It that was truly the case then why did he make his comment? What was the point? As a lifelong LSU fan and a Laker fan since '69 I ALWAYS supported Shaq over Kobe. Hell, I even defended JMarc here in the Bay Area after all my Raider friend beat the crap outta me. Shaq had a reputation for getting by with his physical presence and not focusing on the fundamentals, i.e. his free throw shooting. When he started putting on the pounds and his body started to fail him, he couldn't get by on his size and speed alone. I never doubted he contributed, in fact he was a huge part of it. You stated in your original post that he won MVP awards AFTER the surgery.
The real issue was it hurt the teams he played for. He made himself less effective in games by not focusing on his free throws. The coach was forced to remove one of the games greatest forces when he was needed the most. Hack-a-Shaq became part of the NBA lexicon. A sad strategy for sure by other teams, but you couldn't fault them for using it if it worked. And most of the time, it did.
If he had the surgery in 2002, I was just pointing out that he was the finals MVP for all of the Lakers initial 3-peat. Therefore, he was the Finals MVP at least once or twice after the surgery (for the Lakers). I've just seen so many big men over the years with so many injuries. Shaq has never been one to make excuses but I think some of the injuries may have affected his conditioning. I'm only 33 but just had my first lingering knee issue (didn't require surgery) but it took 9 months to get back to how it felt before. During those nine months, I simply could not work out (intense) two days in a row and had to fall a bit out of shape until it was fully healed.
his retirement presser is on now. a mix of professional, down to earth, and self-deprecating humor. love shaq. edit: forgot to add, dale brown is at the table with him.
if shaq played all-out during his career, it would have been much shorter. Was it by design? Unlikely. But big guys dont last unless they are finesse. Shaq lasted by taking games off. Dirk has been around 11 or 12 yrs i think but he plays the 2 guard. Greg Oden cant play a month without blowing out a knee or something. Yao is like an overgrown teenager who cant support his own frame. Shaq got the most out of himself that can be expected. A physical freak who imposed his will and intimidated. and rested. And the most athletic man that size anyone will ever see. give it up for the big aristotle. well he just gave his retirement speech and gave his final nickname as The Big AARP. gotta love it.
Another youtube tribute to the Big Bayou. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ih2EnUeCyU]YouTube - Shaq at LSU‏[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br3AaISFc-A&feature=related"]YouTube - Shaquille O'Neal Dunks in 1989 McDonald's All American Game‏[/ame]
Please, no revisionist history here. Pay attention, OK? He ONLY won three championships with the Lakers, and he was the Finals MVP in all three. The Lakers won their championships with Shaq in 1999-2000, 2000-2001, and 2001-2002. They had just won their 3rd straight when he was injured, and the Lakers asked him to get surgery when the 2001-2002 season was over, in the summer of 2002. He NEVER won another title with the Lakers. Find me something anywhere that disputes what I just said. Stop grasping at straws here to prove your original statement.
I just read through the entire thread to see if anyone mentioned this before replying. This is what I told my kids I respected/liked most about Shaq. I'll also never forget the final minute against Arizona when Shaq went on a 10-0 run to beat the #2 ranked Wildcats. I watched on tv...neighbors down the street could probably hear me yelling that day.
