http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...cnn-sports-bin
DeMarcus Cousins is the type of player you can tie yourself in pretzels attempting to praise.
The Sacramento Kings center maneuvers his 6’11”, 270-pound frame with mind-boggling grace while still managing to bludgeon you in the post for boards and putbacks. He’s a special talent, and people will go to great lengths expressing their appreciation for his abilities.
Enter Vlade Divac, NBA myth and vice president of basketball and franchise operations for the Kings, who sort-of-kind-of threw Shaquille O’Neal under the bus while trumpeting praises for Cousins. In a recent interview with The Associated Press (h/t Ball Don’t Lie’s Eric Freeman), Divac placed O’Neal, now a minority owner of the Kings, in the box of artless enforcer while making the case for Cousins as the best big man he's ever laid eyes on.
“I’ve been in basketball a long, long time and I have to say [Cousins is] the most talented big guy I have ever seen,” Divac said. “Shaq wasn’t talented, he was just strong. I was talented, but I wasn’t strong.”
Divac continued to say O’Neal was “one of the most dominant players ever,” which he can attest to having banged bodies with the former Los Angeles Lakers center in the late 1990s and early 2000s while playing for the Charlotte Hornets and Sacramento Kings.
While Divac’s words may sound like unfair criticism (O’Neal had moves—many of them predicated on strength, but moves nonetheless), they were made as more of a broad-strokes argument for Cousins’ play than an intentional knock against O’Neal. Divac was the pinnacle of touch and cunning in big men, while O’Neal remains the golden standard of unstoppable forces in the post. Cousins blends these styles to terrifying results, which is Divac’s overarching message.
Of course, the 47-year-old Serbian clarified his thoughts on O’Neal by saying the dynamic between the two hasn’t changed from their playing days.
“He was always my boss,” Divac said.
Last edited by illusioNtEk; 03-18-2015 at 09:52 PM.
Actually kind of true. I've always said that about Shaq. Even he admitted that he wishes he could do things Tim Duncan did/does like footwork and post moves and all that. Still, being tall and big doesn't mean you're good. Plenty of bigs in the NBA are pieces of . Shaq was a great player but if he was talented he'd probably be GOAT.
Truth...
Shaq wasn't all athleticism, though... he had an unguardable drop-step spin move and a nice hook shot, for example. He didn't play like Duncan, but not everyone can.
He had some go to moves for sure. I going off of youtube vida and what I can vaguely remember from the early 2000s. I was 11-12 at that time.
Vlade was a flopping got tbh
thinking Shaq wasn't skilled
Not until he left LA. With the Lakers he was "savvy".
This is all just a publicity move giving the Kings an excuse to prop up Cousins. Smart move
what skills?
His cute turnaround shot that was not that far from the basket?
His ty hook shot that couldnt be blocked because he had his elbow in the other center's nose?
Passing the ball while double teamed by midgets? omg that was so difficult
Despite all that, he still carried Kobe, that's how ty Kobe was
As much as I hated him, Shaq was a monster. I don't think it was a lack of athleticism, but more a lack of motivation. He was also an underrated passer.
Its all about his footwork.
Kind of hypocritical to say Shaq was great but not talented. You stated it perfectly when you said there are plenty of bigs who are 7'0 but have 0 offensive ability. Then you go on to state he wasn't talented. Makes no sense, just like your av tbh
CN with some truth for once, watching Shaq in his prime was like watching Tyson in the ring. It wasn't as graceful as Ali who is all technique like Duncan (though Duncan is more of the Larry Holmes of the NBA, legend and accomplished more than Tyson but no one gives a because he was super dull).
Shaq's offense was unstoppable, if I had to build a team around a prime Shaq or Hakeem, for only 1 playoff series, I'd go with Shaq. Even though Hakeem is a greater player and was one if not the most skilled overall C in NBA history he was stoppable. Shaq was unstoppable in his 3peat run.
Shaq was talented, but nothing special from that standpoint, tbh..
He obviously had to have some skill to be able to achieve the scoring feats that he achieved, he had nice footwork, a couple of reliable go-to moves, and he was a decent passer, but he would have always had a place in the NBA with his size and athleticism, regardless of skill..not only was he a giant human being, but he was also extremely athletic for his size, that's what made him special..
He didn't need to be super skilled with his body, nor would it be physically possible for him to attain many traditional basketball skills. Having the body that he has severely limited what he could do, but it also enabled him to do things that no one else could.
With that said, he still had better post-up skills than any center in the NBA right now. Does that mean Shaq was just that great, or current centers are just that terrible? I'm not so sure.
A lot of people ting on Shaq lately
Compared to Kevin McHale or Hakeem Olajuwon, he didn't have a million and one post moves, but it's not true he had "no talent" and relied only on his strength, size and athleticism. I guess Vlade was making kind of a reductive argument, but it is true that most of his dominance came from his natural gifts, with some decent post skills thrown in.
The main thing with Shaq is that he was able to dominate the game at his peak without putting in much work. I'm guessing basketball probably bored him at some point when it became too easy. If he had worked harder and taken better care of his body, he could have enjoyed the same longevity as Duncan.
Yeah, Shaq's peak is as good as anyone who has ever played. I'd rather have Duncan/Kobe/Hakeem//Jordan/Russell/Wilt/Kareem's career, but Shaq in his prime deserves to be mentioned with any of them.
Shaq was dominant because he wanted to be. He wasn't afraid. He was y. When you put that size with the ability to move like he could, and his sheer strength, you saw what happened. No, he wasn't skilled compared to a guard or some bigs, but for being the biggest big, he was good enough to use the genetics he was gifted as effectively as possible.
There's more to skill than pretty moves and shooting touch. It's also knowing how to use that much weight to clear space, how to intimidate, how to do all the things he did. Until he went to LA though,he was too soft.
Yeah, its like Tyson's career is eclipsed by Larry Holmes, but we all know Tyson on his best night would kill Holmes (and did nearly murder an older Holmes). Calling Duncan the Larry Holmes of the NBA is a huge compliment, most consider Larry Holmes the 4th or 5th greatest boxer of all time. It's just that he was methodical and unemotional, sound familiar?
You know... all you suckers. everyone above and beneath me. I've been saying Shaq was a scrub on the block for years and have caught heat for it, and now you gots want to agree with this 3rd worlder? You Johnny-come-lately's are so predictable. What's shocking about his statement is not that I've already told you clowns about this years ago, but that he thinks Cousins is the best big man he's ever seen.
Actually, it's the truth. Holmes is easily considered the 4th or 5th greatest of all time in most lists. However, very few people are popping in his highlight reels because he wasn't exciting to watch. It doesn't take away his accomplishments
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