O'Neal: Buss hiding real reason for trade

[alamo50]

By Michael Cunningham
Staff Writer
Posted December 18 2005


Cleveland · The way Heat center Shaquille O'Neal sees it, when Lakers owner Jerry Buss says he doesn't regret trading O'Neal Buss really is making an excuse for mistakenly siding with Kobe Bryant in the Lakers' feud.

O'Neal, responding to Buss' recent comments that trading O'Neal last year was the right decision, said Buss isn't an "honest businessman" because he won't state the real reasons he traded O'Neal to the Heat.

"Everybody knows what that is really about," O'Neal said Saturday before the Heat played the Cavaliers. "He had to make a choice, the young guy or the old guy. He made his choice, and good luck with his choice."

Buss said he would make the same decision "100 out of 100 times" because he believed O'Neal's body was breaking down and O'Neal wasn't in shape.

In response to those criticisms, O'Neal fired off the Lakers' accomplishments during his five seasons there with coach Phil Jackson.

"How many years was Phil there?" O'Neal said. "And how many years we went to the Finals?"

The answers are five years and four Finals, with three championships.

"And how many points did I average and how many times was I the MVP?" O'Neal said.

O'Neal won Finals MVP in 2000, 2001 and 2002 while averaging 38, 33 and 36.3 points, respectively.

"Obviously do all the math and ... everybody knows what that [trade] is really about," O'Neal said.

[B]O'Neal also said Buss is lying when he says he tried to contact O'Neal shortly after the trade to explain his reasoning. O'Neal said he has no desire to speak with Buss.

Still, O'Neal said: "I don't take it personally. I haven't said nothing this year, but I am not going to let someone say something about me and then not come back."


Michael Cunningham can be reached at [email protected].

Link (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-heatnot18dec18,0,4150669.story?coll=sfla-sports-headlines)

[LilMissSPURfect]

ABC just throwing water into the flame trying to hype the game!

[mike detroit]

"Everybody knows what that is really about," O'Neal said Saturday before the Heat played the Cavaliers. "He had to make a choice, the young guy [Bryant] or the old guy. He made his choice, and good luck with his choice."


I don't think you'll find many people that will argue with that. I don't know why shaq thinks that is some big secret.

[Rummpd]

Shaq should use his police power and arrest his own mouth.

[exstatic]

Shaq, master of the fucking obvious. You think maybe he thought you were breaking down because of the 15-20 games you would take off each year? Yeah, having that surgery right before training camp so that you could heal on "company time" was a class move.

[SA210]

Shaq is such a baby.

[FreshPrince22]

Jerry Buss is semi-right. I mean, obviously they'd be better off with Shaq right now. But in 2 years they will be much better off with Kobe. Shaq is clearly not the dominant force he once was. What makes it so obvious is the fact that he's great in the first half of games, and he is awful in the second half. Anyone who watched the Pistons/Heat series could see that. He was dominant for the first 10 minutes, then he was a total non-factor during the 2nd half of pretty much all of those games. It will be even worse this year when the playoffs roll around.
________
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[1Parker1]

^:tu Lakers just need to find better pieces around Kobe and Phil.

[King]

ABC just throwing water into the flame trying to hype the game!

Wouldn't that put the fire out?

[SA210]

Jerry Buss is semi-right. I mean, obviously they'd be better off with Shaq right now. But in 2 years they will be much better off with Kobe. Shaq is clearly not the dominant force he once was. What makes it so obvious is the fact that he's great in the first half of games, and he is awful in the second half. Anyone who watched the Pistons/Heat series could see that. He was dominant for the first 10 minutes, then he was a total non-factor during the 2nd half of pretty much all of those games. It will be even worse this year when the playoffs roll around.
If only he could shoot a jumper.

[SA210]

Wouldn't that put the fire out?
I saw that too :lol

[boutons]

the syaing is "throw oil on the fire" :lol

As the Cavs pounded the Heat last night, Shaq went off for ..... 10 and 6.
Buss was right, Shaq aint ever again to get within smelling distance of 30 PPG.

[exstatic]

the syaing is "throw oil on the fire" :lol


Actually, it's gasoline. :lol

[boutons]

I bet the original saying was "throwing oil on the fire" and pre-dates cars and gasoline.

[exstatic]

Um, OK. Whatever. :lol I've always heard gasoline, and being older than you, I'm closer to the origin, although I do NOT pre-date cars.

[ShoogarBear]

I believe the original, original saying was "throw Ra's wrath upon the fire".

[grjr]

I believe the original, original saying was "throw Ra's wrath upon the fire".

Which is written as "</^> \^> >< ^" in Cuneform.

[duncan2k5]

i actually like shaq now (not when he plays spurs tho). i really hated him when he was on the lakers, but when i found out that he hated kobe as much as i do, i almost shed a tear

[missmyzte]

Written by a guy on CL, says it best:

Shaq has been living in the past ever since we traded him and his responses in this article are even more proof. Every point he brings up is about how he once played, not how his aging body is stacking up today. I mean he's already missed 18 games and it's only the second month of the season. His body is breaking down, any team that wouldn't trade him would qualify as the dumbest "business man" in the league. He's a good fit for a team like the Heat who are throwing everything they have at a chance to win NOW, not later. A few years, they will be screwed. All they will have is Wade, Haslem, and Simien.

Lakers actually care about having a future. They knew they weren't going anywhere with Shaq and Kobe, because they couldn't scrounge up enough cheap players to fill out the roster and still compete, thanks to Shaq sucking the team dry. So they do what any smart GM would and tries to remodel the team and build it around the younger of the two superstars, hoping they can be playoff caliber team, even when they trade the old superstar. I believe we were a playoff team, had we not had to have dealt with late season injuries and our coach walking out on us. And I feel that we are a playoff team this year.
http://www.clublakers.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=45841&start=20

[Medvedenko]

Updated: Oct. 28, 2003, 4:04 PM ET
Kobe critical of Shaq's leadershipESPN.com news services


The transcript of Kobe Bryant's interview with ESPN's Jim Gray:

GRAY: What was your reaction to Shaq saying the Lakers are his team, and everybody knows it?

BRYANT: It doesn't matter whose team it is. Nobody cares. I don't, Karl [Malone] doesn't, Gary [Payton] doesn't, and our teammates and the fans don't either. There's more to life than whose team this is. But this is his team, so it's time for him to act like it. That means no more coming into camp fat and out of shape, when your team is relying on your leadership on and off the court. It also means no more blaming others for our team's failure, or blaming staff members for not overdramatizing your injuries so that you avoid blame for your lack of conditioning. Also, "my team" doesn't mean only when we win; it means carrying the burden of defeat just as gracefully as you carry a championship trophy.


GRAY: Do you consider Shaq to be a leader?

BRYANT: Leaders don't beg for a contract extension and negotiate some 30 million [dollars] plus per year deal in the media when we have two future Hall of Famers playing here pretty much for free. A leader would not demand the ball every time down the floor when you have the three of us [Malone, Payton, Bryant] playing beside you, not to mention the teammates you have gone to war with for years -- and, by the way, then threaten not to play defense and rebound if you don't get the ball every time down the floor.

GRAY: Shaq says that you have not been a team player. Is he right?

BRYANT: That's ridiculous. I have been successfully sacrificing my game for years for Shaq. That's what Phil [Jackson] wanted me to do, so I did it. Last year Phil told me Shaq was not in physical condition to carry the trust of our offense, so he asked me to do it. But then he saw Shaq was getting upset that the team wasn't running through him, so Phil asked me to pull back and I did. This year is no different; my role is whatever Phil wants it to be. Period.

GRAY: Through out the preseason, your leg and conditioning has been lagging. Are you in the proper shape to start the season?

BRYANT: My knee is not strong enough to play yet. I know it. When it is I will play.

GRAY: Does that mean you will miss the opener [Tuesday] night and other games?

BRYANT: I probably won't play tomorrow night or until I'm ready. But I don't need Shaq's advice on how to play hurt. I've played with IVs before, during and after games. I've played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip, and a knee the size of a softball. I don't miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn't that serious in the first place.

GRAY: Kobe, Shaq said if you didn't like what he had to say you can opt out and leave next season. Will you leave the Lakers?

BRYANT: I won't make that decision until the end of the season. I told Shaq last year that I was planning on opting out. He knew before anyone. I told him out of respect for what we have been through together. I thought he should be the first to know. The fact that he acts like this is such a big shock is a mystery to me. If leaving the Lakers at the end of the season is what I decide, a major reason for that will be Shaq's childlike selfishness and jealousy.

GRAY: Do you feel Shaq has been supportive in regards to your legal situation?

BRYANT: He is not my quote unquote "big brother." A big brother would have called to lend his support this summer. I heard absolutely nothing from him. I spoke to Devean [George], Rick [Fox], Mitch [Kupchak], Phil, and our owner Jerry Buss. And Shaq's own Uncle Jerome called and left three messages. Other teammates like Derek [Fisher], Mark [Madsen], and [Stanislav Medvedenko] left messages as well. Opponents called like [Chris] Webber, [Mike] Bibby, and many others. So did a lot of coaches. Michael Jordan, who didn't have my home phone, tracked it down to lend his support. So did Tiger Woods. But yet from my so-called big brother, I heard nothing.

GRAY: Why not resolve this behind closed doors? Why is this so public?

BRYANT: I asked Phil on Sunday [yesterday] to say something to calm this situation down before it boiled over. But he backed away, so now here we are. I have been a bigger person every time something happened with Shaq, and I don't expect this to be any different. But somebody in this organization had to speak up, because his unprofessionalism hurt us last year, and I don't want it to hurt us this year.

How telling.....in 05 as it was in 03....

[Stephen A. Smith]

Quite Frankly The Bottom Line Is That At The End Of The Day It's All About The Big Fella. Shaq Is The Most Dominant Player Of Century And The Fact That Kobe Can't Handle That Means That He Should Be Taken Out Back And Shot Like Glenn Robinson.

[Medvedenko]

SAS...the voice of reason and all things logical....very Spock-esque.

[SenorSpur]

Updated: Oct. 28, 2003, 4:04 PM ET
Kobe critical of Shaq's leadershipESPN.com news services


The transcript of Kobe Bryant's interview with ESPN's Jim Gray:

GRAY: What was your reaction to Shaq saying the Lakers are his team, and everybody knows it?

BRYANT: It doesn't matter whose team it is. Nobody cares. I don't, Karl [Malone] doesn't, Gary [Payton] doesn't, and our teammates and the fans don't either. There's more to life than whose team this is. But this is his team, so it's time for him to act like it. That means no more coming into camp fat and out of shape, when your team is relying on your leadership on and off the court. It also means no more blaming others for our team's failure, or blaming staff members for not overdramatizing your injuries so that you avoid blame for your lack of conditioning. Also, "my team" doesn't mean only when we win; it means carrying the burden of defeat just as gracefully as you carry a championship trophy.


GRAY: Do you consider Shaq to be a leader?

BRYANT: Leaders don't beg for a contract extension and negotiate some 30 million [dollars] plus per year deal in the media when we have two future Hall of Famers playing here pretty much for free. A leader would not demand the ball every time down the floor when you have the three of us [Malone, Payton, Bryant] playing beside you, not to mention the teammates you have gone to war with for years -- and, by the way, then threaten not to play defense and rebound if you don't get the ball every time down the floor.

GRAY: Shaq says that you have not been a team player. Is he right?

BRYANT: That's ridiculous. I have been successfully sacrificing my game for years for Shaq. That's what Phil [Jackson] wanted me to do, so I did it. Last year Phil told me Shaq was not in physical condition to carry the trust of our offense, so he asked me to do it. But then he saw Shaq was getting upset that the team wasn't running through him, so Phil asked me to pull back and I did. This year is no different; my role is whatever Phil wants it to be. Period.

GRAY: Through out the preseason, your leg and conditioning has been lagging. Are you in the proper shape to start the season?

BRYANT: My knee is not strong enough to play yet. I know it. When it is I will play.

GRAY: Does that mean you will miss the opener [Tuesday] night and other games?

BRYANT: I probably won't play tomorrow night or until I'm ready. But I don't need Shaq's advice on how to play hurt. I've played with IVs before, during and after games. I've played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip, and a knee the size of a softball. I don't miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn't that serious in the first place.

GRAY: Kobe, Shaq said if you didn't like what he had to say you can opt out and leave next season. Will you leave the Lakers?

BRYANT: I won't make that decision until the end of the season. I told Shaq last year that I was planning on opting out. He knew before anyone. I told him out of respect for what we have been through together. I thought he should be the first to know. The fact that he acts like this is such a big shock is a mystery to me. If leaving the Lakers at the end of the season is what I decide, a major reason for that will be Shaq's childlike selfishness and jealousy.

GRAY: Do you feel Shaq has been supportive in regards to your legal situation?

BRYANT: He is not my quote unquote "big brother." A big brother would have called to lend his support this summer. I heard absolutely nothing from him. I spoke to Devean [George], Rick [Fox], Mitch [Kupchak], Phil, and our owner Jerry Buss. And Shaq's own Uncle Jerome called and left three messages. Other teammates like Derek [Fisher], Mark [Madsen], and [Stanislav Medvedenko] left messages as well. Opponents called like [Chris] Webber, [Mike] Bibby, and many others. So did a lot of coaches. Michael Jordan, who didn't have my home phone, tracked it down to lend his support. So did Tiger Woods. But yet from my so-called big brother, I heard nothing.

GRAY: Why not resolve this behind closed doors? Why is this so public?

BRYANT: I asked Phil on Sunday [yesterday] to say something to calm this situation down before it boiled over. But he backed away, so now here we are. I have been a bigger person every time something happened with Shaq, and I don't expect this to be any different. But somebody in this organization had to speak up, because his unprofessionalism hurt us last year, and I don't want it to hurt us this year.

How telling.....in 05 as it was in 03....

Great stuff!. As much as Kobe was to blame for everything that has transpired in Fakerland, Shaq has to to share part of the blame. By now means is his hands clean and this article is proof of that fact. Nor is he blameless for the Jeff Van Gundy situation in Miami. Shaq is certainly THE most dominant player in the league, but he's got a sorry side to him too.