Shaq's Next 'Sidekick'?

[J0rdan4life42o]

You plug in T-Mac, Carter, Ray Allen or Paul Pierce with Shaq 2 years ago, and that team is headed to the finals (assuming there's a decent supporting cast).

[J0rdan4life42o]

Raja Bell is an average shooting guard that can defend. He doesn't have the skill set or raw talent like a Kobe, Carter, Wade, Mac etc. to take his game to the elite level by playing next to Shaq. This is a silly thread...

[Man_Up]

Kobe was definitely a better all-around player than the guys I mentioned when you consider his D and such..but I believe Shaq's dominance would overcome the lesser shortcomings of Carter, McGrady, Pierce or Iverson..Kobe is easily better than all of them now, but they were all on his level in their primes back in the early 2000's(except Pierce)...

Pierce never get's any love. The only thing that Carter and McGrady do better than Pierce is dunk.

[Dry_Fish]

I'm just hope it's not a sidekick phone as he's sitting in street clothes

[Bulls_Dynasty6]

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Shaq may not be the 1st or 2nd option throughout the game, but you'll see him be the 1st option probably early in the 1st quarter, to get the team going/set the tone, and also into the 4th.

But, for the rest of the game, he'll probably play 3rd fiddle to Nash & Amare, but still setting up his shooters across the wings for an easy look from deep.

I think Barbosa could even be the 3rd option before Shaq does. Or maybe even possibly Grant Hill.

But yeah, I agree with you. That's how I envisioned it anyway.

[NOODLESTYLE]

I think Shaq's next sidekick will be Amare, I can really see Amare taking his game to the next level and dominating alongside Shaq.

And to the original question, I don't think there is a doubt that Shaq made both Bryant and Wade better. But they were both great players to begin with, comparing them to Raja Bell like this to make a point is just silly.

Good pick. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Shaq has never had a All-star PF to play alongside him, let alone one of the top big men in the league. Was Horace Grant a all-star in Orlando? As much as people think Shaq has nothing left in him, I think his presence alone will create a lot of opportunities for other players...especially players who can hit the open J as we've seen that throughout the years.

However there's one player in particular I think will really break out and that is Leandro Barbosa. He's the one player that has the speed and explosiveness to become the all-star type player that people have not credited him for. I've seen Barbosa rip up defenses, and adding Shaq to the offense creates even more openings for Barbosa. He may not be a sidekick per say but I think he's going to do a lot of damage. And yes I'm a Lakers fan.

[NetsForce]

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Pierce never get's any love. The only thing that Carter and McGrady do better than Pierce is dunk.

And create plays for their teammates.

[Blame Rasho]

This is a silly thread... Shaq is 36 and is in his last 1/6th or 8th of his career. He isn't healthy and can't even muster 10 FGA per game nowadays. He isn't in his prime clearly and he is the sidekick. He doesn't make anyone a sidekick at this point of his career. People need to realize that Shaq in his prime made life significantly easier for swing players due to the fact that he commanded a double team and attention and swing players had free reign to play one on one basketball.

[Harry Heinous]

You plug in T-Mac, Carter, Ray Allen or Paul Pierce with Shaq 2 years ago, and that team is headed to the finals (assuming there's a decent supporting cast).

nope. Only kobe or lebron.