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So LeBron James and 38-year-old Shaq are better than Duncan, Jefferson, Ginobili, and Parker? Seriously?
O'Neal Is Set To Be Best Since Jordan
By Mike Wise
The Washington Post
When the rumor first gained genuine steam some two weeks ago, Kobe Bryant's championship night was nearly upstaged. When the trade officially went through Thursday, Blake Griffin's big moment was shoved to the back burner.
The Orlando Magic, meanwhile, heard footsteps ominous enough to make the defending Eastern Conference champions go out and procure Vince Carter later that day.
And now, two days later, the reverberations of Shaquille O'Neal pairing with LeBron James in Cleveland are still being felt, with Shaq undeniably gaining an upper hand on Kobe and Tim Duncan in the race for a fifth NBA championship ring.
All of which begs the question: More than 10 years after Michael Jordan announced his second retirement, who is the most accomplished player of the post-Jordan generation: Shaq, Kobe or Duncan?
When I broached that question two weeks ago, before Game 5 of the NBA Finals, to some pretty decent basketball minds -- Jack Ramsay, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson -- Duncan was almost a unanimous choice.
While all three players have four rings, the thinking went that Duncan was the No. 1 player on all four of San Antonio's le teams; Shaq rode Dwyane Wade to his fourth in Miami and Kobe rode Shaq for his first three in Los Angeles.
"I think I might go for Kobe," Dr. Jack said, dissenting. "Because of the way down the stretch in big games he almost always comes up with the necessary play. There's a killer instinct about him that I don't see in the other three guys as much."
But no one considered Shaq, who, like Duncan, has three Finals MVP awards, and unlike anyone since Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, has been to six NBA Finals and won four.
Maybe because, at age 37, they figured O'Neal was physically done, despite playing more games last season (75) than he did the previous eight years. Maybe because his name has superseded his game, and all the juvenile sideshow antics have prejudiced too many ultra-serious hoopheads.
But a year from now, if O'Neal becomes a big reason why LeBron earns his first NBA le next season, he will have played with the three most breathtaking players since Jordan re-retired from the Bulls in 1998 after six les. Remarkably, Shaq will have been to the NBA Finals one more time than Jordan, and with four -- count them, four -- different teams.
How would that not make the Diesel the most important player of his generation?
Look, the moment this trade was made Shaq was back, in the thick of it again after the Suns inexplicably missed the playoffs.
The idea that his half-court plodding will hurt LeBron's full-court levitation is just silly. Half-court basketball wins in the NBA when it matters -- just ask the Suns, the Mavericks, the Kings and any team coached by Don Nelson how many push-the-tempo clubs have won les the past 20 years.
The Cavs acquiring O'Neal wasn't just a statement from Cleveland General Manager Danny Ferry to LeBron about the franchise's championship-level commitment; it was good business for a club that now has to be a favorite to win the 2010 le.
The moment the trade happened, the Lakers knew they had to re-sign Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza or else. And the aging Celtics, the not-ready-for-prime-time Magic and hopeful second- and third-tier contenders like the Wizards were in a heap of trouble -- trouble no watered-down NBA draft could fix.
My friend Wilbon thinks the Wizards passed on the second coming of Pistol Pete on Thursday. Maybe in three years Ricky Rubio becomes that player. Today, the fifth-picked Spanish Chocolate is a sweet diversion but hardly nourishing enough at 18 years old to deliver a playoff run into late May.
These are the Win-Now-or-Back-Up-the-Truck Wizards. Ernie Grunfeld hitched his legacy to Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and, at least for now, Antawn Jamison. Unless his name was Earvin Johnson, throwing a teenager into that mix at this juncture is playing with fire.
The Wizards need to move at least past the first round of the playoffs and appear on the verge this season or the contender window looks that much closer to shutting on this era. They won't win the East next year because of what just happened in Cleveland and Orlando. But it would be a start.
About the best they can hope for is the best the other teams in the league can hope for after Wednesday: that Shaquille O'Neal has only one good year left to play alongside the best young player in the NBA.
So LeBron James and 38-year-old Shaq are better than Duncan, Jefferson, Ginobili, and Parker? Seriously?
How the is Shaq better than Duncan and Kobe?
This is ridiculous. Duncan is definitely the most accomplished since Jordan. All four of his les are as the main man. Three Finals MVPs, two regular season MVPs (back-to-back)...how many regular season MVPs does Shaq have?
Kobe did not ride Shaq to 3 les like Shaq gravy trained Wade in 2006. Was Shaq the number 1 option during crunch time in 2006? Was he Miami's best defender? Thought so.
The article is based on an if...if Shaq wins with LeBron will his stock rise?
Duncan is considered the most accomplished since Jordan by many. In this case, the writer asked 5 "basketball minds", 4 picked Duncan, one Kobe, none Shaq.
Oh, and Shaq has one regular season MVP.
I wouldnt be suprised if Shaq pushes the Cavs past the Magic but I think a healthy Celtics team will be waiting and close that door again. Even if the Cavs make it back to the finals, the Lakers or Spurs (pending a good FA pickup) will dominate them.
Last edited by phyzik; 06-26-2009 at 10:06 PM.
This is the part I objected to. Shaq does not have an advantage over either of those two, unless the author is referring to playing in the Eastern Conference.
How nice for the NBA that just a month after the Cavs were exposed, a Diesel delivered another shipment of smoke and mirrors, enough to last another year.
Garbage article, riding up and coming stars to rings doesn't make you the best since Jordan.
Duncan has made the playoffs every season after Jordan. Kobe missed one; Shaq missed two.
Shaq running from team to team in the last years of his career desperately trying to get one more ring, is not putting him over Duncan even if he gets it. Timmy is never playing for anyone but the Spurs, in all likelihood. He's not gonna run from place to place like Shaq has.. And if we can get Manu healthy with the addition of Jefferson, we're better than the Cavs anyway.
Oh, the irony of blatantly idiotic commentary by an author named "Wise."
The fact that two of the three players considered for that distinction had the benefit of playing as teammates (Shaq & Kobe) automatically makes the third player's accomplishments (Duncan) all the more significant...
Shaq,Duncan and Kobe are like 1a, 1b and 1c. Take your pick.
Next guy to win a ring is at the head of this post-Jordan generation. And ironically, all 3 have a chance to win it all.
Should be a great year and my bet is one of those 3 will get Ring #5.
I guess based on the logic of this article hHorry with his eight rings is GOAT. Shaw will basically be a role player to get past Howard. Kobe was second banana for three of his rings.
Kobe doesn't even belong in the conversation for now. He has had one championship as the main man. Shaq had 3, Duncan had 3. Shaq and Duncan also dominated the league in their primes that Kobe never did.
Kobe is getting ridiculously overrated at this point, even more so than he was, which I originally thought was impossible.
Which championship was Duncan not considered the "main man"? I know Parker won Finals MVP one year, but come on.
It has to be Duncan with Kobe a close 2nd ...Shaq had wayy more help i his first 3 than Duncan then Wade carried hm=im down the stretch in his 4th ...Duncan has won with HOF'er David and without him Shaq NEEDS a supertsar or he can't win ...Duncan and Kobe now have both won with just all-stars...end of story.
Shaq isthe overrated one my misinformed friend! Come on, Shaq to the Cavs = chamionship? HOw is that not overrating him? The ESPN guys were sucking his nutz except Mark Jackson ...
As for Kobe how is he overrated when MANY here in the media were saying he could not win withjout SHAQ and that he rode Shaq to the Finals BOTH are falsshoods ...Shaq has not won a le as the main superstar in the way Hakeem, Duncan or to some extent Jordan has. Yes Pippen was a HOF'er but he was OVERRATED not Kobe ...as is SHAQ ...as the primary main man Shaq has led his team to many a playoff sweep. Check the history books. 2000 he was the most dominant force in the world and he had 3 or 4 more dominant playoff runs but outside of that itz all hype cuz many in the media and on this board love his wack ass jokes and his juvenile freestyles or because he punked your team during his glory years ...
Last edited by Killakobe81; 06-27-2009 at 01:47 PM.
Shaq is done.
THe only people he intimidates now are midgets.........
If Shaq is so great, why do teams keep trading him?
Why do good teams keep trading for him?
At this point, Shaq could ride Lebron to 3 more 'chips and I'd still say Duncan and Kobe over him
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