Shaq-Duncan..

[HarlemHeat37]

I like Shaq, but I realize that most people here seem to dislike him(partly due to the comments in regards to 5-0)..he was never really fond of the Spurs for a while, but he seems to have really embraced Duncan and the Spurs the last few years or so..

His latest comments:


Everyone always wants the title as the best player in the game. I own my title, and I still own it to this day. A lot of people want to take shots now, but I’m 38. But the only person in the league that slowed me down was a brother named father time, and that’s life, it slows everybody down. But no big man is ever going to do what I and Tim Duncan have done in our careers. It was time for 10 consecutive years that either me or Tim was in the NBA Finals. It was broken two years, but there will never be another big guy to do that.

This is just one of the many quotes over the last few years where Shaq has really good things to say about Duncan, praising him for his career accomplishments and comparing each other..this has become a trend..

Obviously none of us know if there's a motive for Shaq here, but it makes you think IMO..does he just have that much respect for Duncan?..subtle shots at Kobe by always talking about only wanting to compete with TD and talking about "their" era?..trying to hype up the "Shaq vs. Duncan era" as something like "Russell vs. Wilt" that we remember today?..

What do you guys think?..

[eric365]

It was time for 10 consecutive years that either me or Tim was in the NBA Finals.

Is it me or it's 9 consecutive years and not 10 ? 1999-2007

Anyway, he is an old man looking at his past and the best legacy he can have is his rivalry with Duncan.

The Shaq / Kobe story is not as glorious than a true rivalry of the last 2 great big men.

With the way the game is going, I don't think we will see again 2 all time great big men in their prime in the same time

[silverblk mystix]

queue in the laker fans/kobe nuthuggers in....

5



4


3

2...

[TD 21]

Obviously none of us know if there's a motive for Shaq here, but it makes you think IMO..does he just have that much respect for Duncan?..subtle shots at Kobe by always talking about only wanting to compete with TD and talking about "their" era?..trying to hype up the "Shaq vs. Duncan era" as something like "Russell vs. Wilt" that we remember today?..

Probably all of the above. He knows at this point that most people will place him below Bryant historically. Even if he wins one for the thumb with the Celtics, it'll be as a bit player. But with Duncan, he knows he's still got a chance to be considered ahead of him and he knows a fifth ring, even as a bit player, will probably clinch it for him.

But I also think there's a (genuine) huge respect factor there. He knows what Duncan did and how he did it.


With the way the game is going, I don't think we will see again 2 all time great big men in their prime in the same time

I agree. Duncan and O'Neal appear to be the last of a dying breed.

Look no further than this as an indication as to how sorry the state of big men is today...

Howard is this generation's O'Neal, Gasol is Duncan and Bosh is Garnett. Yet they're not even close to those players. Not one will ever be discussed amongst the top twenty players of all-time, let alone top ten. In fact, only Howard has a realistic shot at being remembered as a top fifty player of all-time.

Who's on the horizon? Oden's ultimate upside is probably a better Mutombo, Griffin's is probably Stoudemire with a brain, Bynum's is probably the extremely poor man's O'Neal, Lopez' is probably an extremely poor man's Duncan, etc.

[mingus]

Kobe is not on Shaqs or Duncans level. Kobe is a great, great player though. Top 15.

[slick'81]

i believe shaq respects the hell outta duncan d-rob hell no but duncan yes

[spurs10]

Shaq most definitely respects Tim....David, too, I'm sure.

[Darrin]

I think that Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal were the best players on both teams, but they were rarely a quality matchup against each other. I take issue with his "father time" argument because he was fat in 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04. He wasted potentially two Championships because he wanted a cheeseburger. Instead, he could only pindown his man when he was using the rim as cover. He wouldn't run all over the court like he did from 1992 to 2001.

[Cane]

Its both Shaq showing further respect for Duncan and to remind the media of the Shaq/Duncan era...which I suppose can be a slight jab at Kobe too although thats how it was. Sometimes its hard to tell what Shaq's antics really mean though since he invites even Dwight Howard to his show and they supposedly have bad blood over that Superman nickname.

There probably won't be another big man rivalry like the Duncan/Shaq era though; those guys were tiers way above the current bigs including Dwight Howard. Do really tall people just not want to play basketball nowadays? Sure as hell seems like it with the way star 7 footers have been dwindling then again the game's different including gradeschool fundamentals and lack of college development.

[Em-City]

by hyping duncan & himself he's putting both of them ahead of kobe as well as the next generation

[ezau]

The last decade was clearly the Duncan-Shaq era. Kobe's presence was merely an aberration. No more, no less

[JR3]

It's sad that we don't see davids hakeems and ewings anymore. But would the NBA really be terribly starving for bigs if Yao ming and oden were healthy? Bynum? Who else? I just question whether there is actually a drout of great bigs or if the NBA just got hit with injuries at that position.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

I think the respect is genuine but since it's Shaq I can't help but believe that part of its public display is also a way of downplaying Kobe.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I think Shaq has always felt the way he feels now. He's like Mayweather tryin to sell a fight. He talked alot of crap but I don't believe any of it was ever personal.

[gospursgojas]

Will you just shut up already shaq. Its over..your career