Is Shaq Wasted Potential?
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hunchbak said:
The Lakers reached the NBA Finals eight times in the 10 seasons between 1979-80 and 1988-89. They won five titles, beating Boston and Philadelphia twice each and the Detroit Pistons once. The 1985 series against Boston was perhaps the most satisfying for Abdul-Jabbar. At age 38 the league's senior center was thought by many observers to be washed up. In Game 1 it looked as though they were right -- Abdul-Jabbar had only 12 points and 3 rebounds in his matchup with Robert Parish. The Celtics romped to a 148-114 win in what became known as "the Memorial Day Massacre."
During the next two days Abdul-Jabbar watched hours of game films and took part in marathon practice sessions that included over one hour of sprinting drills. Repeated attempts by Coach Pat Riley to persuade Abdul-Jabbar to take a break failed.
In Game 2, Abdul-Jabbar recorded 30 points, 17 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 blocked shots in a 109-102 Lakers win. Los Angeles went on to win the series in six games. In the Lakers' four victories Abdul-Jabbar averaged 30.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.0 blocks. In one memorable sequence Abdul-Jabbar grabbed a rebound, drove the length of the court and swished a sky-hook. He even dove for a loose ball. "What you saw," Riley told Sports Illustrated, "was passion." Abdul-Jabbar was named Finals MVP.
Shaq could have been the best ever, but instead is just GREAT. The man has rings, not alone, but has rings. Size is his game, but as a professional basketball player I expect his ass to hit free throws. If I can hit 5 in a row standing on one leg with my off hand, this mothafucka should be able too. With all that said Shaq is still the man.
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cranrab said:
Homie, there have been centers in the NBA who were all stars wearing 22+shoe size. Shaq played above 350 in the NBA. Why are you trying to spin this O'Riley?
Shaq has eaten himself out of any future championships and wasted D-Wade's prime years. He wont give back the salary to sign new players. He wont retire to free cap room. He played the Heat, and now they will suffer his wrath. He has a history of shitting on team mates (see Elden, Eddie Jones twice Damon Jones, Penny, Kobe, Glen Rice)
Shaq is a great talent, but not where he needs to be. Fuckin Robert Horry has more rings than Snaq, and that's a damn shame considering he got one at Snaqs expense.
I expect him to weigh whatever his frame can carry. Clearly it isn't the 360 Snaq has been hauling around.cranberry cocktail said:
LordSinister said:
you're the only spin doctor here. shaquille o'neal played at 350. OK. in and of itself, what does that NUMBER have to do with lazy, fat, or out of shape. NOTHING.
LordSinister said:
RIGHT. so he eats too much "bad" food presumably. nothing to do with arthritic toes in both feet that have required surgeries and still require orthotics.
LordSinister said:
definitely got your facts wrong about elden campbell and eddie jones. jerry buss wanted them gone. even fakers shill roland lazenby has documented this extensively.
cranrab said:
1: How the fuck are you in your 20's with arthritic toes?
2. Snaq shitted on Eddie in his book. Pick it up.
3. Snaq has insisted that he needed bulk to get through the season, when Kareen trained with Bruce Fucking Lee. There is no comparison.
I think you missunderstand me rab. I know Snaq, my homie provides him with whores and was rewarded with ring side seats and a Bentley when Snaq was in LA. He is not in the top 15 players of all time based on his work ethic.
If he was serious, he would be top 3 of all time, but he's into pleasure. That is all I'm saying.
I would draft in front of Snaq: Magic, Jordan, Bird, Wilt, Russel, Hakeem, Duncan, The Doctor, Kareem, Oscar Robertson, The Logo, Tiny, Clyde Frasier, The Hawk and a couple of others.
On the real, Snaq should be embarrassed. At this point in his career I would Take Wes Unsled, Young Bill Walton and Willis Reed over cuzz and that's sad. The funny part is you know I'm right.
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how can shaq be wasted potential if he has four rings (that means at least four times in his career he reached full potential) shaq was a work horse all thru his career and work horses always break down. - now if you meant his free throw shooting (something he had ample time to improve) i would be incline to agree (he could average 50-plus as a 80% free throw shooter). and with the bad feet .... you know he,s not working out properly
LordSinister said:
so this doctor performed fake surgeries on shaquille o'neal? http://healthcare.ucla.edu/institution/physician?personnel_id=8343
and tricked gary vitti and shaquille o'neal into inserting orthotics into his shoes?
LordSinister said:
i never said shaquille o'neal and elden campbell and/or eddie jones were friends or admirers of one another. i told you who wanted them gone.
from coach harris:
Buss panicked in the late ’90s, traded away Elden Campbell and Eddie Jones and broke up a team that was about to win a whole lot of championships. The reason? Buss didn’t want to pay Campbell big money as a backup center, and he didn’t want to give Jones a big pay raise.
the consequence? from a fakers shill:
Think about this. The Lakers were 8-2 against the San Antonio Spurs when they had both Shaq and Elden in the lineup, including a run of 6 in a row heading into their final regular season matchup of the 1998-99 season. At the time, much was being made about the Spurs and their twin tower model featuring Duncan and David Robinson, thus this was no ordinary feat. But after Elden got traded (with Eddie Jones) to Charlotte for Glen Rice and J.R. Reid (and BJ Armstrong) , the Spurs KILLED the Lakers by 27 in that final regular season matchup, and then owned the Lakers in the playoffs with a dominating sweep on their way to the 1999 NBA title. So basically, keeping Elden could have been the key to starting the Laker Dynasty a year earlier and ending the Spurs Dynasty before it even started. Imagine that.
LordSinister said:
according to shaquille o'neal, it was the fakers that requested shaquille o'neal carry the extra weight/mass.
LordSinister said:
that is YOUR opinion. and even though i might be inclined to AGREE with that opinion, that is not what randy hill or the original poster is positing. randy hill and the original poster are NOT questioning if shaquille o'neal is in the top 15 or top 100 in work ethic. randy hill and the original poster ARE questioning if shaquille o'neal has "wasted" (or not reached) his potential.
LordSinister said:
i don't see it. EVEN IF shaquille o'neal had won a couple more championships (bringing his total to 6), he STILL ain't fucking with bill russell, kareem abdul jabbar, or michael jordan. it would be difficult even entertaining the idea of putting him on the level of julius erving or earvin johnson.
LordSinister said:
NO. your inclusion of bill walton completely erodes the rest of the discussion. maurice lucas propped that sorry bitch up, and is the only reason why people remember that bill walton had a professional career in the NBA.
http://198.65.131.81/board/showpost.php?p=2046279&postcount=14
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goldeneye.1.1 said:
How many times have you made a bitch nut? Were you at your "full potential" each time?
I guess Robert Horry and his 6 rings trump Snaq too, seeing as Horry was at his "full Potential" too.
By your Logic, Steve Kerr, Micheal Cooper and this list are well above Snaq.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ociation_players_with_most_championship_rings
Shaquille O'Neal said:
Shaq makes a great point here. I dont know how many have actually played organized basketball on a high level before but if you're out of shape, its no way you are going to go out there and dominate like he did.
@ people who actually believe some of the bullshit out the mouths of these sports writers and journalists.LordSinister said:
Jonathan Bender was forced to retire at 25 with arthritis problems in his knees so why couldnt Shaq have arthritis problems with his toes when he weighed almost 120 pounds more than JB at roughly the same height?
cranrab said:
wow. deja vu.
look what amare stoudemire says about kwame brown in the l.a. times:
The Laker media guide lists 6-11 center Kwame Brown at 270 pounds. But don't try convincing Phoenix center Amare Stoudemire of that.
"The guy is 300 pounds," insisted the 6-10 Stoudemire
let's see. kwame brown comes to the fakers, adds weight at their request, and then sustains foot/ankle injuries that leave him injured and missing 54 games in a season.
sounds awfully familiar.
deja vu all over again. playing in the pivot for the fakers can be hazardous to your health.
i suppose kwame brown is wasted potential though too.
Legacyns said:Hi, my name is Moses Malone. I have 3 league MVPs & I want to talk to you about you list of greatest centers since I personally mentored Hakeem Olajuwon.
Exactly. Quit making excuses for Snaq. All of his problem are due to his poor work ethics. Kinda like the first round sweep he just suffered.
Shaq is by far the most dominate center of this generation.
He's an All Star, a 4 time NBA world champion, league MVP and no doubt
a future Hall Of Famer and anyone that cant honor or respect that
is just a hater plain and simple. You dont have to like the guy but cant
knock what he's done in the NBA. Has he lost a step..............YES but c'mon now he's he has 4 rings and he's hauling over 300lbs AND he's in he's 30's so get over it, Shaq is the man and i'm a diehard BULLS fan.
GO BULLS
LordSinister said:How many times have you made a bitch nut? Were you at your "full potential" each time?
I guess Robert Horry and his 6 rings trump Snaq too, seeing as Horry was at his "full Potential" too.
By your Logic, Steve Kerr, Micheal Cooper and this list are well above Snaq.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ociation_players_with_most_championship_rings
no ... cause they,re roll players, roll players will always get rings and go unnoticed.(i.e. sam cassell-first two seasons,two rings) where as franchise players will be seen as unreached potential (i.e. charles barkley)
This thread has gone to insanity. You can judge the guy on "what if" scenarios. You have to look at the guy's resume. He is a top 5 center PERIOD. He was never a free throw shooter, rebounder, or defender. So focus on all the UNIQUE advantages he gave his team.
This argument is almost as non productive as saying that Derrick Coleman had the potential and "could have been" the best power forward had he had a better work ethic.
Sure he probably could have had some better stats and peformance in recent years if he had taken better care of his body. But hell how many centers in the league have been that MOBILE and dominant while caring around 320+ lbs.?
This argument is almost as non productive as saying that Derrick Coleman had the potential and "could have been" the best power forward had he had a better work ethic.
Sure he probably could have had some better stats and peformance in recent years if he had taken better care of his body. But hell how many centers in the league have been that MOBILE and dominant while caring around 320+ lbs.?
Damn Right said:
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