Yes

The Heat's new additions should provide Shaquille O'Neal more room to roam next season. John Biever/SI

By Mike McAllister

Thanks to his new contract extension, Shaquille O'Neal will be getting $100 million from the Miami Heat in the next five years. I'm assuming he also gets some say in which players join his supporting cast. I doubt Pat Riley would be involved in a blockbuster deal like Tuesday's 13-player, five-team trade without at least speed-dialing Shaq.

So if Shaq is indeed signing off on adding Antoine Walker and Jason Williams -- the two key acquisitions in the deal -- to the mix, then why should anyone else be concerned about the chemistry of a team that was seven points shy of the NBA Finals?

Shaq knows how bad chemistry can ruin a championship-caliber team (uh, no need to raise your hand, Kobe). He also knows the baggage that Walker and Williams will bring to Miami. A litany of "character" and "chemistry" issues creates skepticism about their true value.

But neither has played with such a larger-than-life figure as Shaq. He will demand they respect the team's goals more than their own. Don't underestimate Shaq's ability to push the right buttons of his teammates.

Sure, it's risky to revamp a lineup that produced the East's best regular season record. But Walker and Williams will flesh out a rotation that was, frankly, too thin.

You can expect Walker and Williams to be on their best behavior in Miami. Walker knows his reputation is becoming something of a talented journeyman (he's now on his fourth team in three years). Williams, meanwhile, lives in the same Orlando neighborhood as Shaq. Think he'll risk feeling Shaq's wrath at the next block party if things become ugly in the locker room?

The 2005-06 season is setting up to be the year of the Heat. Walker and Williams make the roster deeper. Shaq will be intent on fulfilling the championship promise that he failed to deliver last season. Larry Brown is gone in Detroit, thus creating at least a speed bump -- if not a sharp turn -- for the two-time Eastern Conference champs.

Next June, expect Shaq to be wearing his fourth NBA title ring.

No

Will Jason Williams' defensive deficiencies offset the scoring help he offers the Heat? David E. Klutho/SI

By Marty Burns

Judging from the smiles on Biscayne Blvd. this morning, one might think the Heat had already locked up a trip to the 2006 NBA Finals.

Defense and shot selection are crucial to getting the Bling Bling, and Miami is now worse off in both areas. Neither Williams nor Walker are stoppers, and Shaquille O'Neal is notoriously slow to defend on the pick-and-roll. Posey is a terrific one-on-one defender, but he and Dwyane Wade won't be able to cover for all their teammates' lapses.

Heat coach Stan Van Gundy might be able to work out these issues, but it's no sure thing.

For one, the competition in the East looks tougher than ever. The Pistons are motivated to show they can win without Larry Brown. The Pacers will have Ron Artest back. The Nets have added Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Also, it usually takes time for a championship team to develop chemistry and cohesion. Even if the Heat go out and add another piece, such as veteran Michael Finley (should he be released via the new labor deal "amnesty clause"), they will still have to learn to play together.

The Heat were one game away from reaching the Finals a year ago. Now they've torn it all up and started over. It might have been the right thing to do, but Heat fans need to be realistic.

Just ask Shaq. He surely remembers a couple summers ago, when his then-Lakers added future Hall of Famers Karl Malone and Gary Payton. The folks in L.A. are still waiting for that victory parade.