duncan228
08-25-2009, 04:44 PM
Bickley: Cleveland, beware of Shaq the Hack (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/2009/08/24/20090824bickley0825.html)
Dan Bickley
The Arizona Republic
Heads up, LeBron James. Your new teammate doesn't really care about you. He doesn't really care about the good folk of Cleveland, most of whom are starving for a championship and too blinded by stardust to see what's coming.
Beware.
Shaquille O'Neal is no longer Superman. He's a guy riding on someone else's cape, stealing someone else's idea, taking someone else's credit. Along the way, he's playing the country for a bunch of fools.
Of course. Why not? Shaq's a funny guy, mirthful, full of charisma. He knows when to turn it on, and when to shut it down. Whenever he gets into trouble, he acts like an overinflated cartoon character, and everyone forgets why they're mad. He rarely gets called out the way he should.
Seriously. The guy verbally assaulted Kobe Bryant in a disgusting, petty rap song. He took needless shots at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who merely dominated his position for an entire era.
He was accused of stalking a female rapper in Atlanta. He made fun of Stan Van Gundy and Chris Bosh, both upstanding members of the NBA. He's a bully with a dark side and zero rebounding titles, and at some point during last season, he got around to telling Suns teammates about his new television show.
For the most part, O'Neal has skirted public condemnation for allegedly stealing Steve Nash's idea and parlaying it into his own prime-time platform, "Shaq Vs." Some critics think Nash should've kept his mouth shut, or just sold the idea himself. Some think Nash couldn't have pulled off that kind of starring role, while many in the national media are hesitant to criticize O'Neal on the eve of a new season, a season in which the Cavaliers will be a dominant story and full access will be a must.
Those people are missing the point entirely.
When Shaq came to the Suns in February 2008, he promised to fit in. He said he knew his role, and understood the team's run of heartbreak. He said he was sent here to shape Amaré Stoudemire into a Hall of Fame player. Like a kind giant, he vowed to push Phoenix over the top. It was all about us, not him, and everyone cheered. Everyone loves a bully when he's on your side, protecting you.
Yet in his first full season with the team, he cared so little about team chemistry, team harmony and the team leader that he blatantly swiped Nash's idea. That's almost as bad as stealing money out of another guy's locker.
Remember when Bryant was at the center of rape allegations in Colorado, and during interrogation, told police how O'Neal often paid his women hush money to keep them quiet? O'Neal didn't like that bit of teammate betrayal one bit. So what's the difference? And spare me O'Neal's slippery non-denials. The smoking gun is Nash's name on the show's closing credits.
Bottom line: O'Neal came to Phoenix understanding that the situation was delicate, that the window of opportunity was closing fast, and he told us all a bunch of lies. It was always about him, not us.
He started complaining about his touches. He danced with the JabbaWockeeZ at the start of the 2009 All-Star Game, and in a staged production, won the game's co-MVP award. He became the face of Twitter, drawing more than 2 million followers. And then he broke a bond with the most important player on the Suns. The sudden renovation of his image trumped the team he played for.
Worse yet, I bet O'Neal thinks it's all square. After all, O'Neal finished second to Nash in the 2004-05 MVP voting. O'Neal believed that award was stolen from him, and would later call Nash's awards "tainted," refusing to provide any form of explanation. Was he playing the race card? Was he kidding? Was he bitter?
When he got to Phoenix, O'Neal brushed the whole thing off, like it was all a big joke. That's how it works with Shaq.
So, heads up, Cleveland fans. You've been burned by Michael Jordan, concussed by the Steelers and disappointed by those great Indians teams of the mid-'90s. Now, you think you have the missing ingredient, the one that'll help bring a title to the shores of Lake Erie and make James stick around forever. Be warned:
The big guy will make you laugh. But Shaq is no sidekick. He's not the kind of guy to be content in the background. And if you've got a really good idea for a television show, I'd nail it down now, lest it be gone in the morning.
Dan Bickley
The Arizona Republic
Heads up, LeBron James. Your new teammate doesn't really care about you. He doesn't really care about the good folk of Cleveland, most of whom are starving for a championship and too blinded by stardust to see what's coming.
Beware.
Shaquille O'Neal is no longer Superman. He's a guy riding on someone else's cape, stealing someone else's idea, taking someone else's credit. Along the way, he's playing the country for a bunch of fools.
Of course. Why not? Shaq's a funny guy, mirthful, full of charisma. He knows when to turn it on, and when to shut it down. Whenever he gets into trouble, he acts like an overinflated cartoon character, and everyone forgets why they're mad. He rarely gets called out the way he should.
Seriously. The guy verbally assaulted Kobe Bryant in a disgusting, petty rap song. He took needless shots at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who merely dominated his position for an entire era.
He was accused of stalking a female rapper in Atlanta. He made fun of Stan Van Gundy and Chris Bosh, both upstanding members of the NBA. He's a bully with a dark side and zero rebounding titles, and at some point during last season, he got around to telling Suns teammates about his new television show.
For the most part, O'Neal has skirted public condemnation for allegedly stealing Steve Nash's idea and parlaying it into his own prime-time platform, "Shaq Vs." Some critics think Nash should've kept his mouth shut, or just sold the idea himself. Some think Nash couldn't have pulled off that kind of starring role, while many in the national media are hesitant to criticize O'Neal on the eve of a new season, a season in which the Cavaliers will be a dominant story and full access will be a must.
Those people are missing the point entirely.
When Shaq came to the Suns in February 2008, he promised to fit in. He said he knew his role, and understood the team's run of heartbreak. He said he was sent here to shape Amaré Stoudemire into a Hall of Fame player. Like a kind giant, he vowed to push Phoenix over the top. It was all about us, not him, and everyone cheered. Everyone loves a bully when he's on your side, protecting you.
Yet in his first full season with the team, he cared so little about team chemistry, team harmony and the team leader that he blatantly swiped Nash's idea. That's almost as bad as stealing money out of another guy's locker.
Remember when Bryant was at the center of rape allegations in Colorado, and during interrogation, told police how O'Neal often paid his women hush money to keep them quiet? O'Neal didn't like that bit of teammate betrayal one bit. So what's the difference? And spare me O'Neal's slippery non-denials. The smoking gun is Nash's name on the show's closing credits.
Bottom line: O'Neal came to Phoenix understanding that the situation was delicate, that the window of opportunity was closing fast, and he told us all a bunch of lies. It was always about him, not us.
He started complaining about his touches. He danced with the JabbaWockeeZ at the start of the 2009 All-Star Game, and in a staged production, won the game's co-MVP award. He became the face of Twitter, drawing more than 2 million followers. And then he broke a bond with the most important player on the Suns. The sudden renovation of his image trumped the team he played for.
Worse yet, I bet O'Neal thinks it's all square. After all, O'Neal finished second to Nash in the 2004-05 MVP voting. O'Neal believed that award was stolen from him, and would later call Nash's awards "tainted," refusing to provide any form of explanation. Was he playing the race card? Was he kidding? Was he bitter?
When he got to Phoenix, O'Neal brushed the whole thing off, like it was all a big joke. That's how it works with Shaq.
So, heads up, Cleveland fans. You've been burned by Michael Jordan, concussed by the Steelers and disappointed by those great Indians teams of the mid-'90s. Now, you think you have the missing ingredient, the one that'll help bring a title to the shores of Lake Erie and make James stick around forever. Be warned:
The big guy will make you laugh. But Shaq is no sidekick. He's not the kind of guy to be content in the background. And if you've got a really good idea for a television show, I'd nail it down now, lest it be gone in the morning.