Rummpd
11-04-2004, 10:46 AM
Dear Mr. Smith :blah :
SICK OF SHAQ!!!!!!!!
I have learned to begin to appreciate your candor, intelligence, and sharp with regarding basketball and deeper issues of life and sport. I have lived many places and also appreciate that you represent Philadelphia where I now live (my brother also helps lead a museum here), and am beginning to truly embrace as one of this nation’s true greatest cities, despite its undeserved reputations.
That being said, I strongly have to challenge you and several other national media calling “Shaq” the most dominant big player in the game since Wilt and “one whose moves strongly shifts the balance”. I suppose I should love him, as I was a football physician at Cole High School in SA, met and admired his father, but even then saw the gross limitations in his game.
Duncan had the right answer to comments on his transfer, i.e., “who cares” ( hint: guess who should be called the 2nd most dominant big last 25 years, after Kareem?
Why is Shaq simply not the “dominant big” you state etc?
Fact: The definite better big in the last 25 or so years = Jabbar, who having seen them all in their primes multiple times = is my best big ever. Kareem Jabbar is not only the leading scorer in the history of the NBA, he won many more MVPs, won championships with multiple teams, led as Lew Alcindor the greatest college team ever, and was a much more unstoppable offensive force. Do you think that Shaq, who is weaker defensively on almost all nights than David Robinson, Akeem or Ewing could stop his shy hook, you don’t seriously?
Fact: Tex Winters recently called Shaq over-rated. This is a very true statement, no other “great” big men since perhaps Russell has ever had less range. Without his patented dip the shoulder and bowl people over Shaq would average < 20 points a game and would foul out of most games.
Fact: Shaq has never won multiple scoring titles and to the best of my knowledge has never won even a single blocks or rebounds title. Has he had a quadruple game like Robinson? Has he ever had major double double seasons like Duncan or Garnett last year? What is up with that for a 330 lb apparent stud of a physical specimen? The sad fact is that this off injured massive specimen should average 18 boards a game just by the space he occupies but the fact is he is a lazy and un-skilled defender vs. Duncan, Robinson, Motumbo, and many other big men in the last few decades.
Fact: Tim Duncan who has been in the league less years, has already won 2 championships without another top 3 or 5 NBA player and is much, much more skilled and productive day in and night out both offensively and defensively. More of the Spurs team offense and defense (one of the best ever) is due to his prowess. Rightfully, he has been called by Brown, Ramsey etc. by far the best player on earth.
(One can make a case for Kobe on this).
Fact = At least as a big he is more dominant and all around skilled than Shaq ever was. Moreover, I saw the Dream multiple times in his peak years and Shaq could not hold a candle to him in his prime and I would also put a young and more athletic David Robinson on a Lakers team (it almost happened) and he would have been much more dominant than Shaq. A case can be made that he was – his team had nothing in the late 80s 90s and were still contenders on him alone.
Fact: The Lakers were given once again last year a strange gift on the 0.4 call (i.e. Kings etc. through the years and were at best even with Shaq) media driven and un-deserved co-favorites to even compete with the true studs of the West = Wolves and Spurs who are both every bit as good as the only two true powers in the East = Pacers, Pistons. Miami is simply not there, put them out West and they would struggle to be a 5-6 seed in the still more powerful West.
Fact: The Pistons won on team ball, with defense, just like the year before with the Spurs. Shaq, unlike Bill Russell, the Dream or Tim Duncan, does not make other players significantly better!!! Without Kobe the Lakers would have won 0 championships – mark it down! Shaq got a gift playing with Jordan’s heir and a great coach etc. Put TD and Kobe = 5-6 championships over last 6 easy.
Fact: Shaq is injured a lot which calls in my medical opinion a question of his motivation, lack of desire and perhaps other issues etc. Even without playing in the Olympics he now is injured again. What is up with that???
Fact: Without Kobe, defenses like the Pistons, Pacers, Spurs, Rockets and many more will just zone out Shaq. He will get played like Duncan now and his game will definitely suffer. Welcome to the real world Mr. Shaq!
Fact: Shaq not getting the ball is part of the equation at the end of every close game due to his pathetic FT shooting. How dominant is that? Have you ever seen him hit a key game winner – if he did it is not often.
Fact: The Spurs improved much more dramatically when Robinson came in the league than the Lakers, Magic or Heat ever did or will with Shaq.
Fact: Shaq will play hard this year for awhile, then he will go and pout again. Mark it down, there are two sure things in the NBA: The Big Dog Robinson is a true dog (thank's 76ers for trying to move him!) and Shaq will have his yearly pseudo or real trivial injuries. The fawning media will love him, but real basketball purists will always realize this over-hyped giant’s significant limitations and laugh at this, most likely Miami will be eliminated again either in the first round or in an easy elimination in the semis. They are simply not that good and have no depth.
(Sometimes lets talk about what really matters - i.e. people like Robinson and McKee going out of their way into helping communties).
Regards,
Peter (MadDoc in this Forum)
Peter D. Rumm, MD, MPH
Director, Center for Public Health Readiness and Communications
Associate Professor, Department of Community Health and Prevention
Drexel University School of Public Health
245 N. 15th St., MS 660
Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-762-1652
SICK OF SHAQ!!!!!!!!
I have learned to begin to appreciate your candor, intelligence, and sharp with regarding basketball and deeper issues of life and sport. I have lived many places and also appreciate that you represent Philadelphia where I now live (my brother also helps lead a museum here), and am beginning to truly embrace as one of this nation’s true greatest cities, despite its undeserved reputations.
That being said, I strongly have to challenge you and several other national media calling “Shaq” the most dominant big player in the game since Wilt and “one whose moves strongly shifts the balance”. I suppose I should love him, as I was a football physician at Cole High School in SA, met and admired his father, but even then saw the gross limitations in his game.
Duncan had the right answer to comments on his transfer, i.e., “who cares” ( hint: guess who should be called the 2nd most dominant big last 25 years, after Kareem?
Why is Shaq simply not the “dominant big” you state etc?
Fact: The definite better big in the last 25 or so years = Jabbar, who having seen them all in their primes multiple times = is my best big ever. Kareem Jabbar is not only the leading scorer in the history of the NBA, he won many more MVPs, won championships with multiple teams, led as Lew Alcindor the greatest college team ever, and was a much more unstoppable offensive force. Do you think that Shaq, who is weaker defensively on almost all nights than David Robinson, Akeem or Ewing could stop his shy hook, you don’t seriously?
Fact: Tex Winters recently called Shaq over-rated. This is a very true statement, no other “great” big men since perhaps Russell has ever had less range. Without his patented dip the shoulder and bowl people over Shaq would average < 20 points a game and would foul out of most games.
Fact: Shaq has never won multiple scoring titles and to the best of my knowledge has never won even a single blocks or rebounds title. Has he had a quadruple game like Robinson? Has he ever had major double double seasons like Duncan or Garnett last year? What is up with that for a 330 lb apparent stud of a physical specimen? The sad fact is that this off injured massive specimen should average 18 boards a game just by the space he occupies but the fact is he is a lazy and un-skilled defender vs. Duncan, Robinson, Motumbo, and many other big men in the last few decades.
Fact: Tim Duncan who has been in the league less years, has already won 2 championships without another top 3 or 5 NBA player and is much, much more skilled and productive day in and night out both offensively and defensively. More of the Spurs team offense and defense (one of the best ever) is due to his prowess. Rightfully, he has been called by Brown, Ramsey etc. by far the best player on earth.
(One can make a case for Kobe on this).
Fact = At least as a big he is more dominant and all around skilled than Shaq ever was. Moreover, I saw the Dream multiple times in his peak years and Shaq could not hold a candle to him in his prime and I would also put a young and more athletic David Robinson on a Lakers team (it almost happened) and he would have been much more dominant than Shaq. A case can be made that he was – his team had nothing in the late 80s 90s and were still contenders on him alone.
Fact: The Lakers were given once again last year a strange gift on the 0.4 call (i.e. Kings etc. through the years and were at best even with Shaq) media driven and un-deserved co-favorites to even compete with the true studs of the West = Wolves and Spurs who are both every bit as good as the only two true powers in the East = Pacers, Pistons. Miami is simply not there, put them out West and they would struggle to be a 5-6 seed in the still more powerful West.
Fact: The Pistons won on team ball, with defense, just like the year before with the Spurs. Shaq, unlike Bill Russell, the Dream or Tim Duncan, does not make other players significantly better!!! Without Kobe the Lakers would have won 0 championships – mark it down! Shaq got a gift playing with Jordan’s heir and a great coach etc. Put TD and Kobe = 5-6 championships over last 6 easy.
Fact: Shaq is injured a lot which calls in my medical opinion a question of his motivation, lack of desire and perhaps other issues etc. Even without playing in the Olympics he now is injured again. What is up with that???
Fact: Without Kobe, defenses like the Pistons, Pacers, Spurs, Rockets and many more will just zone out Shaq. He will get played like Duncan now and his game will definitely suffer. Welcome to the real world Mr. Shaq!
Fact: Shaq not getting the ball is part of the equation at the end of every close game due to his pathetic FT shooting. How dominant is that? Have you ever seen him hit a key game winner – if he did it is not often.
Fact: The Spurs improved much more dramatically when Robinson came in the league than the Lakers, Magic or Heat ever did or will with Shaq.
Fact: Shaq will play hard this year for awhile, then he will go and pout again. Mark it down, there are two sure things in the NBA: The Big Dog Robinson is a true dog (thank's 76ers for trying to move him!) and Shaq will have his yearly pseudo or real trivial injuries. The fawning media will love him, but real basketball purists will always realize this over-hyped giant’s significant limitations and laugh at this, most likely Miami will be eliminated again either in the first round or in an easy elimination in the semis. They are simply not that good and have no depth.
(Sometimes lets talk about what really matters - i.e. people like Robinson and McKee going out of their way into helping communties).
Regards,
Peter (MadDoc in this Forum)
Peter D. Rumm, MD, MPH
Director, Center for Public Health Readiness and Communications
Associate Professor, Department of Community Health and Prevention
Drexel University School of Public Health
245 N. 15th St., MS 660
Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-762-1652