The decline of Shaq

I think he is done.

He is fat, out of shape, and has no explosivness.

I think all those extra playoff games, and too many carbs have done him in.....


Shaq will never be the player he once was, and may decline pretty fast.

At least I hope so...



DD

 

yes he was laying **** in just like Yao tries to instead of dunking it.

too much weight on his feet and knees and back accumulated over too long a period of time.

if he can lose about 30-40 pounds over the summer we may see some more flashes, but the explosiveness is gone for sure.

 

the entire Spurs Lakers match is about a team with energy vs. a team without it. The entire Lakers team is a thing of the past
including Kobe at this point.

Kobe seems to be sweating more and finding more difficulty to convert his shots (although still has explosiveness and ability to blow by at times)

Another reason why comparing himself to Jordan (how many consistent yrs in NBA?) is a laugh to me.

 

Looks like the Spurs should be taking the Rockets out for dinner.
They certainly appear to have served the Fakers up on a platter for San Antonio.

 

Yeah, I work with a Spurs fan that kept giving me crap when we lost. He wanted us to wear the Lakers out. Looks like it worked for at least game one. Of course it looks like the NBA is giving the Lakers every benefit they can with this silly schedule. What is this, the NHL?

 

I noticed that this year Shaq normally starts fast ... meaning on the 1st and second quarter, he scores, he rebounds, he blocks shots ..he growls. But towards the ends of the 3rd and 4th quarter he is normally quiet and is not involve in offense. He doesn't even demand for the ball aggresively. I don't think he is done, but his skills obviously diminish. Part of the reason that he is not as dominant as before is age, majority of the reason is he is fat.

 

yaeh it just the wear and tear of being so large and his lower body. The moment he has major knee or foot surgery, you will see he will become a mere shadow of what he was. It was the knee surgeries that led to a much rapid decline of Hakeem 2 years after he won his 2nd ring. The one major surgery shaq had when he hyperextended his left leg i believe against the t'wolves like 6 years ago or so was when he was much lighter. Shaq really started to put on fat after the first ring he just got too complacent then. Its starting to show now, even after he showed up to camp 'fit' this season he gained weight over the season. Its sad to see a player decline so fast because of this, but shaq cant blame anyone but himself on this one. Unlike poor grant hill whose best years were snatched away from him or like BIll Walton

 

i just mentioned this to a spurs (ugh) friend of mine and thought about it all the way back in game 1 against us and definitely in the 7 point game. shaq just isn't shaq.

with yao, having to work on the defensive end seemed to sap him from putting out offensive effort (not to be overlooked is that he has had to exert almost no defensive energy on his own man over the years) and any bursts of offense seemed to leave him empty later also. the tank just seemed empty.

that one game he started out 5-6, destroying us in the paint, but then he disappeared for the rest of the half and pretty much the game.

he's not killing people like he used to, kobe is taking a bigger role, he doesn't seem to have energy. he's bigger, slower, less explosive and doesn't seem to want it as bad either. i mean look at yesterday. lays a ball up (!) and then airballs a 2 footer then gets another chance and doesn't finish. the shaq of old rips the rim down on that play.

now all of this may change, but as of now shaq is no longer a championship team leader. it's amazing how small the drop is from unstoppable and championship leader to just really really good. barring a resurgence the lakers are done and the spurs will roll them. like was pointed out, rasho was keeping him from getting lobs consistently.

can't say i'm sad to see him done if he is.


now as for kobe seeming to struggle and not having consistent years? he's in his prime and just had another amazing season, especially the second half. kobe isn't done.

 

dang! some bitter posters in here ...

Shaq's star is definately in decline but he's still the game's dominant force.

 

.....only because the refs still worship at his shrine. Like jackals, though, the refs will turn on him and not give him the calls when his decline becomes more widely accepted.

 

Great point. This is why Shaq should NEVER be mentioned in the same sentence with Dream, someone who had to dominate at both ends (and actually do it against "real centers").

I would say Duncan is the games most dominant force. It's scary how successful he has been.

 

I'm more concernd about the incline of Yao Ming.

 

agreed that this isnt the shaq we are used to, but i wouldnt put it past him to get in shape over the summer. whle i am no shaquille fan, the guy does seem to be able to work in the offseason when he is motivated as opposed to guys like Charles. shaq seemed to be moving fine during our series, just didnt have that explosiveness which could easily be attributable to the fact that he is carry an extra 30-40 lbs.

 

Its also disgraceful to see how people say shaq can play defense which is horrible. The times when shaq has to play defense he fouls a lot of times by bumping the player out of position and pushing or holding on to the player.

Sundays game against the spurs was a perfect example, there were two plays where when shaq guarded duncan. He pushes duncan back and nothing is called and duncan tries to draw the foul by jumping as soon as he was pushed and shaq blocks his shot but that would never have happened if shaq never pushed duncan in the first place. Next play was when duncan was down on the block and went baseline and tried to spin back to the middle and basically was mugged and nothing was called again. Attribute that to the great defense of shaq

 

The first layup was typical Yao's style, then he blew it, went for second try, blew it, third time, fouled but no call. Hah, even refs didn't believe Shaq wound blow it 3 times. One year ago, that would be an automatic dunk and 1.

And he is making 30 M and 32 M the next two year and he is asking for a 4 years, 170M extention. It would be interesting how Lakers handle his extention this offseason.

 

Well, certainly Shaq's physical conditions do not account for his sub 30% FT shooting in the POs. That number is just beyond horrordeous.

 

He's still pretty dominant if you ask me. Yao's height makes him look passive. Plus it's Kobes team. But Shaq is still a great shooter from inside the paint and a powerful force. He doesn't run the court anymore. But no center does at his age. I'd sa he's still #1 by a long shot.

 

Shaq is
1. ravaged by arthritis in his knees, ankles, and feet, due to playing overweight for so long.

2. prone to give half-hearted effort when he isn't happy. He's frustrated with his lack of touches, and Kobe's prima donna antics from this past year.

I honestly do not expect him to play more than two or three more seasons. I also believe he knows this already and is why he's pushing for an extension now.

Evan