Jermaine O'Neal News: Pro Sports Daily

Miami Heat's Jermaine O'Neal Back On Center Stage

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April 27

Miami Herald

"Two nights ago, he discovered his purpose with the Heat -- a shot-blocking, rebounding, low-post scoring option who has still got something left in the tank. With Miami holding a 2-1 series lead against Atlanta entering Game 4 on Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena, O'Neal looks to continue the breakout play he has delivered the past two games. ''It just took some time,'' said O'Neal, who hopes to help guide Miami into the second round to face Cleveland. ``But I'm doing my job.'' O'Neal has averaged 20.5 points, eight rebounds, 3.5 blocks, and two assists on 57-percent shooting in two wins. Of all of the things that have gone well for the Heat -- the off-the-charts three-point ..."

Miami Heat's Jermaine O'Neal becomes X-factor

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April 19

Miami Herald

"He's positively crucial to the Heat making a deeper-than-expected run into these NBA playoffs, yet Jermaine O'Neal can't wait until the offseason. It would sound disconcerting to hear that from a 6-11 player whom the Heat acquired in February for the purpose of providing offensive balance and a defensive presence, particularly at this time of the year. It would sound that way if you didn't know just how meaningful an entire, surgery-free offseason could mean to O'Neal's career. Don't mistake that for disinterest in the present. O'Neal has never gotten past a conference finals in 10 previous postseasons, so he would just assume this playoff run go well into June for the Heat. But he can't ..."

Heat's Jermaine O'Neal sits vs. Grizzlies

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March 24

Miami Herald

"Miami Heat center Jermaine O'Neal sat out Monday night's home game against the Memphis Grizzlies in an attempt to rest a bruised right hip that has been nagging him for at least the past four games. O'Neal said the injury shouldn't keep him out for more than one game. The Heat have a day off before back-to-back road games against Indiana and Chicago on Wednesday and Thursday. Center Jamaal Magloire started for O'Neal. ''It's precautionary only because of the road trip [coming up],'' O'Neal said. ``It's affecting the way I move a little bit right now, so I just want to try and rest it. If I played [Monday], I'd have no time to calm it down.'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said O'Neal was ..."

Heat's Jermaine O'Neal out against Grizzlies

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March 24

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

"Miami Heat center Jermaine O'Neal was held out of Monday night's game against the Memphis Grizzlies at AmericanAirlines Arena due to a bruised right hip. Coach Erik Spoelstra said O'Neal was injured last week while unsuccessfully attempting to draw a charge against Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce. "It's definitely just one game," said O'Neal, who vowed to be back in the starting lineup for Wednesday night's road game against the Indiana Pacers. "I'm just trying to calm it down. "We're not worried about it at all." O'Neal said Sunday's game against the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills was the first time the ailment significantly limited his mobility. He closed that game with ..."

O'Neal makes a difference

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March 13

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

"It was only six points: Two baskets, two free throws. But for Jermaine O'Neal, it was a start. For the first time since arriving a month ago, the veteran center mattered in a fourth quarter, mattered at the finish. For the Heat, that made Wednesday's 107-99 victory over the Celtics significant. Plan B just might take some of the pressure off Dwyane Wade, after all. "It's very important to have that ability to go down in the post and him make not only the jump shot, but also go to the basket," Wade said. Before the victory over the Celtics, O'Neal had not scored more than four points in the fourth quarter of any of his previous 11 Heat appearances. And these were no accidental points. They ..."

Jermaine O'Neal taking patient approach with Miami Heat

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March 9

Miami Herald

"When Jermaine O'Neal arrived in a trade from the Toronto Raptors, his goal was to have an immediate impact on the court as big as his hefty contract. A month into his stint with the Heat, O'Neal is simply hoping not to get short-changed in the offense. O'Neal has had to temper his expectations some in his first few weeks since the Feb. 13 trade. O'Neal remains the anchor of Miami's reloaded frontcourt. But he has not been the go-to option in the lane as often as he initially expected. O'Neal hasn't complained. Instead, he's taking a patient approach. A breakthrough of sorts came in Saturday's loss at Cleveland, where O'Neal scored 19 points, making 7 of 10 shots. He hopes to build on that ..."

Miami Heat center Jermaine O'Neal allowed to wear headband

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March 4

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"Miami Heat president Pat Riley struck one of the season's biggest trade deadline deals by acquiring Jermaine O'Neal. But Riley had to make a subsequent move to keep O'Neal happy once the seven-time All-Star center arrived. After he initially balked at O'Neal's request to wear a headband, Riley made a rare exception and lifted the restriction. O'Neal, who has worn a headband the past three games, confirmed Tuesday that Riley budged -- with strings attached. ''I can't tell you,'' O'Neal said when asked to disclose details after Tuesday's practice. ``But we made an agreement on things I need to do to keep the headband. I plan on keeping the headband. I don't want people to think Coach Riley ..."

Heat's Jermaine O'Neal promises results are coming

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February 24

Palm Beach Post

"Jermaine O'Neal spoke calmly but purposefully as he sat at his locker after Sunday's 122-99 loss at Orlando. It's been an admittedly difficult season for the Heat's newly acquired, 30-year-old center. During the summer he was traded from Indiana to Toronto to blend with All-Star big man Chris Bosh as a formidable frontcourt. It didn't work. Now O'Neal finds himself in another challenging situation after being traded from Toronto to Miami. "You don't get traded 52 games into the season and not expect it to be difficult," the six-time All-Star said. "But as a player, if you think it's too difficult a task, you tell your agent, or you tell whatever team you need to tell that you can't make ..."

Miami Heat's Jermaine O'Neal Rebuilding Image, Years After Brawl in Detroit

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February 24

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

"Lawyers. Arbitrators. League officials. Media. Fans. Jermaine O'Neal had a lot of explaining to do, to all sorts of people, and none of it was pleasant. "But the toughest part for me was to explain it to my daughter," he says. He hadn't brought himself to tell Asjia what had happened on Nov. 19, 2004, or why, in the days that followed, he was home watching games in progress rather than reviewing games on tape. But a sharp 5-year-old doesn't take long to figure it out, especially when her friends are fans of her father, and that father had recently participated in the ugliest brawl in NBA history. "Dad, somebody told me you were suspended for punching somebody."Her information was accurate, ..."

Miami Heat center Jermaine O'Neal bounces back after painful eye injury

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February 21

Miami Herald

"Heat center Jermaine O'Neal hopes his second appearance with his new team is far less painful than his first. O'Neal said Friday that he continues to feel soreness near his eye and nose from a blow he took from Minnesota forward Mike Miller that briefly knocked him out of the game in Wednesday's loss. But O'Neal practiced Friday and is expected to make his second start with the Heat in Saturday's home game against the Philadelphia 76ers. O'Neal was attempting to draw a charge on Miller in the lane when the two collided. O'Neal returned after he was taken to the locker room. ''It was pretty sore,'' O'Neal said. ``It was one of those situations where when you take charges, you have to accept ..."

Jermaine O'Neal has painful debut as Miami Heat fall to Minnesota

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February 19

Miami Herald

"The Jermaine O'Neal era got off to a rocky start. Twenty-two minutes into his Heat debut, he took a charge from Minnesota forward Mike Miller and left the game with a bloody nose and blurry vision. O'Neal returned late in the fourth quarter, but the Heat's comeback fell short and the Timberwolves won 111-104 in front of an announced crowd of 17,525 at AmericanAirlines Arena. With 29 games remaining, Miami will have to quickly find chemistry with its revamped lineup. The Heat showed flashes of how it could thrive with O'Neal in the post, but got torched defensively. ''It was just a terrible loss,'' Dwyane Wade said. The Heat was outrebounded 49-24 and allowed the Timberwolves to hit 14 of ..."

Jermaine O'Neal's Miami Heat debut a night to forget

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February 19

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

"Jermaine O'Neal's South Florida welcome included an elbow to the right eye from Mike Miller and enough Minnesota Timberwolves 3-pointers to leave the Miami Heat feeling dazed. What began as a triumphant arrival for O'Neal, with an early 11-point Heat lead, turned into a defenseless showing and a 111-104 loss Wednesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. "It's a terrible loss," Dwyane Wade said after his game-high 37 points and 12 assists weren't enough to rescue the Heat. The new-look Heat, at least in O'Neal's debut, proved incapable of rebounding from its early blown lead, or rebounding at all, for that matter. Despite gaining much-needed size with the addition of O'Neal in last week's ..."

Eastern Conference rivals take notice of Heat after Jermaine O'Neal acquisition

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February 15

Miami Herald

"Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson didn't necessarily sprain his neck looking over his shoulder during Saturday's practice for the Eastern Conference All-Star team. But Johnson was among several players and coaches who were a bit more aware of Dwyane Wade's presence in the room a day after the Heat (28-24) improved its roster Friday by acquiring center Jermaine O'Neal. Suddenly, a Heat team that lingered in mediocrity through the first half of the season now lurks as a potential threat to teams ahead of it in the conference standings. ''That move they made, it definitely makes them a contender,'' said Johnson, whose Hawks sit three games ahead of the Heat in fourth place. ``It's another team ..."

Marion more than a hired gun for Raptors

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February 14

Toronto Star

"Shawn Marion's worth goes well beyond that of a "rental player" obtained by the Raptors so they can go out and make significant NBA moves this summer. In finalizing a much-anticipated deal that sent Jermaine O'Neal, Jamario Moon and a conditional first-round draft pick to the Miami Heat for Marion, guard Marcus Banks and cash, Raptors president and GM Bryan Colangelo said Marion provides a much-needed boost to the roster. "Shawn is a piece that should be given an opportunity to fit in with the team," Colangelo said in a conference call last night. "He's not necessarily a rental player. That's not necessarily the case.""

Trade has major upside

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February 14

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

columnist Dave Hyde

"Got a big man in Jermaine O'Neal. Kept the future star of Michael Beasley. Pointed the salary cap toward the all-important summer of 2010. What's not to like for the Heat's today and tomorrow? It even got elastic Jamario Moon and a No. 1 draft pick out of Toronto, for whatever they're worth. And it's worth seeing exactly what they are. Patiently, logically, resourcefully, Heat President Pat Riley waited to make the deal a source said was on the table for six weeks until nothing better was coming and O'Neal's knee looked fine in extended play. This was the best of the rumored deals. Toronto primarily gets the expiring contract of Shawn Marion, whose reward for Thursday's winning basket was ..."

Marion Trade a Sign Teams Are Ready to Shed Payroll

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February 14

New York Times

"In a signal that blockbuster trades they made in the last year have not worked out, the Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors engineered another one Friday, swapping frontcourt players with sterling résumés who have occasionally underwhelmed this season. The Heat agreed to send Shawn Marion to the Raptors for Jermaine O'Neal, forward Jamario Moon and a lottery-protected first-round draft pick. The Raptors also received the reserve point guard Marcus Banks. The trade reunites Marion with Raptors General Manager Bryan Colangelo, who watched Marion blossom as a player when both were with the Phoenix Suns. The Suns' new regime, under General Manager Steve Kerr, dealt Marion to Miami last season ..."

Raptors trade O'Neal, Moon to Miami

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February 13

Toronto Star

"The deal is done and the Jermaine O'Neal era with the Raptors — short and not too sweet — is over. The Raptors have dealt the veteran centre along with Jamario Moon to the Miami Heat for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, a deal that gives Toronto some financial flexibility this summer and one they hope injects some defence, rebounding and athleticism to a team free-falling through the NBA Eastern Conference standings. Toronto is also sending a conditional draft pick to the Heat and getting cash considerations in return, according to league sources."

Miami Heat trades Shawn Marion, acquires Jermaine O'Neal from Raptors

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February 13

Miami Herald

"The Miami Heat has agreed to trade forward Shawn Marion and point guard Marcus Banks to Toronto for center Jermaine O'Neal and small forward Jamario Moon, an agent for one of the players said Friday. The deal is contingent on all the players passing physicals. ''The Heat gave us a heads-up that the deal is going down,'' said Michael Higgins, agent for Banks. The long-rumored deal will give the Heat a center, filling one of its biggest weaknesses. O'Neal's contract runs through next season and will pay him $23 million in 2009-10. Marion, earning $18.4 million this season, has a contract expiring after this season, and the Heat had not made any recent attempt to re-sign him."

Raptors acquire Marion from Heat

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February 13

ESPN.com

"The Toronto Raptors have agreed to send Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon to the Miami Heat in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, league sources told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher. The deal is pending league approval, according to league sources."

O'Neal still on trade block with deadline closing

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February 13

Toronto Star

"Bryan Colangelo arrived in his old stomping grounds a marked man, someone who'll be very popular with his fellow NBA general managers during this weekend's all-star festivities in Phoenix. The Raptors' president has made no secret of the fact he's dissatisfied with some aspects of his team's play and, with the NBA trade deadline less than a week away, the normal chatter he has with rival general managers will take on a far more serious tone. Colangelo will most likely seek out whoever is in Phoenix representing the Miami Heat to discuss the still-alive talks involving Jermaine O'Neal and Shawn Marion."

O'Neal's days as a Raptor may be at an end

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February 12

Toronto Sun

"For all intents and purposes, Jermaine O'Neal played his final game as a Raptor last night. After all, there is no purpose in keeping O'Neal around in Raptorland any longer. The team's intent, ever since word leaked a month ago today out of South Beach that O'Neal was being shopped around, was to find a suitable suitor for the veteran. O'Neal is a good guy who has been placed in a bad situation, a natural power forward who has been asked to play centre. There is always a chance O'Neal will survive next Thursday's trade deadline, but those chances appear to be slim and none, or roughly the same odds of the Raptors seeing the post-season. With so much work to be done in remaking these ..."

O'Neal stays focused

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January 25

Toronto Sun

"Jermaine O'Neal doesn't know what the future has in store. More than any Raptor, O'Neal understands the business of basketball. That is why O'Neal's focus remains on the present. Whenever he hears criticism or talk of some impending trade, O'Neal remembers the skeptics when he decided to skip college and enter the NBA in 1996 straight out of high school. "There were scouts who thought I wouldn't last three years,'' O'Neal said. "I've never been a player who was given anything. I've had to earn everything and I'll make my way back." O'Neal had his finest moment as a Raptor against the Sacramento Kings, tonight's opponent, on the road on Boxing Day when he poured in a game-high 36 ..."

O'Neal tries to stay positive

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January 22

Globe and Mail

"This is not what Jermaine O'Neal signed up for - a seven-game losing streak and a playoff spot a distant mirage on the horizon. When the big centre rolled into his first training camp with the Toronto Raptors after being traded from the Indiana Pacers, his preferred point of reference was the Pacers' magical 2003-04 season when they won 61 games and he was a serious Most Valuable Player candidate. He saw the 2008-09 Raptors in the same light. After all: he was playing for them, and he was healthy. This team has all the ingredients," O'Neal said on the eve of training camp, "to be a very good team and be on top of the NBA standings at the end of the year." That goal is long gone, even with ..."

Heat and Raptors exchange medical records

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January 22

New York Daily News

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"A deal that would send Jermaine O'Neal to Miami and Shawn Marion to Toronto is progressing. According to a league sources, the two teams have exchanged medical records, usually a precursor to a deal. The Knicks had talked to Miami about a Marion-for-Eddy Curry deal, but Curry has appeared in only one game this season due to a knee injury."

Dealing O'Neal could prevent Raptor implosion

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January 19

Toronto Star

"Among the scarce evidence of Jermaine O'Neal's presence at the Air Canada Centre yesterday, other than a club report that he was receiving treatment for his sore right knee and probable for today's game in Atlanta, was the Louis Vuitton satchel beside his locker. The bag was packed. On a day when the headlines suggested that O'Neal's days in Toronto could soon be at their end – that a deal to send O'Neal to Miami for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks is the Raptors' wish, pending Miami president Pat Riley's command – it was a fitting image. The proposed trade, if it happens as reported, would be more patchwork than masterwork. Then again, Bryan Colangelo, the Raptors president and GM, has ..."

Riley downplays trade rumor

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January 19

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

"Heat President Pat Riley, in his first public comments about a potential trade for Toronto's Jermaine O'Neal, cautioned that the deal is not imminent. While not denying interest in O'Neal, Riley said in a team statement released Sunday that reports about the potential trade were premature. "It's typical this time of the year in the NBA that people put the cart before the horse," Riley said. "Whoever is saying that is putting the cart before the horse." The Heat is considering sending forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks to the Raptors for O'Neal. But Riley is concerned about O'Neal's immediate availability after he recently missed nine games with a sore knee. O'Neal, 30, played 17 ..."

Heat discussing trade of Shawn Marion for Jermaine O'Neal

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January 18

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

"The Heat is discussing a trade that would send Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Toronto for forward/center Jermaine O'Neal but the deal is on hold as the Heat continues to monitor O'Neal's health. Toronto President Bryan Colangelo would like to complete the deal soon. However, it may not happen until closer to the Feb. 19 trade deadline due to Heat president Pat Riley's concerns about O'Neal's immediate readiness with the Heat in contention for a playoff berth. O'Neal recently returned after a nine-game absence due to a knee injury. O'Neal, though injured often during his 13-year career, would fill the Heat's glaring need for a low-post scorer. With $45 million due over the next two ..."

O'Neal not worried by swirling trade rumours

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January 16

Toronto Star

"Raptor Jermaine O'Neal understands that he continues to be the subject of informed trade speculation, largely because the 16-24 Raptors need a change and O'Neal's contract, which expires after next season when he'll earn $24 million, is one of Toronto's few marketable assets. O'Neal said he'll deal with an in-season move even if he fears its impact on his family. He said he bought his 9-year-old daughter, Asjia, a Blackberry and a cellphone so she can keep in touch with faraway friends."

Bargnani deserves to be starter, O'Neal says

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January 16

Toronto Star

"It's possible Jermaine O'Neal will play tonight in his homecoming game in Indiana, where the Raptors centre played the previous eight seasons. But his return from a two-week-plus absence with a bruised right knee, whether it happens tonight or later, will not coincide with a debate about who should be in the team's starting five – at least not immediately. With Andrea Bargnani averaging 22.3 points and 7.1 rebounds as a starter during O'Neal's nine-game absence, the Italian's roll will not be rocked. Jay Triano, the Raptors interim head coach, said O'Neal volunteered to come off the bench to begin."

This old dog hates new tricks

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January 16

Toronto Star

"Even if Jermaine O'Neal, the Raptors centre plagued by the bum knees, returns to action tonight in Indiana, he'll have missed 12 of the first 40 games of the season, a full 30 per cent of the action, to injury. And considering he'd missed 37 per cent of his team's games in the previous four seasons, who'd have seen it coming? Fans could blame Bryan Colangelo, the Raptors GM, for acquiring an ailment-prone 30-year-old and expecting a fairy-tale ending. They could blame the fickle fates. Or they could blame O'Neal's biceps – albeit not without reading on."

Ex-Pacer O'Neal returns, but will injury keep him out?

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January 16

Indianapolis Star

"Will he play or will he watch? Toronto Raptors forward Jermaine O'Neal's status for tonight's game at Conseco Fieldhouse against his former team remains in limbo. O'Neal, who is averaging 14 points and 7.3 rebounds, has missed the past nine games with a sore right knee. He told Toronto reporters Thursday that tonight's game is no different from any other. "Obviously, it'll be an emotional time if I can play, but it's been absolutely, positively, the last thought in my mind about going back to Indy," O'Neal said. "I had a nice run there, but it's more important what I can do and where I am with the Toronto Raptors." O'Neal spent eight years with the Pacers and was selected for six All-Star ..."

O'Neal/Bargnani decision looming large

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January 14

Toronto Sun

"The intriguing question of replacing Andrea Bargnani with Jermaine O'Neal, or playing them together, will be put off a couple of more days, likely including O'Neal's homecoming game at Indiana later this week. Centre O'Neal and point guard Jose Calderon remain on the injured list as the Toronto Raptors prepare for tonight's game against the Chicago Bulls (7 p.m, Air Canada Centre). O'Neal's knee injury is improving, but not to the stage where he could return Friday against the Pacers without some quality practice time. O'Neal came to Toronto in a major deal in the summertime, but has yet to play his old team at Conseco Fieldhouse where he spent eight NBA seasons. "Jermaine is day-to-day ..."

O'Neal and Calderon doubtful vs. Magic

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January 4

Toronto Sun

"The Toronto Raptors will likely be without big guns Jermaine O'Neal and Jose Calderon for Sunday's game against the Orlando Magic and possibly for one or both of next week's road contests in Milwaukee and Washington. Calderon went for an MRI on Saturday afternoon to have a hamstring strain checked, but neither he or O'Neal (swollen knee) were active participants in this morning's workout at the Air Canada Centre. Calderon missed two games earlier this season with a hamstring problem. "We have to find out what's wrong and if there is something there (fix it)," Triano said. "The swelling with Jermaine is going down, so that's a good sign." Calderon was staying upbeat after an early season ..."

O'Neal and Calderon doubtful for Magic

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January 3

Toronto Sun

"The Toronto Raptors will likely be without big guns Jermaine O’Neal and Jose Calderon for Sunday’s game against the Orlando Magic and possibly for one or both of next week’s road contests in Milwaukee and Washington. Calderon went for an MRI on Saturday afternoon to have a hamstring strain checked, but neither he or O’Neal (swollen knee) were active participants in this morning's workout at the Air Canada Centre. Calderon missed two games earlier this season with a hamstring problem. “We have to find out what’s wrong and if there is something there (fix it),” Triano said. “The swelling with Jermaine is going down, so that’s a good sign.” Calderon was staying upbeat after an early season ..."

Knee keeps O'Neal out

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January 3

Toronto Sun

"Raptors centre Jermaine O'Neal was a scratch again last night because of a bruised right knee. "I'm day-to-day," O'Neal said with a shrug before last night when asked if he will play tomorrow here against the Orlando Magic. For coach Jay Triano, no O'Neal meant a huge hole in the shot-blocking department with Yao Ming in town. "Jermaine's been a big clog for us in the inside, but Andrea (Bargnani) guards the post pretty well," Triano said. "He'll have a tough job ahead of him tonight. If they elect to put Yao Ming on (small forward) Jamario Moon the way they did last year, we'll deal with that, but if they put him on Andrea, we'll try to keep him away from the basket.""

O'Neal finding offensive rhythm

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December 28

Toronto Star

"This is where it all began for a teenaged Jermaine O'Neal, the city where he cut his NBA teeth and where he hopes his renaissance continues. Coming off his best game as a Raptor – a 36-point gem in a 107-101 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday – the veteran centre thinks his offence, the multi-faceted game that makes him so dangerous, will be present more often than not."

Outstanding O'Neal delivers vintage performance for Raptors

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December 27

Toronto Star

"It was a night of vintage Jermaine O'Neal, an evening replete with a dizzying array of drives and short jumpers, an unstoppable offensive game reminiscent of years gone by. And just what the Raptors needed for one night. O'Neal scored a season-high 36 points, operating against only token resistance most of the night, as the Raptors won their second straight road game, upending the Sacramento Kings 107-101 last night to begin their three-game post-Christmas trip. Beating the likes of veteran Brad Miller and rookie Spencer Hawes and forcing the Kings to double-team him every time he caught the ball down the stretch, O'Neal did pretty much want he wanted."

Former Pacer O'Neal tries to settle in with Raptors

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December 10

Indianapolis Star

"Jermaine O'Neal's career revival remains a work in progress. The former Indiana Pacers forward still is learning how to play alongside Chris Bosh, the Toronto Raptors' All-Star forward and first option on offense. O'Neal also has been dinged up -- no surprise to Pacers fans -- and his coach was fired last week. But despite the early hiccups and subpar stats, O'Neal is at peace. That wasn't the case his final two years in Indiana, he said. "I really didn't feel wanted from a management standpoint of view," he said during a telephone interview Tuesday, one day before facing his former teammates for the first time. "There were comments made behind the scenes. You just want to feel support. ..."

O'Neal wiser after return to lineup

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December 3

Toronto Star

"Jermaine O'Neal was back on the basketball court last night, feeling healthier than he has in almost two weeks. Feeling a bit wiser, too. O'Neal's return from a three-game absence due to a sprained left ankle was a big boost for the Raptors in the middle of a three-game western road trip and he knows he might have been able to come back earlier if not for his own insistence on "pushing the needle." He played just under 19 minutes during last night's 132-93 loss in Denver, taking most of the second half off as the game was well out of hand for the Raptors. O'Neal finished with 12 points and two rebounds."

O'Neal has giving side

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December 1

Toronto Sun

"For Canada's highest-paid pro athlete, Jermaine O'Neal thus far has kept a low profile on and off the court. That is changing for the Raptors' new big man. Now that he's getting comfortable in his role, he is ready to show the public that Jermaine is germane. He soon will be immersed in the causes that endeared him to fans in Indiana, helping feed, clothe and educate the needy, while getting his game-face on in some commercials and lending his name to movie projects. Deddrick Faison, O'Neal's business manager, said his client would have preferred getting his various projects started soon after the July trade that brought him from the Pacers. But if O'Neal couldn't get off the ground, ..."

Silver screen intrigues Jermaine

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December 1

Toronto Sun

"If Jermaine O'Neal's mother knew what kind of movies her son was funding, she'd be, well, horrified. O'Neal is serving as co-producer for a Los Angeles company that has two scary flicks in the works. "When we were kids, my mom never let us out on Halloween to trick or treat," O'Neal said with a laugh. "She thought that it was celebrating the devil. So I missed out on that. But I did sneak out to see some of those movies." The first film, titled David, is due out next year. "It's about a doll who drives a family crazy," O'Neal said. "It's the kind of film that's a throwback to the '80s that terrified people. You'll be wondering about things that go bump in the night and be frightened ..."

O'Neal likely will play

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November 30

Toronto Sun

"Jermaine O'Neal wasn't ready to make any bold predictions, but all signs point toward a return to the court tonight after a two-game absence. "We'll see how it goes (today at shootaround)," O'Neal said. "I expected to play (Friday) night but didn't play so I don't want to lead people on. I think it's a huge positive I was able to practise today so I would definitely say the chances of me playing are far greater than not." Head coach Sam Mitchell said he would let O'Neal and his training staff decide when it's time for O'Neal to make his return. O'Neal initially strained his left knee last Friday against New Jersey. He then went over on an ankle which lead to more discomfort and some ..."

O'Neal sits and waits

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November 28

Toronto Sun

"Jermaine O'Neal was dressed for practice yesterday and did some shooting afterwards but did not take part in the formal portion of the workout. The surgically repaired left knee that buckled underneath him last Friday is not the issue. It's a swollen ankle that is keeping him from taking part. His status for tonight's game with Atlanta at the ACC will be a game-time decision. IT'S UP TO JOEY The Raptors have seen flashes of the kind of play Joey Graham put on display Wednesday night against Charlotte. The key is going to be if Graham can sustain the kind of energy and focus he brought against the Bobcats over a stretch of games. Head coach Sam Mitchell said Graham has earned the ..."

Ankle keeps O'Neal out

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November 27

Toronto Sun

"Having declared it a mistake to have tried to play on Sunday against Boston with a knee strain and then hurting his ankle, a cautious Jermaine O'Neal spent last night's game getting treatment for both with an eye to playing tomorrow against Atlanta. O'Neal said the knee was coming along "spectacularly well" and that it's the ankle that kept him out last night."

O'Neal unlikely to play

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November 26

Globe and Mail

"It appears that the Toronto Raptors will be without centre Jermaine O'Neal for tonight's game against the Charlotte Bobcats. "Probably not - unless something happens between now and the game," Toronto coach Sam Mitchell said today following the Raptors' shootaround at the Air Canada Centre. "But our feeling is probably not." The centre injured his left knee during Friday's overtime loss to the New Jersey Nets. O'Neal tried to play in Toronto's next game on Sunday against the Boston Celtics but only wound up injuring his left ankle. O'Neal said Tuesday that it was the ankle that was giving him most concern and Mitchell said additional rest is probably the most prudent route at this point. ..."

O'Neal braced for knee injury, not ankle sprain

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November 26

Toronto Star

"If you've seen Jermaine O'Neal play this season, you've seen the Raptor fidgeting with his knee brace. At times, the 30-year-old centre seems exasperated with the unwieldiness of the gigantic concoction of plastic and Velcro he straps to his left leg from low-thigh to mid-calf. At least a few times, however, knee troubles have sidetracked his career the past couple of seasons. The brace is designed to mitigate further setbacks, but he has cast the brace aside and played without it, consequences be damned."

O'Neal game to game

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November 25

Toronto Sun

"Jermaine O'Neal's strained left knee looks like it will be a game-to-game issue for the Raptors. It was feared he had badly damaged the surgically repaired joint in Friday's loss to New Jersey, but he surprised everyone by suiting up Sunday against the Boston Celtics. That appearance was abbreviated in the second quarter, but he tried a few things at practice yesterday and though he didn't comment on his condition as he was hustled away for treatment, the team won't count him out of tomorrow's home game against the Charlotte Bobcats. "After about 12 or 13 years in the league, he knows his own body." coach Sam Mitchell said. "We'll listen to him and the doctor, but he'll let me know if he ..."

Raptors lose the game and O'Neal

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November 24

Globe and Mail

"Pick your scene: Kevin Garnett turning Chris Bosh into an afterthought; a gimpy Jose Calderon being scorched defensively or Jermaine O'Neal wincing his way through his ill-advised 14 minutes before shutting it down at halftime. None pretty, all telling, and the scoreboard was no more encouraging as the Toronto Raptors were trounced 118-103 by the Boston Celtics before 19,800 at the Air Canada Centre. And one more image: A frustrated Bosh wandering away from a timeout in the midst of the blowout and standing alone by the basket, a rare public display of his displeasure. Afterward he dismissed the moment. "The game is over," said Bosh, who scored 24 points primarily after the game was well ..."

O'Neal listed as day-to-day

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November 23

Toronto Sun

"J.O. likely will be a no-go for the Raptors this afternoon against the Boston Celtics. But the knee strain Jermaine O'Neal suffered to his surgically repaired left knee on Friday night probably will not keep him out more than a few days. With a two-day break before their four-game homestand continues Wednesday against Charlotte, the Raptors likely will rest O'Neal today as a precaution. X-rays showed O'Neal, who was just hitting a comfort zone with his new team, has no structural damage. He did not appear to be favouring the leg as he walked past reporters yesterday without comment. He awkwardly came down on the knee during the fourth quarter of the 129-127 overtime loss to the New ..."