The Diesel. The Big Shaqtus. Shaq Daddy. Get ready Cavs fans, Cleveland is going to be invaded by the larger-than-life personality that is Shaquille O’Neal. First order of business: what’s his new nickname going to be?

How about The Big Cuyahoga? Nah, to unwieldy. The Big Walleye? Maybe. Aaaahhh, Shaq Erie!

I’m so beyond excited about this trade that I can barely contain myself. I actually sent the following text to a friend at 8:45 this morning:

“We finally got a low post presence! We finally got a low post presence! We finally got a low post presence! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

That’s right, it was a 15 exclamation pointer! And that text really gets to the heart of my excitement. The Cavs have been missing a player who can score in the low post since Boozer went all Benedict Arnold on us a few years ago. Z is an outside shooter and has always been awkward in the paint. Andy is better as a slasher since his shot is unreliable, even from 7 feet. Drew Gooden? Please. It’s been a big hole in the Cavs offense for years. Consider that hole now officially plugged.

A lot of people are focusing on what it means in the matchup with Orlando. OK, let’s look at that. I’ve heard guys as smart as Brian Windhorst say that Shaq can’t defend the Magic pick-and-roll any better than Z. First, I don’t agree. Shaq’s feet are like light-speed compared to Z’s. Second, the pick-and-roll that the Magic used was only one very effective offensive weapon employed against the Cavs. Another one was simply going to Howard in the low post, then waiting for the double team. Either Howard just blew up the double and scored on his own, or he dished it to wide open shooters as the Cavs scrambled around like 8th graders trying to close down the shot. Having Shaq means you don’t have to double team Howard. Ever. Will Howard still score on Shaq? Yep, he sure will. But not like he abused Z and he’ll use a lot more energy doing it. Meanwhile the Cavs can keep the Orlando shooters covered without expending all that energy shifting to the ball. Shaq’s ability to guard Howard by himself helps the entire Cavs defense.

Take it to the other end of the floor. Howard is a defensive beast too and intimidated most of the Cavs who ventured into the lane. Z couldn’t post him up at all and Andy is too soft to take him. Shaq? Let’s just say Shaq can score on Howard whenever he wants. While Z and Andy were busy shooting 40% last year, Shaq was in the paint getting dirty and shooting a much more efficient 60%. Less misses means more points, more possessions, and more of a consistent rhythm for a team that lost all its rhythm in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. Plus, we know that Howard gets in foul trouble, which will be exacerbated by trying to defend Shaq. If, by chance, Mo and Delonte are struggling next year, the Cavs can now rely on a vicious two-man game with Shaq and LeBron. Each can score in a variety of ways and Howard will struggle to stop that.

Speaking of the Cavs’ two stars, how many times did LeBron get double teamed last year? 500 times? 1000 times? How about triple teamed? How many times did LeBron drive the lane and have the ENTIRE OPPOSING TEAM collapse on him? Now tell me how many times that’s going to happen with Shaq on the floor. Who are you going to double team? You can’t double both of them and there is nobody in the world who can guard either LeBron or Shaq one-on-one and be consistently successful. It’s now time for Cavs opponents to have the matchup problems, including Orlando and Los Angeles. Pick your poison, fellas. And if the Cavs’ outside shooters are hitting, forget about it.

A lot of people are saying Shaq isn’t what he used to be. No kidding. But I don’t think he has to be. LeBron is going to go from 7.2 assists per game to 10+ just by having the big man on the low block. Can you think of a better big man to catch and finish LeBron’s bullet passes? You know that alley-oop play that the Hornets ran over and over last year? Well, replace Chris Paul with LeBron and Tyson Chandler with Shaq. Get ready to see a drive and dish between LeBron and Shaq on an endless loop straight through next year’s Finals. Get ready to see Shaq holding the ball in the low post as LeBron slashes, grabs Shaq’s pass, and scores. Get ready to see Shaq walling off one side of the lane as LeBron drives down the other side to the hoop, while half the defenders struggle to get around Shaq. And get ready for even more attention to be paid to the Cavs and our whole city because Shaq is not just a huge physical presence, but also a huge personality who will change everything about Cleveland and the Cavs.

What’s amazing about all this is that the Cavs aren’t done. The NBA Draft is tonight and they still have some free agent dealing to do. Here’s what I expect to see.

Danny Ferry is going to get at least one long player who can defend the perimeter and shoot threes. I would love if they could get Ron Artest. He’s one of the best perimeter defenders in the game, is highly motivated at this stage of his career, contributed heavily to a playoff team last year, and has the size the Cavs would like as a combo 2-3. However, it remains to be seen if he’ll sign for the mid-level the Cavs have available. Another name being thrown out there is Matt Barnes. I like Barnes because he has good size and takes care of the ball. However, he’s not that great a shooter, so I don’t know if he gives the Cavs that additional outside threat they need.

Rasheed Wallace is still available and likely could be had with the mid-level. I hated the idea of Sheed as the solution to the Cavs’ big man problem. But now that Shaq is in town, Sheed actually makes some sense. He’s not the big man in the low post that the Cavs needed specifically because he hates it there. He’s always been an outside shooter. Well, he’s 6-11 and the Cavs need a guy of that size who can score from the outside. Two things still bother me about Sheed, other than the fact that I’ve hated him as a Piston since, I don’t know, forever. First, he’s such a head case that he will cause a lot of problems just by being on the court. Actually, he got T’d up from the bench too last year, so he doesn’t even need to be on the court. Do we want Sheed giving away technical foul freebies in close playoff games? Second, and maybe this was just the situation he was in, but he looked done last year. Done like a steak somebody left on the grill too long. He was slow on both ends, couldn’t defend anybody (not even Andy), and seemed totally disengaged. Rumors have been swirling for weeks that he might just be done with his basketball career. Could he revive himself for a playoff run with the Cavs? And would you start him with Shaq and LeBron, or bring him off the bench?

The only other guy who might be available is Charlie Villanueva. I think he would be a great guy to bring in on a relatively long contract, since he’s only 24. He’s not a great three point shooter, but he’s not bad from there and shoots 45% from the field in his career. He has perfect size and athleticism which would help on both ends of the floor. However, he’s a restricted free agent and the Bucks just traded Richard Jefferson in an effort to dump enough salary to keep Villanueva and Ramon Sessions. That means Milwaukee will likely match any offer the Cavs make for him.

Some talk has surfaced about a possible trade with the Clippers for Marcus Camby. I think that would be pretty good and makes some sense with the Clippers about to draft Blake Griffin. But who would the Clippers take from the Cavs to complete that deal? I really don’t know if it can even happen. Plus, Camby gives you inside scoring, size on defense, rebounding, and blocking. But he can’t shoot threes, so the Cavs would still have a gap there.

Speaking of tonight’s NBA Draft, the Cavs have the 30th pick in what is by all accounts a weak draft. They are also one of maybe a small handful of teams who might be willing to pay for a higher draft pick. Some have said the Cavs will trade up, but again I ask you, trade what? It’s more likely that they buy a higher pick from Minnesota or another willing seller, especially now that they’ve given away their high second round pick to the Suns. The 30th pick essentially becomes their high second round pick and they can get maximum value without giving up players and hurting their depth.

My favorite player in the draft who might be available to the Cavs is Sam Young. Love this guy. He’s smart, strong, tough, efficient, a great defender, and has the perfect size to play that tweener 2-3 position the Cavs need. He was, for me, the best player on a Pittsburgh team that nearly went to the Final Four and banged game after game in the meanest and toughest conference in the country. He’s a perfect rookie to bring off the bench.

But regardless of what pick they decide to buy, it’s impossible to tell what the Cavs are thinking. This much is certain: any player they draft tonight is a role player off the bench. Period. They will not, I repeat, will NOT get an impact player in this draft. There are more over-hyped, not going to amount to much players in this draft than I’ve seen in a long time. If they’re insanely fortunate, the Cavs will get a guy who can help them with their depth during the regular season and maybe provide a little spark in the early rounds of the playoffs. That’s the absolute best we can hope for.

My ideal situation is this. Sign Artest to the mid-level exception, re-sign Andy, if possible get an experienced backup point guard, draft Sam Young.

Will it happen? Who knows? Anybody who tells you unequivocally what is going to happen with NBA free agency and the draft hasn’t been following the NBA for very long. The draft is an especially volatile toss-up. But the Cavs are in a good position with two future hall-of-famers on the roster and an owner willing to spend money to win. Danny Ferry has his work cut out for him, but he’s done the first thing by getting Shaq. He knows the stakes and all the rest of us can do now is sit back and watch what happens.

Enjoy the draft tonight. I’ll be back with some analysis after the smoke clears. Go Cavs!