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It seems since Shaq found himself a decent team to play for again, he feels like he's a bad ass and has the courage to run his mouth.
I can't believe some of his comments. Sure its true, Ricky Davis is not your ideal teammate, but you have to respect others. Plus him blaming or calling out the training staff in Miami is just uncalled for. He never likes to take responsibility. It was he who was never in shape.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3314347
NEW YORK -- Pat Riley can't understand why Shaquille O'Neal keeps talking about the Miami Heat.
Riley responded to O'Neal's criticisms Wednesday with some of his own, saying his former center was wrong to disparage some of his old teammates and trainers in a Boston Globe story.
"It's sad that he says those things. We shared so much here, together, for three years, good and bad, 3˝ years," Riley said, referring specifically to the Heat's 2006 NBA le. "I just think it's sad that he's got to do that."
Riley dealt O'Neal to Phoenix before the trade deadline, allowing the 36-year-old center the chance to compete for another le instead of sticking around Miami for a last-place finish. O'Neal made it clear how much he prefers his new teammates.
"I love playing for this coach and I love playing with these guys," O'Neal told the Globe. "We have professionals who know what to do. No one is asking me to play with Chris Quinn or Ricky Davis. I'm actually on a team again."
After Phoenix's loss to Boston, O'Neal elaborated, saying that defenses would sag off of Quinn and Davis and he wasn't able to get the ball. Of Riley's comments, O'Neal said colorfully, "I don't [care] how he interpreted it."
Reminded that reporters couldn't use the quote because of the expletive, he said, "Sure you can. You can quote me, brother. You can put an 's,' then the tic-tac-toe, the 'at' sign and then the other symbols."
O'Neal was critical about shots -- as in, not getting enough of them -- often during his tenure with the Heat. This year, he expressed those sentiments in the days that followed a 110-101 loss at Utah on Dec. 3 -- a game where Quinn didn't play and O'Neal and Davis were on court together for 16 minutes, 2 seconds.
He also complained about not getting enough touches two days after going 8-for-15 in a 120-99 loss against Orlando, another game where he and Quinn never were on the court at the same time. Plus, O'Neal got into an argument with Riley during an early season practice, and words got so heated that Alonzo Mourning intervened to keep the two separated.
Keep in mind, O'Neal is the one who repeatedly referred to his Miami coach as "the great Pat Riley" during his time in South Florida. But he also was clearly miffed when Riley pulled him in the first minute of a game at New Jersey earlier this season for blowing a defensive assignment.
Riley said he doesn't have "anything but good feelings for Shaq" and wasn't bothered by any criticism leveled at him. But he said O'Neal has no reason to blame anyone else in the organization for his unhappiness.
"When you're 9-40, we're all frustrated. I mean everybody's at fault, we all were. Everybody was feeling bad and nobody wants that," Riley said.
"He didn't want to be there, he didn't want to play for that kind of situation, 35 years old. He wanted to go to a contender and we sent him there. We sent him to Utopia and we're left here with the carnage and I don't know why he's not happy."
Riley also defended the work of veteran trainer Ron Culp and the team's medical staff, saying O'Neal was out of line to speak poorly of them.
"It's really a shame that he would insult those people like that because they gave him care. They cared," Riley said. "They didn't kiss his butt. They cared about him.
"He can do whatever he wants to do to me. That's OK, I don't care. But those men, they tried. ... That upsets me more than anything."
It seems since Shaq found himself a decent team to play for again, he feels like he's a bad ass and has the courage to run his mouth.
This is why there is a huge difference between guys like David Robinson, Tim Duncan, and Shaq. I honestly don't think Duncan nor Robinson would publicly talk bad about an ex-teammate.
All true.
:07 Or Less = How long it takes Shaq throw his former mates under the bus.
Can't wait until after next year to hear the backlash against Amare and Co.
Exactly. He'll blame is on Nash for passing too much. Or he'll blame Grant Hill for being too old.
While I don't condone what he said, there really needs to be some accountability with Riley at some point. Going from a championship team to a complete bust in 2 years is notable to say the least.
I can't wait till his fat ass gets his in the playoffs. Someone going to remind him how ing old he is when they put the smack down on PHX.
Shaq is just taking shots at the old teammates and coaches he's supposed to take shots at... no surprises here.
Nope...they wouldn't be Spurs very long if they did!
I guess respecting former teammates and coaches isn't part of the "Big Man Code."
I always thought Shaq should have given himself the nickname of the "Big Ego", instead of the "Big Aristotle". It's fitting.
I hate Shaq and every team he plays for. Which is why I'm thrilled he's on the Suns, because I never liked Amare anyway. I hope we meet them in the playoffs and sweep them right off the ing planet.
Neither is having a shot that can go down from beyond 4 feet with regularity.
I understand that Shaq is trying to appeal to his new team and new fans by bashing his past (and let's face it--Ricky Davis is terrible), but I thought these comments were made in poor taste. The Miami Heat are a terrible team, and Shaq didn't do much to change that.
Shaq's next contract will be 2 year contract worth 30,000,000 doughnuts.
Congratulations, you're the 1,655,387th person to make a Shaq fat joke in the last week. Get some new material people.
Shaq should have a reality show that teaches skinny kids how to gain weight.
Hey Xylus, you can't park your van on the diving board. Oh wait, that's not your van! That's Shaq!
Hey, hey Earl! It's just a fat guy!
if Shaq is taking shots at Pat Riley, i approve. Riley is the biggest bag in pro sports history.
Shaq will bash the Suns when they refuse to extend his contract
Riley? Fine. Teammates? That's bush league.
seriously. the money is a big factor with shaq. an si article reported that he spends $875,000 per month! he loves a big lifestyle and wants the big money.
In Shaq's defense, he was talking about Chris Quinn and Ricky Davis.
That sounds more like shaq's daily calorie intake.
Eh. He called out the entire team, really. "I'm on a real team now."
It's humorous that for all Sheed is lambasted by the media for being a hot-head, he hasn't said anything negative about his teammates in a long time, while Shaq, the glory- of the press always says stuff like this, and somehow gets away with it with no blow to his image. If anyone else said something like this, they would be cast out as a poor teammate. But with Shaq, it's okay for whatever reason.
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