WIth Shaq down, Heat must reassess

With an odd landing on top of Othella Harrington, Shaq's left knee gave way and may seemingly do the same for a now quieted Heat championship hope. Shaq had to be helped off the court with the help of trainer Ron Culp and was quickly taken to get x-rays of the Daddy's knee. The left knee showed no damage and came back negative, although it remains to be seen if there is any further structural damage. X-rays do not show ligament and tendon damage, so Shaq was put on the shelf, for now, with a left knee strain. He is obviously doubtful for tonight's game against the Pacers - a game the Heat might have been targeting as a bit of a revenge game considering they lost to the under-manned Pacers back in Miami earlier in the season.

There is hope though, Shaq left a note in the locker room saying he'll be ok, "Period".

But the ramifications of this incident seem to be sending shock waves throughout the Heat organization.

With the trade deadline's date of February 24th fast approaching, it seems any possible deals the Heat were involved in - Donyell Marshall, Shareef Abdur Rahim, whoever - have to be entirely re-evaluated.

Alonzo Mourning is expecting to return, in an official capacity, on Thursday. But now, with Shaq down the Heat must re-consider any deals that may have involved Micheal Doleac - as he is the Heat's lone back up center. Well, unless you consider Zhi Zhi to be an option - who, admittedly, played admirably in last night's loss to Chicago (11 pts., 2 rebounds). There was a rumor that Doleac was involved in a possible deal for Donyell Marshall. Proof that this may have taken a turn away from the Heat's grasp is illustrated by the Pacer's sudden involvment with the Raptors' forward.

This is precisely the scenario the Heat feared. And it is precisely too early to tell what is going to happen here with Shaq. And, it is precisely too late to reel from this and make personnel moves in order to recover if this situation turns out for the worst. There is no reason to hit the panic button, yet. Maybe Zo will return now, when the Heat needs him more than ever, and spell this team while Shaq is out. The Heat are pretty much set for the playoffs and all they really need is to get in with a healthy Shaq. They do have to get there first, but there is no reason why this team couldnt do so even without Shaq. They played admirably last night on the road in their overtime loss to the Bulls.

But what has to happen now is the Heat have to stand Pat. And yes, the pun is intended. Riley has to stick with the current team he has - along with the addition of Alonzo - and let it ride this out. There is plenty of ammunition. In some ways, it is a very compelling situation as Zhi Zhi played very well last night. He displayed his lack of physical toughness but made up with it by flashing his offense skills and quickness. The telling sign, one would think, is the lack of playing time for Person last night. But the Heat needed front court help - as Doleac and Haslem were in foul trouble. And, the Palm Beach Post reports that the Heat have assured Person is staying on board for the rest of the season. So, who is going to be moved for Zo? What is Shaq's status and how will the Heat deal with it?

Heat Nation, hushed, waits to see if its championship hopes indeed fell to the floor last night.