Shaquille O'Neal isn't sure how Cavs fans will receive LeBron James on Thursday, but he thinks it will be a bigger deal than his return to Orlando in 1996.
View full sizeShaquille O'Neal says he's like most NBA fans when it comes to the curiosity factor of Thursday's return of LeBron James to Cleveland.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Shaquille O'Neal doesn't know what to expect when LeBron James returns to Cleveland on Thursday for the first time since he took his talents to South Beach.
But he thinks it will be a lot different than when he returned to Orlando for the first time after leaving the Magic for the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent in 1996.
"I think times are much different now," O'Neal said before Tuesday's game between Boston and Cleveland at The Q. "This situation will probably be a little more 'up there' than mine was.
"When I got booed, I always took it as a sign of respect. He's a tough kid, so he'll respond to it very well and have a good game."
O'Neal, now starting for the Celtics, spent last season in Cleveland with James. He said he was going to watch for one thing during Thursday's game.
"I'm a silly fan," O'Neal said. "I'm anxious to see if he's going to do that powder thing," referring to when James fills his hands with powdered white rosin and tosses it in the air before the game.
After practice in Miami, James told reporters he wasn't sure if he'd continue the tradition on Thursday.
"I probably will," he told reporters. "That's just a ritual for myself, a routine that I've always done, I've done on the road. I don't know. We'll see. I may change. I don't know."
No West: Former Cav Delonte West had surgery on his broken right wrist on Tuesday and was not in Cleveland.
"We don't know his timetable [to return] yet," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "I've heard anywhere from two to three months or longer.
"That's a tough one for us. That hurt us. My plan going into the year was to literally have two units -- a starting unit and a second unit -- because of the age of our team. But now we have to scrap those plans and some of our starters are going to have to play different minutes.
"It's not what we wanted, but the season takes its own turns and you just have to adjust to them."
West averaged 6.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals in five games. He was suspended the first 10 games of the season for his guilty plea on gun charges brought in the summer of 2009.
The last word: From Rivers, asked if he and the Celtics felt overlooked with everyone talking about Thursday's game with the Heat -- "I thought it was about us and the Cavs. I didn't know the Heat had usurped our power.
"You should be talking about that game Thursday. Everybody should be. It's an interesting game. Everyone around the league is interested in that game. I'll be happier on Friday when it's done and everyone has gotten their say out of the way and everyone feels better about it and then they can go on their merry ways and play basketball. I tend to like it when it's about the game of basketball."