Head to head: Drummond v. Prime Shaq

Laimbeer · Post #1 » by **Laimbeer** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 12:36 am

Shaq obviously the far superior player, but how would they match up head to head? Could Drummond create any problem with his size and athleticism? Would it be pretty much domination for Shaq?

CaliBullsFan · Post #2 » by **CaliBullsFan** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 1:35 am

Drummond wouldn't make it 5 minutes

Joao Saraiva · Post #3 » by **Joao Saraiva** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 1:35 am

I can see Drummond battling hard for rebounds and taking some away from Shaq... but that's it. Prime Shaq absolutely destroyed Mutombo in the NBA finals... and I think Mutombo is a much better defender than Drummond.

Destructor · Post #4 » by **Destructor** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 2:20 am

Drummond would get demolished. How would he defend Shaq down low? He wouldn't be able to hold him in place. i'm not really sure what rules this matchup would have, but if its purely 1v1 halfcourt I think Drummond would be forced to face up against Shaq and drive or score down low. Those are the only two feasible ways he could score, and I have a hard time believing Shaq's going to move outside the restricted area at all.

Winsome Gerbil · Post #5 » by **Winsome Gerbil** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:30 am

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSPNQ82Sq4E[/youtube]

Drummond is a big strong kid. When he and Cousins go at it for instance its a good matchup. But Drummond is "normal sized" big/strong. Shaq was something else. he was just an entirely different weight class, and basically the only guys who could even slow him down were the supermassive 7'4"/7'5" 300+lb behemoths like Sabonis or Yao. A 270lber was just a speed bump. Drummond probably suffers the same fate almost everybody did. Get muscled, get in foul trouble, probably take a few elbows for his trouble, and then on the other end he just doesn't have any real game to fight back. He shouldn't feel too bad though, much as Shaq has always been a jerk toward him, probably the same fate would await Dwight. Only current guy I could see maybe MAYBE being able to stand in there a bit against Shaq could be Marc Gasol. But frankly if he were planning to do that he should go out of his way to get fat again for the extra bulk.

P.S. maybe Bogut before his legs were shot. Doubt it, but maybe. Hibbert lacks the strength.

HornetJail · Post #6 » by **HornetJail** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:53 am

Shaq would eat him for breakfast.

Get back to me in a couple years, and Drummond may make it to lunch.

RayBan-Sematra · Post #7 » by **RayBan-Sematra** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 7:12 am

Drummond is a strong kid but Shaq at his Peak was pretty much the NBA's version of the Hulk.
He would bully Drummond and do whatever he wanted.
Even if Drummond manages to somewhat hold his ground and prevent Shaq from just dunking it he lacks the height or length to contest his jumphook which was a very effective shot close to the basket.

ardee · Post #8 » by **ardee** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 7:16 am

RayBan-Sematra wrote:Drummond is a strong kid but Shaq at his Peak was pretty much the NBA's version of the Hulk.
He would bully Drummond and do whatever he wanted.
Even if Drummond manages to somewhat hold his ground and prevent Shaq from just dunking it he lacks the height or length to contest his jumphook which was a very effective shot close to the basket.

We don't agree much, but yeah, pretty much this. Drummond is a beast but for his size he still looks a little under-nourished sometimes. His body hasn't filled out yet. Shaq was a block of flesh. Just physically there'd be no comparison.

To match up with Shaq you need a similar physical specimen like Wilt, a true behemoth like Yao or Sabonis or someone who's actually smart enough to negate the size issue like Russ.

The only guy who could really do it consistently for a series is Wilt though.

ardee · Post #9 » by **ardee** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 7:20 am

Does anyone feel that for his height Drummond isn't really that big?

He doesn't look like he's filled out at all really. 270 for 6'10 is really just common fare.

RayBan-Sematra · Post #10 » by **RayBan-Sematra** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 7:48 am

ardee wrote:
We don't agree much, but yeah, pretty much this. Drummond is a beast but for his size he still looks a little under-nourished sometimes. His body hasn't filled out yet. Shaq was a block of flesh. Just physically there'd be no comparison.

To match up with Shaq you need a similar physical specimen like Wilt, a true behemoth like Yao or Sabonis or someone who's actually smart enough to negate the size issue like Russ.

The only guy who could really do it consistently for a series is Wilt though.

From memory I don't remember Sabonis guarding Shaq well 1v1.
He wasn't easy for Shaq to bully due to his size & strength but he was also pretty slow so Shaq could just spin off him for easy baskets if there weren't help defenders to prevent it.

Yao was just a giant especially after he spent some time in the league and filled out.
People don't realize how strong he was. Had thighs & legs like tree trunks.
He definitly did bother an older Shaq at times. Not sure he would have bothered a young Shaq as much.

Wilt VS Shaq would be an absolute battle of the titans.
Not sure there is another h2h C matchup I would rather see.

Could Wilt have defended Shaq successfully 1v1?
I tend to think no but then again you know I am a Shaq fan.

I think only Lakers Wilt really had the size & strength needed to potentially combat Peak Shaq but even then I think Shaq was slightly more massive.
Plus Wilt also had a higher center of gravity (super long legs) which would make it easier for Shaq to leverage his weight against him.

Younger versions of Wilt might be able to bother him with their length and quickness but they would also be more susceptible to bully ball.

I do think Wilt would defend Shaq better then most if not all though.

Post #11 » by **Quotatious** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 8:27 am

ardee wrote:We don't agree much, but yeah, pretty much this. Drummond is a beast but for his size he still looks a little under-nourished sometimes. His body hasn't filled out yet. Shaq was a block of flesh. Just physically there'd be no comparison.

To match up with Shaq you need a similar physical specimen like Wilt, a true behemoth like Yao or Sabonis or someone who's actually smart enough to negate the size issue like Russ.

The only guy who could really do it consistently for a series is Wilt though.

What do you think about Thurmond's chances to slow Shaq down, a bit? He did a pretty good job on Wilt and Kareem (sure, KAJ is a different type of player, more finesse than power, but he was at similar level to Shaq, prime vs prime).

Jaivl · Post #12 » by **Jaivl** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 9:36 am

Quotatious wrote:What do you think about Thurmond's chances to slow Shaq down, a bit? He did a pretty good job on Wilt and Kareem (sure, KAJ is a different type of player, more finesse than power, but he was at similar level to Shaq, prime vs prime).

Still, he was about 240 in his prime... he sure would slow him down, but not as he could do with Kareem, just different types of players.

JHack25 · Post #13 » by **JHack25** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 11:27 am

He could probably bang for the boards and maybe get some, but Shaq would wreck him.

AussieBuck · Post #14 » by **AussieBuck** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 12:06 pm

Winsome Gerbil wrote:[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSPNQ82Sq4E[/youtube]

Drummond is a big strong kid. When he and Cousins go at it for instance its a good matchup. But Drummond is "normal sized" big/strong. Shaq was something else. he was just an entirely different weight class, and basically the only guys who could even slow him down were the supermassive 7'4"/7'5" 300+lb behemoths like Sabonis or Yao. A 270lber was just a speed bump. Drummond probably suffers the same fate almost everybody did. Get muscled, get in foul trouble, probably take a few elbows for his trouble, and then on the other end he just doesn't have any real game to fight back. He shouldn't feel too bad though, much as Shaq has always been a jerk toward him, probably the same fate would await Dwight. Only current guy I could see maybe MAYBE being able to stand in there a bit against Shaq could be Marc Gasol. But frankly if he were planning to do that he should go out of his way to get fat again for the extra bulk.

P.S. maybe Bogut before his legs were shot. Doubt it, but maybe. Hibbert lacks the strength.

Bogut in his short prime couldn't guard Shaq in single coverage. He's actually a better shot now as he's gotten a lot stronger with age.

Redeemed · Post #15 » by **Redeemed** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 12:19 pm

Laimbeer wrote:Shaq obviously the far superior player, but how would they match up head to head? Could Drummond create any problem with his size and athleticism? Would it be pretty much domination for Shaq?

It would be utter domination.

Exodus · Post #16 » by **Exodus** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 12:21 pm

It would be close, but I will give the edge to Shaq. You put a big body on Shaq, and push him away from the basket, that takes a large portion of his offense away from him

Winsome Gerbil · Post #17 » by **Winsome Gerbil** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 12:56 pm

Exodus wrote:It would be close, but I will give the edge to Shaq. You put a big body on Shaq, and push him away from the basket, that takes a large portion of his offense away from him

Yeah, no problem at all.

The difficulty here is that there may have been half a dozen "big bodies" by Shaq standards in the entire history of the league, and Drummond isn't one of them.

aIvin adams · Post #18 » by **aIvin adams** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 2:01 pm

Jaivl wrote:
Quotatious wrote:What do you think about Thurmond's chances to slow Shaq down, a bit? He did a pretty good job on Wilt and Kareem (sure, KAJ is a different type of player, more finesse than power, but he was at similar level to Shaq, prime vs prime).

Spoiler:

Still, he was about 240 in his prime... he sure would slow him down, but not as he could do with Kareem, just different types of players.

holy ****

Notanoob · Post #19 » by **Notanoob** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 3:03 pm

You know, now that I think about it, Pekovic is probably the only guy strong enough to bang down low with Shaq in today's league. He's too small to contest his shots, so it isn't as though he would be shutting him down at all, but I think that he'd make Shaq work harder than anyone else for positioning.

Winsome Gerbil · Post #20 » by **Winsome Gerbil** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 4:08 pm

Notanoob wrote:You know, now that I think about it, Pekovic is probably the only guy strong enough to bang down low with Shaq in today's league. He's too small to contest his shots, so it isn't as though he would be shutting him down at all, but I think that he'd make Shaq work harder than anyone else for positioning.

Forgot about Pek. Yeah, that wouldn't go well for Pek either, but he's definitely got more of the build/bulk to at least make Shaq work to dislodge him.