NBA

When It Comes to Effort, Shaq Can't Cast The First Stone

Posted Jan 27, 2007 12:00PM By Bethlehem Shoals (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Heat, Eastern, NBA Gossip, NBA Last Night

Print
Text Size A A A
Shaquille may be one of the greatest centers to play the game, but he's just as known for his regular season laziness. It's been even worse with the Heat; while some might say he's falling apart physically, I'm convinced that the ring has given him an even thicker sense of entitlement. He returned to the Heat on January 24th, having missed every game since November 12th. Last night, after his second game back, O'Neal was ripping his team(mates) after a loss to the Knicks:
"We have to take one game at a time and take care of business, and we haven't been doing that," O'Neal said. "We just have to step up and play. Everyone has to do their job and everybody has to want to be here and everybody has to want to play. I'm getting sick and tired of this. I've never been five games under .500 in my career. It's embarrassing."
In case you were wondering, Shaq barely cracked double digits in points or minutes. And yet he's telling others to step up and act like they know. It's also particularly hilarious that this is cast as him being under .500 when he's barely been around. He's basically saying "I should only be coming back to a winning team."

So what of Dwyane Wade, the silent partner who actually carries the Heat on the court, and has been doing all the lifting whe O'Neal immobilized? Frustrated, but taking the high road.
"I'm not a motivator. I've never been. Anybody looking for me to come in and make a speech, it's not going to happen," Wade said. "I just try to go out there and play and hopefully my play speaks for itself.

"Guys have to look at themselves in the mirror more than anything and come out and try to put their best foot forward. But I'm not a motivator, and that's not my job. My job is to go out there every night and prove and show my teammates what I'm going to bring to them. And that's why I try to do."
So maybe it's just not his role to get in people's faces like Shaq is. Wade's not like that, and O'Neal has the juice to do this even if he's been in street clothes all season. But at some point, isn't it a little strange if your MVP canidate defers to guy who never even suits up? You'd at least think that Shaq would start to carry himself like the distinguished veteran help, instead of making it a matter of him being five games under .500.

Related Articles

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)




NBA DRAFT ON MSG

Get a true NYC take on the draft with MSG.