How did LA do after Shaq left? How did Miami do before he showed up? How did Orlando do before and after Shaq?
It's funny. Kobe and Shaq were nothing but a war of words in the media and yet it's clear over the last several years that they at least had the makings of achieving an NBA title together. Shaq's departure, along with Jerry West, has left a gaping hole in the Laker's organization. Kobe shooting all the time is well...........boring.
Actually, before Shaq, Miami made it into the second round of the playoffs with a healthy Wade. This year, with a injured Wade, Miami couldn't get past the first round despite the efforts of Shaq. Its really Dwayne Wade who's more valuable for the Heat. In my eyes, Shaq is somewhat diminished in that he needs to be teamed with a dominating closer in the final minutes of the game. The greatest players are the ones who are clutch when the game's on the line.
Odom and Butler were on the Miami team with Wade and they had a lot to do with their season that year.
You seem to miss a couple of years, and my point, as well. Add Shaq and they are instantly contenders to win it all. The finals year one and win it all in the second year. I'm not diminishing Wade's contributions as he is a star in this league. But there would be no championship in Miami w/o Shaq. Shaq's only downfall is FT shooting, which is why he can't touch the ball down the stretch. But great big men like Russell and Chamberlain had the same problem. Centers usually aren't the ones who are going to make the clutch play down the stretch these days anyway. That is usually reserved for guys who can handle the ball like a MJ, Magic, Wade, and Kobe. Yes, Shaq needed someone like a Kobe and Wade to help win the championship. We know Shaq can win championships without them, the question is can they win one without him? So far, the answer is no. Shaq is one of those rare players that can make any team an instant contender for the championship. Not many players can say that.
By starting this forum I did not mean to imply that Shaq has not been successful becuase 4 championships, 3 finals MVPs, an MVP award and a sure fire hall of famer, all are great measures of success. But my thinking is that Shaq could have been more dominant. He played in a time without dominating centers for much of his career so of course any team he plays on will be an instant contender because their is nobody in the league to match up with him. So my thinking is that Shaq got lazy because he knew he could dominate without taking care of his body and as a result his dominance was limited because of his lack of work ethic. I mean give him an MJ type drive for success and we are talking about a top 3 player of all time but as it stands Shaq is not even a top 3 center of all time.
Agreed with the major exception being Kareem. I could be wrong but doesn't he still have the all-time record for free throw percentage?
Don't know if he holds the record, but Kareem was an excellent FT shooter for a big man. He's definitely one of the all-time great centers to play the game. Man, those were some talented LA teams back in those days.
Maybe for a center, but for all players without Googling I gotta guess that it's Rick Barry, with that wack underhanded shot... Probably about 90+%....
fine, you have convinced me of all your views. shaq is terrible. brady quinn is not gayer than richard simmons and his arm is amazing. notre dame is not a miserable embrassment to our country. ryan perrilloux is a gambling and counterfeiting criminal that deserves jail time. the girl in tirk's avatar is not hot and we are all creepy for thinking so.
