Shaquille O'neal

I understand that Shaquille O'neal is a man that transcends just the NBA, but watching him attempt to play against other athletes in their own sport is extremely difficult to swallow.  Watching Shaq attempt to swing a bat was like watching a baby giraffe trying to walk.  It was hard to watch yet I could not take my eyes off of it, like a car accident.  The 7'1" O'neill attempted to out-slug Albert Pujols, out-spike beach volleyball stars Misty May and Kerri Walsh, and out-throw Ben Roethlisberger, needless to say he could not out-do anybody at anything.  The show is a half hour too long and the hosts are extremely annoying.  The most important part of the show, the actual competition, takes place in the last fifteen minutles of the show making the first 45 minutes irrelevant.  Here are some short examples of the show from Youtube:

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Shaq can't even proclaim himself "The Big Trade."

The defending Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic trumped Los Angeles Laker ex Shaquille O'Neal's move from the Phoenix Suns to the Cleveland Cavaliers when they acquired Vince Carter from the New Jersey Nets.

Continue reading "Trading the Lakers' Enemies? I Don't Think So"

Trying to separate the five best Los Angeles Laker championship teams (sorry, Minneapolis, I'm putting your rings aside because I have no concept of the NBA in its infancy) is kind of like the Octomom trying to pick her five favorite among her 14 children.

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His act is getting real old.

A week after the Lakers were blasted by the Boston Celtics in Game 6 to capture the NBA championship, a ghost from Lakers past reared his ugly fat head and sprouted some venemous verses towards his former sidekick, Kobe Bryant.

Continue reading "SHAQ AND KOBE...AND THE RIFT GOES ON"

Ah, the Big Fella. So much fun. Such a force back in the day. When he was coming up, his raw power made guys want to be more like Shaq than Mike. 

But there's a downside, a big downside, to being Shaq, all seven feet, three hundred plus of him.  The biggest factor being that he's allergic to staying in shape. Shaq thirty years from now is not a pretty site, folks which is why the Big Guy deserves some of your pity, especially if he doesn't have a retirement plan.

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We have been waiting for this moment for months.  No, I’m not talking about the Jason Kidd trade to go through (which it did today).  I am talking to about the second half of the NBA season to begin.  The first three and a half months can be such a drag, and usually are but in the second half, everything picks up.  It is a two-month stretch run to the playoffs.  This is the time when teams like San Antonio and Detroit flip their switch on and look to be playing their best when the playoffs begin.  The flurry of trades that have gone on in the last two or three weeks has just made the second half that much more interesting.  The NBA season is about 20 games too long and it kills ratings but now is the time to jump on the bandwagon.  These next couple months of the regular season and the playoffs are going to be some of the best basketball since the ‘80’s.  The NBA, where exciting happens.

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Apparently the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns have agreed on a trade that would send Shaquille O'Neal to Phoenix in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. I believe this is simply a knee-jerk reaction to the Los Angeles Lakers' acquisition of Pau Gasol (a brilliant move by L.A., by the way) and do not see how this trade can make sense from the Suns' vantage point.

Continue reading "Shaq Headed to Phoenix?"

I remember when Shaq came on the scene as the big guy on the Orlando Magic. He had the silly rap and the even sillier movies but was quite an admirable player. When he came to Los Angeles to play for my hometown Lakers – I was so pumped! The Big Aristotle was awesome to watch and added to the mystique and legend of the team.

Continue reading "Shed a Tear for Shaq"

Although only 20 years old, Lakers center, Andrew Bynum, is proving night in and night out that he will, if not already, be one of the best centers in the NBA.  Last night he thrashed the Pacers, dunking everywhere, including on the man he was rumored to be traded for in the summer, Jermaine O'Neal.  It makes me reminisce over the glorious throw down he had on Shaquille O'Neal a couple years back. With two O'Neals down, who's next? Ed O'Neill, of Al Bundy fame? Tatum O'Neal of alcoholic childstar, drug addict fame? Her father, Ryan O'Neal, of movie star, young Melanie Griffith-banging fame? April O'Neil of cartoon reporting, Ninja Turtles fame? 

Continue reading "ANDREW BYNUM IS A MAN CHILD"

What has happened to the NBA that I grew up with? I must admit, I have paid less attention to my Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA in general in the last season or two. Even so, I really feel like there is something missing.

Continue reading "Hope for the NBA?"