Shaq: too protected? (merged threads)

[Flash3]

What about his "crucified" comments?

Shaq was just sick and tired of being blamed for everything despite Riley doing a pathetic job as the GM of the team this season.

And what I said is true; everybody continued to bash him after the trade when Phoenix was struggling and he was still getting into game-shape and then when they turned things around, these critics stopped talking or came up with new reasons to bash him.

He was blamed for Miami's struggles, then when he turned things around he became the bad guy again.

Certainly the timing of his comments was puzzling, but something obviously caused him to make them.

Perhaps he knew what people were saying about him faking injuries and how he quit on the team and he decided to fire back.

Since when can't a human being (and last I checked Shaq & Riley are human) make mistakes?

Riley made a mistake, or quite a few. -- He's already gone on record multiple times saying he messed up. What else should Riley and the Heat organization do?

Shaq's made mistakes in the past here; I've yet to see Riley or Mickey Arison (Heat Owner), or Randy Pfund (GM) come out and say a peep about Shaq or his issues down here in Miami. Not a single peep.

There's no way in hell you can defend or justify any of Shaq's actions from LA all the way to these ones over the past few week, especially the most recent ones. -- His history has followed him through.

[magicfan4life05]

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Since when can't human (and last I checked Shaq & Riley are human) make mistakes?

Riley made a mistake, or quite a few. -- He's already gone on record multiple times saying he messed up. What else should Riley and the Heat organization do?

There's is no way in hell you can defend any of Shaq's actions from LA all the way to these ones over the past few weeks. -- His history has followed him through.

but why are you criticizing shaq so much, isnt he allowed mistakes too

[Flash3]

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but why are you criticizing shaq so much, isnt he allowed mistakes too

Am I?

I've yet to say he's fat, overweight, over-the-hill, or any of the nonsensical names many have called him over the years. That I will never call him, I still have respect for him, but very little of what was once a huge boatload of it; giving him the benefit of the doubt when he came over here from his LA and Orlando incidents.

Shaq can't seemingly blame himself, ever. He needs to the center of attention (he's earned it, you can say), and this proves it even more so; this has been said over and over. It's one thing to blame Riley or Wade, but another to blame 3rd string players and a medical trainer who was the medical trainer for the Dream Team.

[magicfan4life05]

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Am I?

I've yet to say he's fat, overweight, over-the-hill, or any of the nonsensical names many have called him over the years. That I will never call him, I still have respect for him, but very little of what was once a huge boatload of it; giving him the benefit of the doubt when he came over here from his LA and Orlando incidents.

Shaq can't seemingly blame himself, ever. He needs to the center of attention (he's earned it, you can say), and this proves it even more so; this has been said over and over. It's one thing to blame Riley or Wade, but another to blame 3rd string players and a medical trainer who was the medical trainer for the Dream Team.

Ok, i have a lot of respect for you b/c you're one of the few, i misunderstood what you said

[The Diesel]

but why are you criticizing shaq so much, isnt he allowed mistakes too

And what mistakes did Shaq make this season?

- Playing with hip and thigh injuries that clearly limited him? The same thigh injury that forced him to miss 2 playoff games in 2005?

- Getting in foul trouble because the Heat perimeter defenders couldn't guard anyone?

RARELY did Shaq foul the person he was guarding.

Now let's look at Riley's mistakes, again.

- Smush Parker signing; got released

- Penny Hardaway; got released

- Luke Jackson; disaster. Got released.

- Letting Posey leave

- Not re-signing Kapono

- Ricky Davis trade didn't work out that well when Shaq was there

Clearly Riley made more mistakes than Shaq did this season...BUT, the media pointed the finger at Shaq for everything.

How can you blame Shaq for being pissed off about this?

[NetsForce]

If Shaq would have gotten into shape instead of teaching teammates like Antoine Walker the secret of how to get fat, do no work, and get paid millions things would have worked out much better for the Heat.

[The Diesel]

If Shaq would have gotten into shape instead of teaching teammates like Antoine Walker the secret of how to get fat, do no work, and get paid millions things would have worked out much better for the Heat.

Here we go again...Shaq was in GREAT shape coming into this season.

Even Riley said he "killed" his conditioning test.

It's amazing to me to keep reading this criticism about him being out of shape.

When he was "out of shape" he led the Lakers to 3 straight Championships and to Four NBA Finals Appearances in his last 5 years there.

Maybe being "out of shape" is a good thing.

And people criticize his work-ethic all the time; he is arguably the strongest player in NBA History; did he gain that strength by being lazy all the time?

He is one of the most devastating low-post scorers in NBA history; how can he have the career he's had by being lazy all the time?

I even remember Brian Hill talking about how the media "wouldn't believe me when I told you about his work-ethic" after Shaq led them to the Finals in 1995.

His laziness has been exaggerated, in my opinion.

[magicfan4life05]

^^^

once again excellent post

[Flash3]

If Shaq would have gotten into shape instead of teaching teammates like Antoine Walker the secret of how to get fat, do no work, and get paid millions things would have worked out much better for the Heat.

He came into the season (this season) in great shape, and beat his conditioning requirements (Riley's).

Shaq just didn't want to try as hard as it was needed to be able to get this team to play better, given Wade was out at the time, and the onus was on him. But, those games he did try hard (and there were many) his body just wasn't able to keep up to what his mind wanted to do; the age factor.

He was getting older, and there's no way to beat father time, no matter who you are/were.

[LAKESHOW]

here we go again.

when shaq left with the LAKERs, and was doin all that trash talking about the LAKERs, many of you were saying: HEY, THE LAKERS ARE A TERRIBLE FRANCHISE, ESPECIALLY FOR HOW THEY TREATED SHAQ.

and now that he makes disparaging remarks about the heat, HEY, SHAQ IS OUT OF SHAPE, DOESNT WORK HARD!

hilarious.

[dub81]

here we go again.

when shaq left with the LAKERs, and was doin all that trash talking about the LAKERs, many of you were saying: HEY, THE LAKERS ARE A TERRIBLE FRANCHISE, ESPECIALLY FOR HOW THEY TREATED SHAQ.

and now that he makes disparaging remarks about the heat, HEY, SHAQ IS OUT OF SHAPE, DOESNT WORK HARD!

hilarious.

It's always going to be like that. They will not appreciate him until he's gone, and they look at what he's all done. From Penny to Amare, have you noticed how improved they are now that he's on there team?

[Heat3]

If Shaq would have gotten into shape instead of teaching teammates like Antoine Walker the secret of how to get fat, do no work, and get paid millions things would have worked out much better for the Heat.

Here we go again...Shaq was in GREAT shape coming into this season.

Even Riley said he "killed" his conditioning test.

It's amazing to me to keep reading this criticism about him being out of shape.

When he was "out of shape" he led the Lakers to 3 straight Championships and to Four NBA Finals Appearances in his last 5 years there.

Maybe being "out of shape" is a good thing.

And people criticize his work-ethic all the time; he is arguably the strongest player in NBA History; did he gain that strength by being lazy all the time?

He is one of the most devastating low-post scorers in NBA history; how can he have the career he's had by being lazy all the time?

I even remember Brian Hill talking about how the media "wouldn't believe me when I told you about his work-ethic" after Shaq led them to the Finals in 1995.

His laziness has been exaggerated, in my opinion.

Shaq pretended to be much more hurt this year than he actually was. That is the ONLY explanation for his "miraculous" recovery on arriving in Phoenix. He went to the Heat wanting out. They trade him and now he's pissed? F SAQ!

[Biff]

Would you people like some cheese with your whine?

Jesus you're blowing this way out of proportion. I'm laughing at all the Kobe homers. Yeah, you got a real classy guy right there.

Shaq has made comments like this his entire career. Get the hell over it.

[Biff]

Also, NBA players in general are spoiled, and have a distorted view of reality. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that you're going to have your fair share of classless acts.

They've had everything handed to them since they came into the NBA. They get to live in mansions, drive Ferrari's, hire personal chef's, etc... all because they excel at a damn sport. This is something most of us could only dream of having.

They don't have to work a 9-5 job. They don't have to stress about paying bills or worrying about getting their kids into college and then paying for it. They have no worries other than basketball. You might think that because of this they'd be grateful and be extremely humble and appreciative, but that's rarely the case.

Instead the media portrays them as demi-gods and they're pampered and adored by everyone. Especially superstar's. That's going to skew how you look at the world when you're given that sort of pedestal to stand on.

[The Diesel]

Shaq pretended to be much more hurt this year than he actually was. That is the ONLY explanation for his "miraculous" recovery on arriving in Phoenix. He went to the Heat wanting out. They trade him and now he's pissed? F SAQ!

Pretended? What, he exaggerated his thigh bruise?

Did you forget what it did to him in the 2005 Playoffs? What? Did he exaggerate it then, also?

And his hip injury was bad enough that he had to fly to L.A. to see a specialist about it.

What, did Grant Hill fake all his injuries in Orlando because he suddenly has stayed very healthy in Phoenix?

Are some of the other athletes who have had Micro fracture surgery exaggerating it because Amare made a full recovery and they didn't?

Shaq is healthy because the Phoenix medical staff is amazing and he tried to play through his injuries in Miami and it turned out to be a bad idea.

Phoenix eased him in and it was a perfect situation for him because they already had a great team so he didn't have to do that much when he initially arrived.

Now he's healthy, he's in great shape, and give credit to Phoenix's amazing medical staff.

[Flash3]

Shaq is healthy because the Phoenix medical staff is amazing and he tried to play through his injuries in Miami and it turned out to be a bad idea.

Now he's healthy, he's in great shape, and give credit to Phoenix's amazing medical staff.

Per Miami Herald

'When I came out here, these guys just said, `We can fix you up. We're going to make you feel like you're 20,' '' O'Neal said. ``And they do stuff I've never seen before. No shots, no [electric stimulation], no ice. All they do is just touch you and work on the stuff.''

Although that might be true, the fact is the Heat spent exhaustive resources trying to help O'Neal. The team invested in an expensive blood circulation machine that he barely used, a high-altitude training room -- and considered installing another one in his home -- and Alter-G treadmills that lessen the burden on the lower body while running. The Heat also hired two of the more reputable physical trainers in South Florida to work with O'Neal. The staff attempted to convince O'Neal to try methods now being used by the Suns' trainers, but he was hardly cooperative.

[The Diesel]

The staff attempted to convince O'Neal to try methods now being used by the Suns' trainers, but he was hardly cooperative.

I sure hope the media confronts Shaq about this issue.

If he's lying about it, he should be ashamed of himself.

But, it STILL doesn't change the fact that it's wrong to say he "exaggerated" his injuries when his thigh bruise really limited him in the 2005 Playoffs and his hip injury was bad to the point where he had to fly out and see a specialist in L.A.

It makes NO sense for him to make himself look bad (given who he is) by playing through these injuries and not making any attempt to get proper treatment and take time off to heal.

Especially when you consider his age and the fact that Wade had two surgeries over the summer.

By playing through them and struggling, he only made himself look bad and gave the critics more stuff to criticize him about.

Being washed up, can't carry a team anymore, blah blah blah.

It was clear he was extremely limited and it carried over in Phoenix where he was still having trouble getting any lift.

Now, he has gotten some explosion back and he's getting good lift on his shots.

[Flash3]

Now, he has gotten some explosion back and he's getting good lift on his shots.

Remember that 9-0 streak Miami went on last season?

He played his best ball of the season on that streak, sans Wade; even better ball than what he is putting up now, all after coming back from injuries. But, he was a non-factor of sorts in the post-season when he absolutely had to be with Wade coming back from an injury that he shouldn't have even tried to in hindsight. -- That can very well be a showcase of what's to come for the Suns this season, but I don't see that happening given that the Suns have Amare & Nash has their 1st and 2nd options to fall on.

He's the MDE, Superman, this/that etc, if he's going to want the fame and attention, he's going to have to take the negative with it, as well. And, IMO, he has issues in dealing with the criticism, more so than many others players; Kobe being a prime example. -- People harp on Kobe and he shows them off on the court.

[The Diesel]

I do remember how well he played last season when Wade was out.

But Tsherkin should talk about your point about him being a non-factor in the playoffs.

I remember him saying- and his opinion means a lot- that it's wrong to put the blame on him for losing in the first round.

And yes, I don't see the same thing happening in Phoenix.

Nash, Amare, and Grant Hill are all playing great and Shaq has played very well recently.

Before the T-Wolves game, he was averaging around 17/10 on 60% shooting in the several games prior.

They are finally learning how to play together.

[Flash3]

I do remember how well he played last season when Wade was out.

But Tsherkin should talk about your point about him being a non-factor in the playoffs.

I remember him saying- and his opinion means a lot- that it's wrong to put the blame on him for losing in the first round.

And yes, I don't see the same thing happening in Phoenix.

Nash, Amare, and Grant Hill are all playing great and Shaq has played very well recently.

Before the T-Wolves game, he was averaging around 17/10 on 60% shooting in the several games prior.

They are finally learning how to play together.

No one's putting the blame on Shaq, entirely, not me at least.

One of the players behind our 9-0 streak sans Shaq was Eddie Jones, who took on the role of "Wade" for that streak. -- Come playoff time, Jones was no where to be seen, and Kapono and his great season, couldn't even hit the rim with his shots.

That entire team last season struggled in the playoffs, including Shaq.