Not true. I used to shoot FTs underhanded in college (at rec games). Duh, obviously if you try it for the first time you won't master it in 2-3 minutes. It takes practice but eventually for some people it is better than shooting them overhanded. For a player like Shaq who obviously has no repetitive FT motion at all, it would be a good idea to practice it for about a month over the summer to see if it works for him. Did Rick Barry ever tick Shaq off? I'm wondering if that had something to do with his attitude.
Has anybody ever had bbs deja vu?? I could have sworn there was a thread started a long time ago with this same thread title that was about Shaq's free throw shooting. I was expecting another case of thread necromancy, but it was started today. I never thought I would say this, but I think I spend too much time on this bbs.
I don't think Shaq is jealous of Rick Barry, if that's what you're suggesting. As for his FTs, he's just a bad shooter, he has no range on his shot, and it certainly won't change this late in his career. Everyone has tried to help him with it, and according to him and others he has taken their advice in the past and tried to change his mechanics/technique, but it still didn't work. It's the same problem Wilt had, they both have no range and no prayer of making a shot from more than ten feet away.
I'd be fine with this if he just admitted one thing. "I suck at shooting because I flat out just don't care". I'm tired of him making himself out to be a victim because "my hands are too big" or "i'm too strong to put touch on it" or whatever. Otis Thorpe was one of the strongest players in the league and whipped the ball around like it was a f*ckin tennis ball. Even he managed 69% for his career. Oh and there's this one guy you all may know. He's pretty strong and has some pretty large hands himself. His name is Yao Ming and he shoots 81% for his career.
The Granny Shot is like asking him to wear stockings to the game it might help . . but it is embarrassing Cut the man some slack . . .He probably just tired of hearing about it all the time Barry offered. . is it automatic he accept??? How many times do you think he been asked about this? Rocket RIver
Yes...that's how Rick Barry managed to hit 90% of his FTs...because it's "sooooo inaccurate." Basketball isn't necessarily about aesthetics...just look at Shawn Marion's shot.
they generally didn't need it If you scoring 25+ a game from 5 ft why would you move out to 20 ft? It just doesn't make sense the idea is to get the HIGH percentage shot Rocket River Dunks are higher percentage that 20 ftrs
If you offer to help me with something and I don't want to be helped, I'll tell you that I'm not interested but I appreciate the gesture. In Shaq's case, the first thing he did was insult the guy by saying "Rick Barry’s resume is not good enough to even come into my office to be qualified for a job." Do you honestly not see the difference there?
To make yourself a better player, maybe. But at the bare minimum EVERYONE should learn to shoot from 15 feet directly in front of the backboard, because EVERYONE has to shoot free throws at some point. Nobody is asking him to start shooting 3's, or add a consistant mid-range game.
Ah this quote is from a Steven A Smith Quite Frankly Episode - don't really think it was that big of a deal, but you be the judge. At the 7:28 mark Quite Frankly W/ Shaq
Congratulations: you haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about. If you knew anything about Wilt, you'd know his pet shot was a turnaround fadeaway jumpshot from 15 feet. He only stopped doing that at the tail-end of his career. Wilt's free-throw woes were a mental thing... he could nail those mid-range jumpers all day. He was even a stand-out free-throw shooter in high school, and guys who played with him will tell you he shot 80% or better in practice throughout his career. He just hit a mental block when he got in games. He became scared of the line. Shaq, on the other hand, simply can't shoot, under any circumstances. Period.
When Shaq can dunk FTs, which is the subject under discussion, then your point is well taken. Until then, the fact he is awful at FTs hurts his team. This is easy to overlook when Shaq was dominant because of what he did the first 40 minutes of a game and he had/has Kobe or Wade to close games out. What is so key about Yao is he can pile up FTs at the end of a game and help us win.
Not me. Shaq was dominant in an era when he got away with murder with the uncalled offensive fouls. Yes, he is a great player. But he would not last 20 minutes on the floor in the 70's and early 80's when they actually called fouls and the offensive player had to have skills besides just knocking the defender down and laying it in. I would give him the fifth spot if his attitude was different towards his free throws. But it isn't. And consequently Shaq's offensive range is 5 feet, and I'm sorry but you get him outside the area where he can dunk or lay it in, and his effectiveness goes down still. He finally developed the short bank shot later in his career but he was saved by all the non-calls or even defensive foul calls early in his career, when he would plant and spin around a stand up defender with his left elbow hooked around the defenders kidneys and get the foul and the dunk. When in all reality, the dunk should have been waived off and he should have been called for the offensive foul. Shaq complains incessantly about all the hacks that he gets that aren't called. Well, he brought it on himself. They didn't call him for the offensive fouls and so they had no resort but to start letting defensive contact against him go. I'm am convinced that was the result of tons of footage sent into the league offices showing over and over all the contact that Shaq created against the defender that was called against the defender over the first 6-7 years of his career. Shaq has been fortunate to win 4 rings. And you can't measure a player's greatness totally by rings. If so, then Russell and probably George Mikan would be at the top of the list. Shaq has reached the zenith of his career and his numbers are headed downward big time. If he plays too many more years, his numbers will be dilluted down to where he may not even be in double figures in rebounding. Not only that, but Shaq is 14 years into his career and we can see the end in sight and the trajectory is severly downhill. I could make a good case for Moses Malone being in the top 5 very easily right now when you compare his numbers to Shaq's in their glory days. Malone is right there. And you didn't have to take Malone out of games in crunch time. I'm not a Shaq hater. But when I evaluate his career, if I had to pick centers, I'd pick at least 5 centers before I picked him.
neither can you , Shaq... Heat Spurs Pistons Spurs Lakers Lakers you can say 3 out of 6 or 4 out of 7 or you can say 4 out of 6 tries
I don't know if Shaq has ever tried hard to improve his ft shooting. If he didn't really put a real effort to try, he has no right to dump on people who offer to help. If he did try but failed, then I can understand why he is so defensive whenever the subject is brought up. The fact is, this is the sore spot in his otherwise great talent. He appears he doesn't care because it is so embarrassing.
