...try to enjoy Shaq while he's around. I don't know that we'll see a big man with that kind of agility again. It's personally fascinating to me... Last night, (it was a travel) he caught the ball on the break, drove the hoop, and DID A JUKE & SPIN to get to the hole---classic. Next play, he drove from the baseline, and did A DOUBLE PUMP and laid it in just like Kobe or T-Mac would have. Classic...just classic. Guard play is nice--really nice. But watching the low post stuff is my thing. Sheeds turn around is nice---and I think it's something that Tyson should spend countless summer hours studying and perfecting. It is so effective because of his height and reach. He exteeeeeeeeeends his hands and arms and just flat out shoots over everyone. Tyson can do this with his hops and his reach. Ben Wallace on D, Rasheed on O---the potential is there. I could live with it.
Given his pure enormity of size, Shaq does have good agility and, what may bemost important to his game, really good hands. He catches everything. But nobody can match Dream for big man agility and footwork. Despite his improvements, Shaq's game still revolves almost entirely around his size. Make Shaq Hakeem's size and he is, at the veyr best, a Theo Ratliff type player.
That punch could have landed him behind bars for murder. It would have been that bad.. Thank god it did not.
Shaq is one of the most un fundamental big men in the leauge. Sure he is big and has good agility, he also has good hands, but his footwork is terrible, That is the most important element of a big man. Look a Hakeem, he had great footwork, and unlike what the Jazz say, he does not travel every time down the court. Shaq is an average shot blocker at best. With his size he should easily average 3 blocks a game, He wont challege anyone, unless he knows he has the block. Mouring, Mutumbo, and dream will challenge anyone. Shaq is afraid of being dunked on, not a good quality of a center. The best thing shaq has going for him is his size and his ability to use his size well. He has good body control and can overpower anyone he really wants, but I get more frustrated watching shaq than I do inspired.
Then why doesn't he ever get dunked on, if he is afraid and doesn't challenge anyone??? The answer is evident. The would-be dunker is afraid, pure and simple. Shaq changes a ton of shots that may normally be dunk attempts, to wild out of control, avoidance layups. Maybe he doesn't block a lot of shots because he doesn't have to. His presence is more than enough to turn a driving guard away. He may not block the shot, but the thought of taking a hard hit or foul by a 7', 330 lb player is enough to turn many away. I am not a fan of the big oaf, but he is definitely a defensive presence.
To me, Shaq is a big man that posts up no more than 9 feet away from the basket, overpowers a smaller defender, and gets a high percentage shot. Talent yes, but he has a significant size advantage which gives him easy, close to the basket shots. Hakeem in his prime was elusive, had a whole book of moves, could run the court better, pass the ball better, and shoot free throws better. I dont care how many easy points and rebounds Shaq gets, there is no doubt in my mind that Hakeem IS the better center.
This is all really interesting. I forgot I was talking to fans of a team that carried one of the great centers of all time. <sigh> My memories of Akeem\Hakeem aren't that great. Maybe I'll dig up some tape from the early 80's and watch him. But I love the size and power present in Shaqs game more than anything. I remember Phil Jackson dismissing Hakeem as an oversized small forward that Pippen "can easily handle".
I nominate this for asinine post of the year. It may be to Shaq's ADVANTAGE that he doesn't have a jump shot. If he had a jump shot he would probably lose his aggresion, something that makes him the best player in the NBA. Look at KG and Webber. Wonder why they disappear in the playoffs? Because they have nice jumpers that they are content with taking. Because Shaq doesn't have a jumper, he knows to go inside and beat his man up.
I too feel that Shaq gets an unfair rap. Good post, gettinbranded. O'Neal takes a lot of flack because he isn't "skilled." SO what? Most players in the league probably aren't as skilled as tons of people out there who are 5'10 with wicked jump shots. But the gifts of nature, do matter, in the end. Shaq's a mammoth with unnatural quickness for someone his size. And he's refined his game just enough so that he can take advantage of that. He'll never win a beauty contest, with his game... but that's not such a big deal.
But nobody can match Dream for big man agility and footwork. Despite his improvements, Shaq's game still revolves almost entirely around his size. The again, if Hakeem was Shaq's size, who's to say he would have been any good? With size, you lose the ability to have speed and grace. If you have the size, you should use it effectively, and that's what Shaq does.
Early 80's? Try 90-96....hell anything pre-1997. If Phil Jackson said that, it was just one of his normal mind games he plays. Pippen would not have stood a chance in hell at guarding Hakeem.
Shaq is currently the funniest player in the league in my opinion. I have no problem seeing him win. As for me, I have never hated him.
If both Shaq and Ming (with no Red Chinese problems) were just coming out of college and were eligible for this draft, which of the two would you take #1?
Shaq has openly admited that he does not want to be dunked on. Watch him if a guy is going in for a dunk shaq will step away, if there is a slight chance he wont be able to block it. Now dream Mutombo and Mourning would contest that shot all the way. Sure shaq is an intimidating presence, he is a great weak side shot blocker, but if someone really challenges him, he either gets out of the way or does his straight up thing. (I had seen a picture of shaq going "straight up" on someone and it was just sad, his arms where drapped over the guy and he just looked like a fool.) Shaq definetly intimidates people, I wont deny that but, he is not a center that will go after people. So to answer your question, he does not get dunked on because he is out of the way when people bring it. that may be smart for him though, keeps him away from fouls.
Who are you talking to? did I mention one thing about shaqs jump shot? NO, I was talking about his foot work, and shot blocking. I openly admit that he has good agility and uses his talents to his advantage, but I sure dont enjoy watching the guy play. because he travels, a lot. he wont really challenge people, and he charges, a lot. After being able to watch the dream for 10+ years then having to watch shaq, its just painfull. On a chat board reading comprehension skills are apprecitated I find it asinine that you are talking about his shooting in response to my post about his footwork and shotblocking.
I think people forget that to even get looked at---let alone invited to camp and to make a roster--that a basketball player has to have athleticism that 90-95% of the rest of the population doesn't have.
I agree. While Shaq is a very good player, largely due to his combination of Size and agility, that doesn't change the fact that 1. He isn't all that fun to watch 2. The refs let him get away with murder, including, as you say, blatant travelling and elbows. I'm not saying that Shaq should be called for an offensive foul every time he posts up, because guys should be able to use their size, but he shouldn't be able to his his off arm to push people away like the refs let him do. They whine that he's tough to call because he's too big. That's BS. There's only one off-arm they have to watch! Hakeem, on the other hand, probably has the best footwork ever. THAT is fun to watch. He also has one of the quickest spins I've ever seen, even now with the Raptors. If you want the best of both worlds, get some tape of Wilt. At the end of his career, he was Shaq's size... 7'1", 325-350 or so. He was even more athletically gifted than Shaq, and had a 15-foot fadeaway. He he he. No wonder he averaged 50.
