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If he had the work ethic of someone like Kobe then there's no doubt in my mind he would of been the GOAT.
Beat me to it as well
If he had the work ethic of someone like Kobe then there's no doubt in my mind he would of been the GOAT.
Shaq was the dominant player in the league for several years and the dominant player on a team that won three straight LOBs. I know his work ethic could be questioned at times but calling him a waste of talent is pretty tough.
Danny Manning and Tom Gugliotta...For the Suns fans.
It's all relative, imo. Many of the guys listed here even if they lived up to their potential, wouldn't be considers top 10 players of all time. For Shaq, he is in all likelihood a top 10 player, but we're talking about the potential he had for being better than Kareem. He could've also been the greatest Laker of all-time. I think when you look at these missed opportunities, you have to be greatly disappointed.
Without a doubt, Len Bias
Shaq had the potential to on MJs career and still be in the league today if he wanted. All he had to do was work on his body and FTs.
If he shot 75% at the line, that's like 5ppg more and if he worked on his defense he wouldn't be a foul magnet. If he took better care of himself he wouldn't be injured as much. You're looking at a guy with physical gifts that put LBJ to shame.
Even though he was one of the best, there is no excuse for him not becoming the best.
Wow, no Spurs fan agrees on Robertson? That guy was a ing beast.
If only he was an atheist
roy tarpley. he was a godzilla unstoppable beast.
Harold Miner
Sebastian Telfair
Adam Morrison
If you claim Shaq is a waste IMO you have to put guys like Dirk on there too (which I think is silly). Dirk has insane talent, but was ok with being a mediocre rebounder, sup par defender & for as sick as he is he only has one le? If he would have put in the work overall he could have been so much more and he's had very good teams to work with.
Vince Carter. He had a pretty good career, but with his physical gifts he could have been a top 10 all time player. One can only wonder what he would have been able to accomplish if he had Kobe's work ethic.
I think a good coach would have gotten more out of him had they recognized that he didn't want to be the man:
Had he been in the 2nd or 3rd option role right from the start, used more as the facilitator instead of the 1st option on the block and at the 3 point line, kind of like how he was used BEFORE he was featured in the Pistons' offense in 2004 and with Boston as a bench guy in 2010 he would have flourished...
With all the talent on that ole' Portland Jailblazers team, he could of, and SHOULD have been used with the mentality of a 2nd or 3rd scoring option, AND the defensive anchor...
Adleman, Jackson and Carlise come to mind as coaches who might have gotten more out of Sheed...
I see your point, but IMO if we go that route we can basically claim that if every player could eliminate their weaknesses, they would be the greatest (rendering this thread moot). Personally, Shaq's ty FT shooting and other basketball flaws are a reasonable tradeoff considering what he brought, well for anyone who isn't superhuman. Similary, if Dirk became a great defender and an elite rebounder (can argue he was in the playoffs), he'd probably be the most complete player in history.
My beef with Shaq has to do more with him being lazy, not caring for his body as he should have, and his personality/conflict issues that broke up a dynasty. He has four rings, so he definately isn't a failure by any means. But personally I think he had the tools to at least be remembered as the greatest center of all-time over Kareem and Wilt.
Derrick Coleman
Kenny Anderson
Roy Tarpley
Tracy McGrady. He's only 32 but he's been a non issue for a few years now. Athleticism only gets you so far before you have to rely more on skills when you get older. Shame.
Kwame Brown. Jordan singlehandedly ruined him.
Ron Artest:
He was a defensive beast, and early on, a prolific scorer... He had the physical gifts to be a GOAT contender, even if he wasn't clutch... Instead he is forever the guy who broke up the Pacers, and got by as an also-ran with the Lakers...
...though if he don't 1.) shower with Kobe in Boston in the Summer of '08 & B.) break Pierce's ass 2 Summers later I'm sittin' here with my in my hand at:::
Kobe: 4
Duncan: 4
DUNCAN: 1
Definitely Sheed imho.
He had the potential to be the greatest power forward in the NBA. I remember in Portland he would sit on the block and do the same spin move three times in a row, scoring each time and then just sit out at the 3 point line. Even though Jammy said he cares a lot about team accomplishments, being unselfish can still hurt your team when you're as good as he was
Or he wasn't all that great to begin with and Jordan's mistake was drafting him #1 overall when he did. Kwame had great size and plus athleticism. But he wasn't all that skilled or naturally talented, just big and athletic. And then he had that dreaded "small hands" thing about him for a big man. Maybe Jordan did ruin him. But I think his ceiling of potential wasn't quite as high as some people had expected to begin with.
PG - Steve Francis, Sebastian Telfair
SG - J.R. Smith, Isaiah Rider
SF - Tracy McGrady, Antoine Walker
PF - Tim Thomas, Rasheed Wallace
C - Roy Tarpley, Eddy Curry
burrito-breath with another awful take
what a shocker
So why does bone on bone, AKA 6/24 play like in the NBA's biggest stage?
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