http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/312/sports/Superman_has_met_his_match+.shtml Heard it this morning. I think Shaq has lost motivation to play for fun. All he cares now is to get the hardware and be gone to law enforcement. If he had a choice, he'd rather skip the whole ho hum regular season and get on with the playoffs. Who can blame him? I'd say it's certainly more fun to dunk people's heads into toilets than to dunk balls through baskets. Here's my prediction: 1. Shaq won't get his 2 more rings. He implied in the interview that he is going down hill. Once he sees that the Lakers aren't getting better while other teams are, he'll just hang it up. In a couple of years, when his health and skills are declining while Kobe is still young, the focus of the Lakers will shift. 2. Phil-no-rebuilding-Jackson will quit as fast as Shaq can say "retirement." 3. Kobe will bolt to Memphis to rejoin the Logo after his contract is up. 4. The love triangle of Phil, Shaq and Kobe will erupt some time this season b/c of Shaq's motivational problem.
Bob "Stubby" Costas interviewed Shaq several years go---pre-rings---and that was Shaq's goal at the time: 5 rings, 5 new championship banners for the Lakers.
There's no competition for him. No reason to continue. He's so far ahead of everyone else he's got to be bored.
What if Shaq had the Cato factor and we never knew it. That is, he was never really interested in basketball, he just plays because he's so big. I mean, Shaq was pretty big his whole life, i'm sure people only thought of him as a basketball player from early on and he never got a chance to make a decision. That's probably the whole deal with wanting to go into law enforcement. The only time Shaq thought of himself as something other than a basketball player was when he was still young enough to want to be something like a police officer or a fireman. During the time that we all start thinking seriously about the future, Shaq was already on the path to the NBA. There was probably never an alternative in his mind, just basketball.
Perhaps this has something to do with Shaq talking up Yao Ming... he's looking for motivation. It's a shame that he hasn't got the desire to keep playing for the love of the game that some have had. Or perhaps he just wants to go out on top, while he's still got it. Nothing wrong with that. How old is he??
What does Shaq have left to play for right now, other than sticking it to the haters? Shaq has bad feet, and would be wise to retire before he severely injures himself, or before he looks like a buffoon, like Olajuwon and Ewing.
Phil will re-up and Shaq will, too. Two rings? As in '04? They are hardly locks for '03 (remember games 6 & 7 v Sac?), let alone any year. Mavs and Spurs portend problems, as well as that young, hungry squad lurking down in H-town...
Hmmm... maybe Shaq is scared of Ming. He hopes he can get his 5 rings and leave before Ming figures out the NBA.
LOL! That's not what I meant... I've always been conflicted a bit about Shaq. I hate the Fakers and him by default, but I've always admired the respect he's given Hakeem. I expect Shaq to be out of the League before Yao presents a "big" problem for him. (right now I'd be happy with any "small" problems Yao can give him)
The article is pretty informative. Those Bostonites must be savoring the early downfall of the Lakers. ''I know I'm the last center left.'' The Next Center is playing in Houston. Chinese big man Yao Ming is 7 feet 5 inches with perimeter skills and a gigantic body. Although he is far from polished enough to disrupt O'Neal, speculation is Yao could be the one player who could challenge Shaq in the next decade. Mention this to LA's main man, and the fire of that 19-year-old kid with an ''S'' emblazoned on his triceps returns. ''I haven't seen [Yao] play yet,'' Shaq said. ''But I do know this: When somebody is bigger than you, you have a tendency to have your shot blocked, and then you alter your game. ''Don't be thinking I'll be doing that. I'm not going to start shooting fadeaways and hook shots. ''Let's see if [Houston coach] Rudy [Tomjanovich] dares not to double me. I take it as an insult if you don't double me. ''People ask me all the time about Ming. I say crazy things about him, because I know it will get in the papers, and he'll hear about it. Then I'm inside his head. ''I got that from [Larry] Bird. He always said 85 percent of the game is physical, but the other 15 percent is mental. ''I want [Yao] to know who I am. I want him to see me, and be ready. Because when I come, I'm coming strong.'' Shaq feels it. It might not be Ming. It could be some punk that will clown him when hes old and decripit, kinda like the Kandiman getting the best of Dream. Shaq's mentality sounds like he wants to be known as the one on top, not the guy who wants to play it out. More power to him. Many teams in their lifetime can't dream of getting 2 titles, let alone five. He's done a lot already.
If I were Shaq I would want to get 4 more titles, so I could have more then MJ. If Shaq plays for 5-7 more years he might achieve that accomplishment.
I think he's starting to become terrified of all the anti-inflammatories & knows he won't be able to last without them.
