Shaq is in pain right now read below: http://forums.lakersground.net/viewtopic.php?topic=37945&forum=1&21 Hobbled O'Neal Seeks Pain Relief -- By Rob Fernas, Times Staff Writer Shaquille O'Neal, limping after practice Saturday, said he would again start taking the anti-inflammatory drug Indocin because of pain in his left knee and right big toe. "I'm doing bad; I'm hurting," the Laker center said. "I can't play like this. I'm going to have to get back on the medicine. I just hope it don't mess me up on the inside." O'Neal doesn't like taking Indocin because it upsets his stomach and causes health concerns regarding its long-term use. The drug has been linked to liver and kidney problems in some users. O'Neal confirms the pain; his left knee and right big toe are ailing, so he will try medication again -- By JANIS CARR, The Orange County Register EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - (KRT) - Acknowledging the pain is greater than he has let on, Shaquille O'Neal said Saturday he would go back on anti-inflammatory painkillers to improve his performance. The Lakers center has complained recently of a tender left knee and pain in his surgically repaired right big toe. He had the knee examined by team orthopedist Dr. Steve Lombardo on Thursday, who told the Lakers center he had swelling on the knee. The pain has hampered his mobility. On Friday against San Antonio, O'Neal had only five rebounds in 40 minutes. "I can't play like this, so I'm just going to have to go back on the medicine and hope it doesn't mess me up inside," O'Neal said after a short practice Saturday. O'Neal regularly took the painkiller Indocin last season for his arthritic toe, but he grew concerned about the long-term effects on his health. O'Neal and others believe prolonged use of such drugs can harm a person's organs. O'Neal at one point swore off the drugs last season and underwent tests on his kidneys and liver. At that time, he said the test results "came back OK. Not great, but it came back OK." Another reason O'Neal dislikes taking anti-inflammatories is they upset his stomach, but with a stretch of eight games in the final 13 days of February, rest is not an option. "I just have to suck it up and get treatment," he said. "But I'm going back on the medicine starting today." But O'Neal said he needs medication to play at an effective level. He had only five rebounds in 40 minutes Friday in a 103-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, ending the Lakers' winning streak at seven games. "His activity level was very low," Coach Phil Jackson said. "We don't have a whole lot of break time [so] I'll have to watch him real carefully." Jackson added he might have to shorten O'Neal's playing time. To which a skeptical O'Neal responded, "Yeah, right." "You just have to suck it up," he said. "The team's doing well right now. Kobe's still in a zone. I just need to get that step back. I'll have it back. It's still there."
Read the last few paragraphs - Robertson, who helped lead the Bucks to the 1971 crown, cornered Francis and also lobbied for Yao to become a larger focus in the Rockets' offense. ''It's your job to be responsible for making him the best player he can be,'' Robertson told Francis. ''It's up to you to get him the ball in the right position. It's your job to make him pass the ball back out and reset if nothing is there.'' When Francis asked what he should do if Yao started a game shooting poorly, Robertson still gave Francis no slack. ''When your big man starts out the game 1-for-6, a lot of that's probably on you, Steve,'' Robertson said. ''You're just throwing him the ball, then not moving. It's up to you to make the cuts, the rest of you to set the screens and feed off him. You don't turn away from a guy who's 7-6. You play off him all the time. He'll always make it easier for you. ... I like what I've seen of Yao Ming. ... He should be a low-post center, not out shooting jump shots. ... You've got to help bring him along, give him confidence that when he gets into position inside, you'll find a way to get him the ball.'' It seems that Chron's paper is not made-up, as many smarties of us suspected.
yao just needs to his best. take a page from kareem which he did very well against stronger opponent. kareem used to push strongly with one forearm on the offensive guy, then release his arm when the guy tries to push back or hold his position with his back, but end up falling down and be called for travelling.
Shaq is putting out excuses when he actually doesn't know how to play Yao without banging body with Yao. I'm a little worry that Yao is going to need several days to recover after guarding Shaq like last time. We should put Kato on Shaq, and let Yao tears it up inside
