Oddly enough, Tony Parker speaks the truth

[rsavaj]

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/c ... _p_19.html

""Spurs point guard Tony Parker has a pointed message for Phoenix's Shaquille O'Neal: If you don't like being purposefully sent to the free-throw line, start making free throws. By now, everybody with a cable box knows O'Neal's feelings about the Hack-a-Shaq strategy the Spurs employed in last year's playoffs (The Big Cactus calls it "cowardly.") Just don't expect Shaq to shame the Spurs out of it. 'Shaq likes to talk,' Parker said after Tuesday's practice, on the eve of the Spurs' season opener against the Suns. 'But as long as he doesn't make free throws, we're still going to do it.'""

He's right.

I still hate his guts though.

[flanpaw42]

i hope shaq sends a message to the spurs and other teams, that if they play hack-a-shaq, he will put them on the ground. it doesnt matter if he makes them, if a player knows theyre gonna get floored when they do it, then they wont do it. its time he makes em pay. charles oakley and rodman wouldnt put up with that crap, i think shaq should take a flagrant or two and even a few ejections. eventually they will get the hint that a 325 lbs man is not someone to intentionally foul. and yes i am saying play dirty.

[PHXfan85]

You know, I like to think that I would want Shaq and the Suns to take the high road. I tell ya though, when Shaq laid those hard fouls on Manu and Parker in the playoffs last season I was out of my chair, pumpin my fist, and yelling "Put 'em on the floor!". When playing as the Suns in 2k9, additionally, I find myself yelling "If you're gonna foul, then put 'em on the floor!" everytime Shaq causes a defensive foul and the player still makes the bucket. So I'm gonna have to say I agree. If Oberto wants to come wrap Shaq up on an inbound pass if the game is close, I hope to see Shaq throw a bow right into his eyebrow as an "attempt" to push off. That'll teach...

Edit: I would be absolutely floored if they did it and he just went to the line and drained the free-throws though. If he came out of the seasons with a 75% average (I know) it would have me bustin up laughin at fools goin to the hack-a-shaq strategy, which would ultimately be better for all parties involved. Tis' better to be laughing then shouting angrily and feeling that feeling that i felt for so long after Game 1 last season....

[Phx4Life08]

^^^+ 1 Knock em to the ground!

[HootieRules]

Throw them to the ground and risk a suspension? Not a good idea. The only way Shaq can get revenge is to man up and make his free throws. As much as we can despise Tony Parker, he's right.

[lilfishi22]

I think they are both right to a certain degree.

Do I think the Hack-A-Shaq should be used? Yes, absolutely. It's just like when a team is down and they foul the person with the worst FT%, and try and get the ball back. And I think Parker is right, as long as Shaq keeps missing his FT, they should keep targeting him.

Do I think they should have used it in the last playoffs when they were up by 10 or whatever? No, I think they should have played it out to the end. I think that's a cheap way to end a game.

Do I think they should use it in their season opener? No, I don't think they should. Maybe once or twice but its a season opener, it has as much impact on the final seeding as a preseason game, none. Later on in the season I would understand, say if it was a game where they could make playoffs if they win and not make playoffs if they lose.

Hit you damn FT's Shaq!

[TASTIC]

It's like an sport if a player has a weakness, you exploit it.
In rugby if you kick a bomb high in the air against some fullbacks over and over it's usually because they can't catch it; in cricket you can bowl spin or short to some batters as they can't handle it; heck you can play tabletennis either spin or power and someone might not be able to handle either - so you keep doing what they can't deal with.

Same goes for Shaq. Let's be honest, we used Hack-a-Shaq when we had to when he was with LA

[Patterns]

^^^+ 1 Knock em to the ground!

That's stupid. The players are instructed to foul Shaq by the coach. Even if Shaq hits them hard, they'll still come back and foul him again. And if Shaq keeps on hitting them hard, then he'll start getting techs.

There's no way around it but to make freethrows.

Every player has weaknesses. Wade can't shoot 3's so does that mean that it's wrong to force him to take 3's?

[BurningHeart]

Parker's right, but so is everyone else who has suggested this over the last 20 years of Shaq's collegiate and professional careers.

Let's not give Parker any credit for saying anything new.

[flanpaw42]

its human nature to not wanna get hit in the face by a behemoth of a man regardless of what the coach says. so what if he gets suspended a few games. he gets some rest, we get lopez some more burn so he is more ready for the playoffs, and when he comes back they are still scared. most of the players are soft anyways. how about some hack-a-flopper. i just want this team to play with some damn intensity.

[Phx4Life08]

Throw them to the ground and risk a suspension? Not a good idea. The only way Shaq can get revenge is to man up and make his free throws. As much as we can despise Tony Parker, he's right.

i didn't mean literally throw them to the ground. it was more of a lets be more agressive going the basket comment lol. He's bigger than most of his opposition, there is no reason he cant over power them and the get and one. Lets face it, Through last year and this preseason Shaq has been missing easy in the paint baskets. He needs to knock them down and be more physical putting it up.

[Phx4Life08]

For the record, Shaq was saying that the hack a shaq was cowardly when they're up by 10 or 15 and i agree. It's like a team not dribbling the ball out for the win when they're up by 10... just unprofessional. However, i do agree that in close and undecided games its a fair technique because its nobodies fault but shaqs that he cant hit a free throw and he deserves to get exploited that way

[tsherkin]

I'm not gonna lie, in 2K9, I make Shaq shoot 80% at the line with Rick Barry's form...

[nevetsov]

Surely there has to be some way to counteract the exploitation though.. i'm not real solid on NBA rules but what if Shaq inbounds the ball and stays out of bounds? Can the defender foul him even if he doesn't enter the field of play? Or even if it is technically allowed, wouldn't that incur an unsportsmanlike/ technical foul, fouling someone who isn't even on the court?

All it would mean is that we play 4 on 4, while the defender who wants to hack him waits at the sideline until he steps on the court. Not an ideal solution but hey, no harm in trying to come up with something.

Obviously the best way to counteract it would be to have Shaq play the first half of each quarter and have Lopez/ Diaw play out the last half at the C position.

[inyourface48]

I gotta say, that's a pretty sneaky solution nevetsov. I like it!

[-SDU-]

i dont think other teams will do it anywhere near as much as the spurs

[skEwb]

I think the term Hack-a-Shaq is probably what gets more to Shaq than the actual fouls. Maybe if it were just fouling Shaq instead of giving it a nickname, maybe then he wouldn't take it so personal.

I mean the guy has a custom strategy named after him and it's not a good one... He should work on his free throws some more I guess