04/20/24
June 06, 2009
Shaq Can't Handle Howard's Success: Given the number of times that Shaquille O'Neal has ripped him over the past year, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic did an interesting thing Friday from the gigantic media platform of the NBA Finals: He turned the other cheek. "I can't tell you why he's said a lot of discouraging things," Howard said when asked about Shaq. "I wish he wouldn't say it because he's one of the few guys that we all look up to."
posted by rcade to basketball at 02:14 PM - 9 comments
Shaq got put in the Cuisinart the first time he got a sniff of the Finals. He should watch his mouth.
Shaq had not won shit in his lifetime until he had the good fortune to bump into Phil Jackson, who had already won six titles with Bill Cartwright and Luc Longley and was hungry to have a bona fide force in the paint for a change.
Howard has made a lot more of his free throws than Shaq ever did.
Shaq's just pissed because Howard looks like a bionic stud and Shaq looks like a chocolate Shrek.
posted by beaverboard at 11:00 PM on June 06, 2009
Shaq is probably right about how at this point he was more dominant, but who cares? Shaq has had an amazing career, and all he is doing is giving people reasons to not remember him fondly. Kind of sad. Also, maybe Shaq's continued behavior provides a little bit more gray to the "Kobe pushed Shaq out of LA" argument. I doubt Shaq developed this 'tude before he left L.A.
posted by brainofdtrain at 01:57 AM on June 07, 2009
I am one of the biggest Shaq fans, I think Shaq is a little upset at the fact that he left both Orlando and LA with sour tastes in there mouths and now both of those teams are succeeding with out him. Now Orlando and Dwight are getting credit for what he couldn't do, and nobody is talking about his legacy in Orlando and soon his legacy in LA could be gone. I think he just needs to man up and realized his time has past and it saddens me but it is what it is and everybody knows he wasn't going to stay like that forever. Also the rumors about him going to Cleveland I hope are not true because I am not convinced he is helping his sidekicks i.e. penny, kobe, wade, nash, do we really need him corrupting LBJ too.
posted by Jonathon27 at 05:41 AM on June 07, 2009
Shaq's time in Orlando is so long ago that I can't see how he could make a connection between this team and his. Dwight Howard was 11 years old when Shaq left the Magic for the Lakers. In the 13 years he's been gone, the team was mired in mediocrity most of that time and suffered through one of the worst sign-and-trade deals in NBA history with Grant Hill.
If he was the type of athlete to enjoy seeing his old team collapse without him, he should have gotten all of that he ever wanted already.
posted by rcade at 09:44 AM on June 07, 2009
Also, maybe Shaq's continued behavior provides a little bit more gray to the "Kobe pushed Shaq out of LA" argument. I doubt Shaq developed this 'tude before he left L.A.
Here's a Laker fans take on it from the site Ufez introduced us to:
The fact remains however, that Shaq's mouth and other antics are the sole reason he is not a member of the Lakers today. It's not because of Kobe, the media, Bitch Kupchak, or anything else. Shaq alone is to blame, and so for those that may have forgotten, here are a couple of reasons why Laker fans should now hate Shaq, in no particular order:
- Shaq is the reason that the Lakers are as bad as they are right now. His mouthing off to the owner during a pre-season game here ("pay me motherfucker") along with his eventual demand for a trade, made it inevitable that the Lakers would only be able to get fifty cents on the dollar for him (Odom, Grant, Butler, bag of basketballs).
- The fact that Shaq decided to "get in shape" for his first season with his new team, when he repeatedly did the opposite as a Laker. He frequently showed up to training camp 30+ pounds overweight, and then tried to "play his way into shape" during the regular season. At least MIA fans are getting a taste of that behavior this season, as Shaq is currently milking a 5-game ankle sprain for a two month vacation.
The incident with Buss stands out as the moment Shaq sealed his fate with the Lakers. It always rankled me when the ignorant media blamed the trade on Kobe.
posted by cjets at 12:19 PM on June 07, 2009
If I remember the story right Shaq hates Orlando because everyone blamed him for losing the finals and the fact he pissed off Penny because when Shaq wanted a maximum contract Penny was behind him and when Penny asked for his Shaq was nowhere to be found and add to the fact that he doesn't like Stan Van Gundy because they called each other out during the last half of the season, I believe that Shaq is just annoyed that nobody is talking about him during this time of year because he didn't make the playoffs, he loves being in the spotlight.
posted by Jonathon27 at 03:34 PM on June 07, 2009
Good for Howard for being above that foolishness. He is already more mature than Shaq.
posted by bperk at 02:15 PM on June 08, 2009
He is already more mature than Shaq
That's Shaq-tastic!
posted by BornIcon at 12:14 PM on June 09, 2009
Thanks for the Post Rcade.
I'm glad that Dwight took the "High Road" as far as Shaq's comments, as did Abdul Jabbar. While Shaq did go through a stretch where he was unquestionably dominant, his assertions in the past that he was the most dominant and best Center ever are pure nonsense (And I don't seem to recall Jabbar bashing Chamberlain or, vice versa...Either of which I'm certain, would've schooled Shaq, as likely Bill Russell would have as well!) All I can say is Dwight, forget Shaq and keep on doing what you're doing....O'Neals time came and went and like certain other former Stars (read that as Brett Favre), as they fade and move towards the obscurity of retirement, their massive egos cannot allow them to do the classy thing and praise those that are moving into their previously lofty statuses or, humbly acknowledge the greats of the past.