Big Ru responds to Shaq’s “worst player” comment: “It is sad”

[Klomp]

A little bit afield, but I have to side with Shaq here. Gobert hasn't really locked up Jokic or Embiid in recent years. Shaq will easily get his the same way he did with Dikembe Mutombo.

Not really a reason to bring Rudy down every chance he can but I do think Shaq would cook him.

Who has locked up those guys?!

[Klomp]

If 90s era players don't want guys like Ant spewing off comments like "MJ was the only guy with talent", maybe they should think about not spewing off comments like "Rudy Gobert is the worst player of all-time"

[Capn'O]

A little bit afield, but I have to side with Shaq here. Gobert hasn't really locked up Jokic or Embiid in recent years. Shaq will easily get his the same way he did with Dikembe Mutombo.

Not really a reason to bring Rudy down every chance he can but I do think Shaq would cook him.

Who has locked up those guys?!

This takes my quote out of context. I was specifically talking about the origin of Shaq's feud where Gobert said he would lock him up. He wouldn't, just like Embiid and Joker, because nobody can. So I agree with him there.

I was specifically NOT responding to the "worst player" comment. The pettiness that has followed is not really worth discussing.

[Klomp]

A little bit afield, but I have to side with Shaq here. Gobert hasn't really locked up Jokic or Embiid in recent years. Shaq will easily get his the same way he did with Dikembe Mutombo.

Not really a reason to bring Rudy down every chance he can but I do think Shaq would cook him.

Who has locked up those guys?!

This takes my quote out of context. I was specifically talking about the origin of Shaq's feud where Gobert said he would lock him up. He wouldn't, just like Embiid and Joker, because nobody can. So I agree with him there.

I was specifically NOT responding to the "worst player" comment. The pettiness that has followed is not really worth discussing.

That's fair.

[The_Ghost_of_JB]

It sounds like it comes down to Shaq being upset at the salary Gobert gets compared to his what his output is. Granted he is not worth that absurd contract but not understanding at all how it is Gobert's fault that Utah offered him that much money and he accepted.

[FrobeBryant]

Kind of agree with Shaq. I wouldn't say he's the worst player, just very overrated.

[PushDaRock]

The Gobert slander is a bit much. He's made the playoffs 8 out of 11 seasons. His on court per 100 and on/off per 100 for his career are +6.8 and +7.2 respectively, so his teams have consistently won the minutes he's been on the court and are significantly better with him on the court than off it. He's not putting up empty numbers and he's impacting winning. He probably needs to win a chip before the narrative changes around him.

That's the thing that's funny about the whole "he sucks" argument. He impacts winning.

In his second year, Utah improved from 25-57 to 38-44. It's easy to say it's not all because of Rudy, but you look at the game log, and they went 19-10 once he was inserted into the starting lineup full-time after starting the season 19-34. From that point on, 40-42 was their worst season with Gobert on the team.

Interestingly enough, this narrative that you can play Gobert off the court in the playoffs has really strengthened since he got traded to the Timberwolves, but people would probably be surprised that he's been a +13.7 and +16 in on/off per 100 in the playoffs during the last 2 seasons with the Timberwolves. The narrative is just not based in reality.

[Asianiac_24]

Rudy 100% deserves his DPOY awards. Just because he can't guard superstar guards like Curry/Luka doesn't make him a bad defender. Rudy is a center.

Marcus Smart is a DPOY. If he got switched on to Jokic or Embiid, you're telling me they won't be dumping that inside for an ISO?

[FrodoFraggins]

Shaq's comments on other centers aren't worth paying attention to 99% of the time. the dude is super petty, defensive and insecure.

[Klomp]

A bitter old man

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[Revived]

It sounds like it comes down to Shaq being upset at the salary Gobert gets compared to his what his output is. Granted he is not worth that absurd contract but not understanding at all how it is Gobert's fault that Utah offered him that much money and he accepted.

This is exactly what it comes down to. I’m not a Wolves fan and I don’t even care all that much for Gobert. However it’s very obvious that Shaq is jealous as hell about not having made the salary that Gobert is currently making. That’s his main issue. Not the DPOY or accolades or anything like that really, money is the main issue.

And I don’t get it either. Shaq probably makes in endorsements and his TNT salary as much annually or more than what Gobert gets paid from his contract and endorsements annually.

It’s not like Gobert is taking $$ right now that would’ve otherwise went to Shaq or something.

If Shaq really wants to have an honest dialogue then he can talk about how every sports athlete in the world is significantly overpaid compared to what they bring to society (since Shaq wanted to play the “oh Gobert makes this much and yet teachers, firemen etc only makes so little” card).

A bitter old man

Read on Twitter

Yeah this further supports what I said above.

[NoDopeOnSundays]

A bitter old man

Read on Twitter

He's such an a**hole

[Ice Man]

Shaq was hired because he is a former superstar who is very familiar to fans. Personally, I'd rather hear from a bench warmer who is smarter, fairer, and more insightful than Shaq, but I have learned by now that most people prefer celebrity trolls to what I like.

So, shrug. That's how things are. I skip the warmup shows, skip most of the podcasts, and (depending on the crew) sometimes watch the sound off.

[CS707]

For whatever reason, Rudy seems to be really unpopular within the player community. It's not the Euro/French thing either as there are other players with the same background, level of success, etc. that don't get nearly the same degree of hate. Shaq is weirdly sensitive on his standing within the center greats though. Maybe he got a similar level of disdain from vets at the time he came into the league, and this is his pound of flesh.

[homecourtloss]

I don't think he's a bad defender. But unfortunately, there were too many lowlight tapes of Gobert getting crossed by Curry/Harden, Clippers mounting that comeback with him getting blown by numerous times and this past season with Jokic/Doncic having iconic moments with him in the picture. A bulk of it are not his fault, but lowlights stick out so much more than the highlights. There's not a lot of "highlight tapes" of Gobert in general, maybe due to lack of fanbase?

Take my favorite player, Ben Wallace, for example. You search him on YouTube, you would probably see highlights with ferocious blocks to the 3rd row, pinning Shaq's dunk, etc. Most would only remember that. To be honest, I'm getting old, these were some of my favorite moments and I have this nostalgic feeling as I'm typing this. I also remember Yao Ming jammed it on him in the post.....but who cares, he was a post defender to pour his heart out every game.

Also, there is probably a decent amount of people who would say someone like Jamal Crawford is better Derrick White (for example) strictly due to highlights.

You don’t think one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history is a bad defender? This what social media and taking singular plays out of tens of thousands does to casuals.

[shotsquatch]

Rarely see this talked about, but maybe it helps explain some parts of his personality: Shaq was physically abused as a child.

His autobiography is full of stories about his step father ("Sarge") beating the crap out of him for misbehaving. Poverty and bullying issues were a significant part of his upbringing as well.

Shaq loved Sarge, and the two were close throughout his career despite the childhood abuse. Relationships are complicated. But it's painfully obvious the man was abusing him. That leaves a mark on a kid, no matter how well their life turns out. I think this is the foundation of Shaq's self-image issues.

[tsherkin]

Rarely see this talked about, but maybe it helps explain some parts of his personality: Shaq was physically abused as a child.

Unfortunate, but not really salient because it isn't an excuse for him to be 52 and still acting petty and ridiculous.

[shotsquatch]

I'm so tired of hearing about Gobert's shortcomings on the perimeter. He couldn't guard Harden on the perimeter--you seriously have a problem with that? That's not what centers do. You're asking pigs to fly.

His job is to eliminate offensive opportunities at the rim, which he does at an elite level. If he also defended the perimeter at an elite level, he'd be the greatest defender of all time by a wide margin. But he doesn't, and that's okay.

[shotsquatch]

Rarely see this talked about, but maybe it helps explain some parts of his personality: Shaq was physically abused as a child.

Unfortunate, but not really salient because it isn't an excuse for him to be 52 and still acting petty and ridiculous.

Childhood abuse leads to problems that persist throughout your life. Abuse during your formative years isn't something you grow out of.

I'm not using it as an excuse for his behavior. It's just an explanation I rarely see mentioned.

[tsherkin]

Childhood abuse leads to problems that persist throughout your life. Abuse during your formative years isn't something you grow out of.

I'm not using it as an excuse for his behavior. It's just an explanation I rarely see mentioned.

Right. It's an explanation. Everyone has explanations, but they matter only so much. Shaq's had it pretty good for a long time now. He's had the space and opportunity to grow and heal. He has not. He continues to take it out on others, and hasn't really grown his own knowledge or understanding of the game, etc. So no one really cares in the context of his quotes over other NBA players, because he's still just a dick. His history is sad, but there is a point where no one cares to hear about it anymore because it is just that, an explanation and not an excuse.