July 14 -- Confirming widespread speculation, the Miami Heat have acquired Shaquille O'Neal from the L.A. Lakers in exchange for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a future draft pick. The Heat may have lost three of their regular starters from the 2003-04 season, but their small consolation is that they become immediate contenders for the Eastern Conference crown.

''Who wouldn't want to play with Shaq?'' budding Miami superstar Dwyane Wade told the Chicago Sun-Times. ''He's still the most dominant player in the league.''

Udonis Haslem and Malik Allen will no longer face the task of stopping new teammate O'Neal in the coming season. Victor Baldizon/NBAE/Getty Images

Even more so against the center-deprived East.

While the Detroit Pistons' dismantling of the Lakers in the NBA Finals was the story of the year, it didn't come as a result of shutting down O'Neal. The big man averaged 26.6 ppg on .631 shooting over the five-game series and publicly questioned why his teammates weren't getting him the ball, a problem that won't arise in Miami precisely because of attitudes like Wade's. There will be no power struggles, no divisive tugs-of-war via the media; in South Florida, Shaq is unquestionably the man.

Which will leave him with fewer distractions as he wreaks havoc on his new conference. Last year with O'Neal in the lineup, the Lakers went 22-4 against East teams, and Shaq had some of his most dominant games -- 31 points and 26 rebounds against Milwaukee on March 21, 27 points and 23 rebounds against Orlando on March 15, 37 points and 12 rebounds against Cleveland on Feb. 4. In all, Shaq averaged 23.3 points per game and 11.7 rebounds per game versus the East (compared to 21.5 ppg and 11.5 rpg overall), and now he'll not only be rejuvenated, but on a singular mission to prove himself all over again.

"They say I'm getting older," O'Neal told the Associated Press at the time he made his trade demand in late June. "Of course I am. But can't nobody mess with me. I'm like toilet paper, Pampers and toothpaste. I'm definitely proven to be effective."

With Shaq in the fold, the Heat are likely to start Wade and Eddie Jones in the backcourt, Udonis Haslem at power forward and a player-to-be-named at small forward -- perhaps restricted free agent Rasual Butler or any of the bevy of available swingmen who will be pounding down Miami's door to play alongside the team's latest acquisition.

Wade and Haslem are both entering their second year, but Wade has already shown a Kobe Bryant-like flair for the dramatic, averaging 18.0 ppg, 5.6 apg and 4.0 rpg during the playoffs, while Haslem was a bruiser in the paint, grabbing 6.3 rpg in just 23.9 minutes last year. Jones, a former teammate of O'Neal's in L.A., may have lost a step defensively and will be 33 when the 2004-05 season opens, but he remains an effective shooter. He led Miami in scoring last year with 17.3 ppg and was third in the league with 177 3-pointers.

The Heat, who finished 42-40 in '03-04 and surprisingly nabbed the fourth seed in the East, could likely challenge top dogs Detroit, Indiana and New Jersey right now, but further tinkering would be ideal. The team does still need solid, consistent role players -- particularly at point guard and small forward -- to add depth and versatility to its rotation; however, the upgrade that Shaq brings, in both personnel and optimism, is already palpable.

"I never imagined that we would acquire Shaquille O'Neal," Jones told the AP. "It's once-in-a-lifetime trying to get a player like this guy. It's an unbelievable, unbelievable move ... everybody wants to be here now."