were going to get—a post player, an mid-range elbow shooter, or a bomber. When you needed someone to pound the ball inside, putting in Rasheed was the equivalent to rolling the dice. With Shaq, you know he’s not going to be shooting from much deeper than three feet. With Jermaine, you know the jump shot will be a threat.

But if the Shaq signing brings versatility, it might also bring problems.

Interesting enough, in earlier tweets today Chris Mannix voiced serious concern with Shaq’s pick and roll defense and his coachability. Eddie Johnson also mentioned Shaq as a difficult player to coach and someone with a dominant presence like his affects any locker room – positively or negatively.

So, Danny and Doc, I’m sure had private discussions between themselves, brought it before the important players on the team and had clear discussions with Shaq himself about their vision for his role with the team. If they didn’t, that is where problems could pop up.

Considering that when Perkins comes back they will have to split time between three players who play one position (Jermaine can chip in some time at power forward, but still), there could be some serious ego management needed. But as Halzack points out, there are some positive signs just in the nature of the signing itself.

A huge player with a huge ego has come to grips with reality and age. As the saying goes, he ain’t what he used to be.

But for a perennial league star and one of the world’s most visible athletes, make that ‘most visible personalities’ (TV shows, movies, cds, etc.) to go from $20 million to something slightly over $1 million per year says something about Shaq’s desire to play with a contender, instead of just fading away – ‘graciously’ – as he puts it himself.

But the fact that Shaq is willing to take the minimum to play and has voiced his desire to play with the Celtics more than a few times makes things seem less risky. In fact, it could be that the Celtics just got a bit of good luck.

Shaq is definitely a risk. He adds an unstable element to a locker room that has gelled well for the last few years, and if that ends up leading to problems, or if he’s too old to provide what he did last year in Cleveland, than the signing might be looked back on as a failure—albeit a low-risk one. But if Shaq brings the star power, brings an inside game, and leaves his problems behind, he could be a valuable asset and perhaps a difference maker down the stretch.

Shaq Agrees To One-Year Deal With Celtics

According to multiple reports, Shaquille O'Neal has decided to sign with the Boston Celtics, agreeing to a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum. The addition of Shaq will give Boston one of the most star-studded rosters in recent memory.

Shaq is the size and big man Boston needed, as they'll be without the services of Kendrick Perkins while he recovers from knee surgery, possibly until February.

O'Neal was not a serious consideration for most of the summer primarily because his asking price was significantly more than the Celtics (and most teams, for that matter) were willing to pay.

But as the summer wore on, the Big Diesel was not in Big demand as team after team began to fill their roster while in the process, pass on adding the future Hall of Famer and three-time NBA Finals MVP.

If you're having trouble picturing Shaq in Celtics' green, don't worry, the Twitter account NBA_Photos has you covered:

Expect more reaction at CelticsBlog, where the early reaction seems positive.

Report: Celtics 'Close' To Signing Shaquille O'Neal

With Kendrick Perkins likely out until next January or February after suffering a torn ACL in Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals, the Celtics need size. They've already signed Jermaine O'Neal, and now, they might be signing another big-name player.

According to A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast SportsNet, the Celtics are "closing in" on a deal for none other than Shaquille O'Neal. This will obviously raise some eyebrows, because of Shaq's advanced age and his ineffectiveness in Cleveland last year, but with the Celtics' need for size, it's a logical signing.

It's unclear what kind of contract the Celtics are offering, but they may have no choice in the matter. The team already used it's full mid-level exception on Jermaine O'Neal, and they do not have their bi-annual exception because they used that on Marquis Daniels last year. Therefore, the only contract the team can realistically give Shaq is the veteran's minimum, unless the team works on some sign-and-trade arrangement with the Cavaliers. 

For more, visit CelticsBlog.