The I Hate Shaq Club!

[Guest Crazy Dan]

Actually I will first state that I hate the Lakers with a passion.  I don't like the fans, whom I can only imagine think that there is only two quarters in a game, considering half of them show up for the second period and have all ready  left by the third, no matter how close the game is.  I don't like how the Lakers basically have this attitude that they will press this magic botton, and poof, they become this awesome team.  They did this last year, and they are doing it this year.  Hence the reason they keep losing to far inferior teams (Bulls, Warriors, etc).  But, to my horror, they probably will win the title again, but I do believe that they won't cake walk like they did last year.

 

But in Shaq's defense, he is the best center in the league.  Can he help it that he was born so big and strong, nope.  He uses his strengths to the max.  Sure he dunks many times, but when you are that big and that close to the basket, heck I would dunk it all the time too.  But, in defense of that, I have seen Shaq throw in some nice hook shots.  Also, for shaq's size, he is very mobile and quick, which is very good considering his size.

 

For many years, Shaq's free throw shooting was horrendous, well it still not great by no means.  In the playoffs, teams would put Shaq on the line, knowing that he would brick both.  Hence the term Hack-a-Shaq was coined.  When the Lakers won their first title with Shaq, I noticed that Shaq started making his free throws.  And the reason this happened is because Sahq started taking extra time to practice his free throws.  And so I believe that Shaq has a good work ethic, so that I can appreciate.  Sure Shaq will never be that great a free throw shooter, but at least now he is decent and is no longer a liabilty during crunch time.

 

Also, Shaq has the ability to take over a game, which if you are to look at some the great ones, like Bird, Magic, Jordon, Kareem, to name a few, all had that ability, and hence the reason they all have multiple rings, just like Shaq.  

 

You might not like Shaq, and that is ok, more power to ya. But to say that there are 100 more better players than Shaq. I just don't buy into that.  Heck there aren't any centers who are better than Shaq, so right there is reason why Shaq is one of the NBA's elite players.

[Guest ErekT2k]

You inspire me Crazy Dan.... I'm crying right now.....

 

You may hate Shaq, but there's no doubt that he's one of the elites in the league right now. He dominates the game with his presence. Just look at the Finals 2001. Shaq stepped on to the court and after a game, Dikembe Mutombo is already whining. Shaq is extremely mobile and I'm surprised he can move that quick, hence the many alley-oops.

 

Without Shaq, the Lakers would have a harder time to win the title.

[Guest Redhawk]

Remember when you were little, and you had that Nerf hoop on your door? Or maybe you played on the "short" hoop at the gym every now and then? Or how you constantly ball up your socks and slam them into the hamper?

 

My point is: DUNKING IS FUN

 

Why does everyone get mad at Shaq because "all he does is dunk?" I thought that was a good thing. You know when you were imagining yourself in the NBA as a kid, you weren't daydreaming of hitting 15-foot jumpers from the baseline or breakaway layups. No, you imagined yourself going up and throwing one down on Karl Malone's head. Dunking is something that almost everyone likes to see, and the fact that Shaq dunks it all the time is pretty cool, in my opinion.

 

And like someone said earlier, you all know you would dunk all the time too if you could.

[Guest Ripper]

I ask you this. If tommorrow night Jahadi White tried to utilize Shaq offense, guess how many offensive plays he would be in the game....6.  He would foul out right there.  And the reason why is that it is illegal, it would be the right call, and no one would argue.  But Shaq lowering his shoulder every other play slaming into someone somehow is arguable.  A offensive foul is a offensive foul.  It has nothing to do with how big he is.  If Earl Boykins did that on Tracy McGrady, it would still be a offensive foul.  Fouls are not subjective to size and strength.  There are clean cut rules and Shaqs offense breaks them.  He COULD dominate the game because he has the skills to, but he doesn't.  He dominates because he is allowed illegal offense that no one else is allowed. The pick and Roll ran to perfection is a dominate play.  A great up and under move is domination.  A player with 15 low post moves is dominating.  Running off screens to catch and shoot at the right time is dominating a perfectly timed crossover, a unblockable fade away, a perfect box out and owning the boards, things like this is what the TRUE best/most dominating players in the league do.  Lowering your shoulder and jumping in to someone(illegal mind you) to clear room making the shot is not being dominating.  Hell, its not even playing basketball.  

 

Did you ever play basketball with a linebacker in high school(you know those guys that only know how to play football but are playing Basketball with you just to have some fun)  All they know is aggression and the "I'm bigger and stronger so I can just ram into you" offense.  It was basically a football game. THAT is Shaqs offense.  While it is very effective, it is also very illegal.  It isn't really a arguable point.  There are clean cut rules in basketball, and Shaq offense breaks them.  It isn't his fault, like I said.  I'm sure that if KG noticed the refs weren't calling anything while he was walking up court without dribbling, he would keep doing until they did call it.

 

And with the Brad Miller incident, I didn't mean that Shaq was attempting murder, it was a heat of the moment action.  But the chance for killing the guy was there.  My problem is that the media, teamates, coaches, writers and fans were acting like it was justified because he got fouled hard.  And alot of you guys are jumping right on to what the media told you.  The fouls in that game were not half as bad as the media acted like they were.  Most of them were just grabing shaqs shooting arm and pulling down so he could get the shot off.  Shaq was still trying to get the shot up(as he should) and was get pissed he was being pulled down(seriously, are they suppose to let him get the 3 point play).  Charles Oakley did give a flagrant before the fight(the only one of the game realisticly) and yes he should have been up set about that.  But earlier in the game when he elbowed Brad Miller in the face for wrapping him up...most other players would have been ejected....the refs called a double foul.

[Guest El Hijo Del Lunatic]

Ripper, at this point, I'm convinced you haven't read one word anyone here has written.  You're STILL whining about officiating, you have been for the past four posts, and you're not even considering anything anyone else has to type/say.  Please don't take another post to say the exact same thing you've said before.  Bring something relatively new to the conversation.

[Guest Redhawk]

So Shaq gets away with offensive fouls. It's not like this is new. Superstars get the calls, from Jordan to Shaq to Magic and all the rest. But they have to earn that privilege, so it's not like Shaq's had his success handed to him. You saw how he was fouling out all the time when he was a rookie, right? If Jordan goes up and misses a shot badly, they'll call a foul. If Shaq bowls someone over, they won't call a foul. But in the long run, no one cares. All we'll look at is 30 points per game, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 4-5 championships. Everyone just agrees that Bill Russell is a great player, but I bet if you go back and look at the footage he was getting away with a lot of shit. Look at Karl Malone. Wilt Chamberlain. Charles Barkley. No one whines about them.