Shaq's overall career was disappointing. Could have been better.

[Upgrayedd]

If he didn't get really fat and lazy later in his career he could have easily won and retired with 7 or maybe 8 championships.

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

He couldve easily been the GOAT if he had better work ethic

[moe94]

T-Mac could have been great if not for injuries. Matrix with Will Smih would have sucked.

[Upgrayedd]

Shaq didn't have a career ending injury though. He was just so freaking lazy. No excuses. If he was in the gym, stayed under 300 pounds he could have dominated even more than he had.

4 championships is very impressive. But he could have won more.

[CelticBaller]

agreed

[Upgrayedd]

I can't put him ahead of Tim Duncan. Look at what Duncan has been able to do. He's still one of the best big men in the league. He's lost weight and has been awesome recently.

[navy]

3 straight FMVP. Only one beside Jordan.

[inclinerator]

Shaq didn't have a career ending injury though. He was just so freaking lazy. No excuses. If he was in the gym, stayed under 300 pounds he could have dominated even more than he had.

4 championships is very impressive. But he could have won more.
no way he should be under 300 lbs, he came in the league almost that

300-310 range is good for him

[Upgrayedd]

3 straight FMVP. Only one beside Jordan.

Could have had more if he would have stayed in shape.

[CelticBaller]

3 straight FMVP. Only one beside Jordan.
the point is he coudl've been better than that

[ArbitraryWater]

Agreed. Once saw a good comment on here on how he should have been run away GOAT.. disappointing tho?

[Upgrayedd]

Agreed. Once saw a good comment on here on how he should have been run away GOAT.. disappointing tho?

Disappointing compared to what it could have been.

[LAZERUSS]

Shaq played for 20 seasons. He was arguably the best player in the league in at least five of them; a top-five player another five years; and a top-10 player in another five.

He won four rings; three straight FMVP's, and one MVP (and probably deserved at least a couple of more.)

I don't see a "disappointing" career in that.

[ArbitraryWater]

Shaq played for 20 seasons. He was arguably the best player in the league in at least five of them; a top-five player another five years; and a top-10 player in another five.

He won four rings; three straight FMVP's, and one MVP (and probably deserved at least a couple of more.)

I don't see a "disappointing" career in that.

Disappointing compared to what it could have been.

[kennethgriffin]

imagine if kobe doesnt bail him out of the 2000/2002 western confrence finals

then imagine if wade isnt there to grab 20 fake free throws a game in 2006

shaq might only have 1 title... and thats assuming someone else in the league can fill in as 2nd banana to drop 29/7/6 in the playoffs

yup.. considering hes only top 7-9 all time while having

prime penny
prime kobe
prime wade
prime lebron
prime nash
prime pierce

its pretty pathetic he didnt win more often

[DonDadda59]

With better work ethic, could've been the GOAT, but top 10 and arguable GOAT peak ain't bad either.

[Upgrayedd]

Shaq played for 20 seasons. He was arguably the best player in the league in at least five of them; a top-five player another five years; and a top-10 player in another five.

He won four rings; three straight FMVP's, and one MVP (and probably deserved at least a couple of more.)

I don't see a "disappointing" career in that.

Not saying it's a complete disappointment. Said it's disappointing compared to what it could have been had he stayed in shape and had better work ethic.

[PsychoBe]

phil jackson lamented on how shaq could have been the unarguable goat in his book if he had more work ethic. but shaq wasn't focused on basketball. he wanted to be a rapper, an actor, an entertainer, he wanted it all and asked "why not". he was larger than life. so it is what it is.

[Warfan]

I certainly wouldn't go as far to say it was disappointing, I guess he maybe underachieved. But I mean he was still great from his rookie year up until his 2nd last year in Miami (at 34) and even had a solid year in Phoenix 2 year later, not to mention he had arguably the GOAT peak and won 4 titles along with 3 straight 3FMVPs.

[LAZERUSS]

Not saying it's a complete disappointment. Said it's disappointing to what it could have been had he stayed in shape and had better work ethic.

Can you name the players who played in the NBA for twenty seasons, and were arguably at least top-10 in 15 of them? I suspect it would be a very short list.

[Upgrayedd]

Can you name the players who played in the NBA for twenty seasons, and were arguably at least top-10 in 15 of them? I suspect it would be a very short list.

Again, I'm not saying his career was horrible. He won 4 championships. I'm saying it could have been even better if he would have had better worth ethic.

[LAZERUSS]

Again, I'm not saying his career was horrible. He won 4 championships. I'm saying it could have been even better if he would have had better worth ethic.

He must have done something right to play at such a high level for the vast majority of his 20 seasons.

[ArbitraryWater]

He must have done something right to play at such a high level for the vast majority of his 20 seasons.

:facepalm YES, WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT FFS YOU SLOW

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

T-Mac could have been great if not for injuries. Matrix with Will Smih would have sucked.
Tracy fulfilled his potential a perenial loser w/ a fluke regular season

[LAZERUSS]

:facepalm YES, WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT FFS YOU SLOW

Just what in the hell did you expect him to do? At his PEAK he averaged 29.7 ppg, and 13.6 rpg. His CAREER averages aren't much lower than that.

You guys act like he was scoring 50 ppg, and that he was capable of scoring 75 ppg.

:facepalm :facepalm

[PsychoBe]

Just what in the hell did you expect him to do? At his PEAK he averaged 29.7 ppg, and 13.6 rpg. His CAREER averages aren't much lower than that.

You guys act like he was scoring 50 ppg, and that he was capable of scoring 75 ppg.

:facepalm :facepalm

it's the longevity that puzzles us. he could have been a sure-fire mvp candidate from 2000-2005/2006 (at the latest) if he sustained his success but instead he injuries linked to lack of conditioning and weight loss (i got hurt on company's time so i'll rest on company's time), poor work ethic, lack of motivation for the sport as a whole (ventured into too many side-projects) caused him to not reach his full potential as a player longevity wise.

[LAZERUSS]

it's the longevity that puzzles us. he could have been a sure-fire mvp candidate from 2000-2005/2006 (at the latest) if he sustained his success but instead he injuries linked to lack of conditioning and weight loss (i got hurt on company's time so i'll rest on company's time), poor work ethic, lack of motivation for the sport as a whole (ventured into too many side-projects) caused him to not reach his full potential as a player longevity wise.

LONGEVITY?

WTF?

TWENTY YEARS, FIFTEEN of which he was a Top-10 player.

Did you expect him to play for 30 years????

My gawd, he was 7-1 and 340 lbs, and was playing 40 mpg.

[Rocketswin2013]

Just what in the hell did you expect him to do? At his PEAK he averaged 29.7 ppg, and 13.6 rpg. His CAREER averages aren't much lower than that.

You guys act like he was scoring 50 ppg, and that he was capable of scoring 75 ppg.

:facepalm :facepalm
You stupid fuc.k, if he would have just let Rick Barry teach him how to shoot those unorthodox FT's, and have his % to at least 70, he would have been putting up unfathomable numbers, and if his PPG wouldn't have increased, his efficiency would have been in a class of its own. But he said he would "never" shoot them the way Barry shot them because of how it looked.:facepalm Had any intelligent human being been blessed with his body he would have been GOAT hands down.


Edit: Fixed some misspelled words

[LAZERUSS]

You stupid fuc.k, if he would have just let Rick Barry teach him how to shoot those unorthodox FT's, and for his % to at least 70, he would have been putting up unfathomable numbers, and if his PPG wouldn't have increased, his efficiency would have been in a class of its own. But he said he would "never l shoot them the way Barry shot them because of how it looked.:facepalm Had any intelligent human being been blessed with his body he would have been GOAT hands down.

That is pure speculation.

I could also argue that had Shaq "merely" been 300 lbs, or less, that he would not have been nearly as physically dominant, either.

Look at this footage...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ3FXLyNFew

Do you think a 280 lb Shaq is capable of that?

[aj1987]

imagine if kobe doesnt bail him out of the 2000/2002 western conference finals
You're a moron.

2000 WCF:
Shaq: 26/12/4/2 on 17 shots a game.
Kobe: 20/5/6/2/2 on 15 shots a game.

2002 WCF:
Shaq: 30/14/2/2 on 22.6 shots a game.
Kobe: 27/6/4/2/1 on 24.6 shots a game.



shaq might only have 1 title... and thats assuming someone else in the league can fill in as 2nd banana to drop 29/7/6 in the playoffs
Imagine if Kobe didn't have Shaq/Gasol. Kobe would have 0 rings. Not even 1.


yup.. considering hes only top 7-9 all time while having

prime penny
prime kobe
prime wade
prime lebron
prime nash
prime pierce

its pretty pathetic he didnt win more often
Shaq wasn't in his prime.

[Bob Dole]

Dumbest thread I've seen in a while. Dude was a beast from his rookie season until about 06. Get the heck out of here with that disappointing crap.

If anybody is disappointing its Kobe Bryant and his refusal to play the game the right way. Chucking and shooting below 47% every season in his career and The only reason is because of his ego.

Pathetic.

[PsychoBe]

LONGEVITY?

WTF?

TWENTY YEARS, FIFTEEN of which he was a Top-10 player.

Did you expect him to play for 30 years????

My gawd, he was 7-1 and 340 lbs, and was playing 40 mpg.

years in orlando with penny = swept in the finals.

mvp and 3-peat lakers then allowed feud with kobe to blow up a potential dynasty (wanted more money than he was worth and was somehow surprised when the organization chose kobe over him)

2 years of mediocrity then championship with d-wade (was injury riddled and carried by wade during the 06 finals)

unremarkable in phoenix

unremarkable in cleaveland

ended career in boston.

not enough sustained excellence. look at duncan, and now look at shaq. duncan's a bit younger, but he's aged gracefully. a lot more so than shaq did.

[LAZERUSS]

I said nothing about his weight. His weight and agility was what made him great.

And that is not "pure speculation" it's logic. If he doesn't get hack a shaq' d, what stops him from putting up 40 every night?

Just using his 00-01 season as an example...

Shaq shot .785 from 0-2 ft. From 3 ft on out... .402. BTW, 43% of his shots were from 0-2 ft, and out of those 768, 300 were at point blank range (dunks...of which he made 287.)

I guess he could "sacrificed" his ONE true strength...pure power...and worked on FTs and 3's, instead.

[LAZERUSS]

years in orlando with penny = swept in the finals.

mvp and 3-peat lakers then allowed feud with kobe to blow up a potential dynasty (wanted more money than he was worth and was somehow surprised when the organization chose kobe over him)

2 years of mediocrity then championship with d-wade (was injury riddled and carried by wade during the 06 finals)

unremarkable in phoenix

unremarkable in cleaveland

ended career in boston.

not enough sustained excellence. look at duncan, and now look at shaq. duncan's a bit younger, but he's aged gracefully. a lot more so than shaq did.

So you are blaming Shaq for that series sweep against Houston, in a series in which he averaged 28 ppg on a .595 FG%, all while outrebounding, outassisting, outblocking, and heavily outshooting Hakeem?

How about the Detroit series, when he averaged 27 ppg on a .630 FG%, while Kobe shot .387?

True, unremarkable in Phoenix, Cleveland, and Boston...and in his last four seasons (years 17-20.)

[PsychoBe]

Duncan was finesse, Shaq was super physical. Shaq took a beating his first 10 years.

shaq had finesse and power. his hook shots were almost on automatic. in his later years he could have been like a bit of a poor-man's zach randolf averaging at least 11/10 or something similar, not fall off the face of the earth like that.

[LAZERUSS]

shaq had finesse and power. his hook shots were almost on automatic. in his later years he could have been like a bit of a poor-man's zach randolf averaging at least 11/10 or something similar, not fall off the face of the earth like that.

In his 18th season, he put up an 18-8 .609 season.

[PsychoBe]

So you are blaming Shaq for that series sweep against Houston, in a series in which he averaged 28 ppg on a .595 FG%, all while outrebounding, outassisting, outblocking, and heavily outshooting Hakeem?

How about the Detroit series, when he averaged 27 ppg on a .630 FG%, while Kobe shot .387?

True, unremarkable in Phoenix, Cleveland, and Boston...and in his last four seasons (years 17-20.)

the dream completely decimated shaq that series in which he had d-scott and penny hardaway. as shaq said "me and him were gonna get ours." they both put up numbers but the dream was infinitely more impactful on both ends.

the detroit series was very misleading. game 3 the lakers were completely embarassed (shaq had a whopping 14 points) and in game 5 he only scored 20. besides, shaq was going to get his either way it was about stopping the perimeter players (especially kobe) because shaq wasn't going to beat you by himself.

[T_L_P]

I have Shaq somewhere between 5-7 on my all-time list. He had the potential to be the GOAT though

[bigt]

I honestly believe Shaq could have had an even more amazing career than he already did (as it is I think he is top 5/6 all time anyway) but you know what, who cares? Yes Shaq could have been even more dominant and successful on the court if he was completely and utterly focused on the game rather than all of his little side ventures, but Shaq clearly lived the life he wanted to live. He became a household name and got to do what he wanted to do in life. He played ball, rapped, starred in movies and clearly had a lot of fun doing it all. I don't think he's going to look back at his life and say "Damn, I should of tried harder instead of doing all of that other stuff as well." The dude got to do all that he did off the court and STILL become one of the all time greats.

[LAZERUSS]

the dream completely decimated shaq that series in which he had d-scott and penny hardaway. as shaq said "me and him were gonna get ours." they both put up numbers but the dream was infinitely more impactful on both ends.

the detroit series was very misleading. game 3 the lakers were completely embarassed (shaq had a whopping 14 points) and in game 5 he only scored 20. besides, shaq was going to get his either way it was about stopping the perimeter players (especially kobe) because shaq wasn't going to beat you by himself.

How about this from someone who actually watched that series.

Thanks to Colts18


I decided to rewatch the 1995 finals and chart each possession to see to how effective Shaq and Hakeem were on the court. A special shout out to Jordanbulls for providing the video of this series


Total:
Hakeem: 253 touches, 140 doubles (55.3%)
Shaq: 221 touches, 146 doubles (66.1%)

Here are their stats when they were guarded by each other:
Shaq 32-57 (56.1 FG%), 6-8 FT, 67.3 double teamed%, .578 TS%, 17 assists, 1 O-reb allowed to Hakeem
Hakeem: 31-75 (41.3 FG%), 9-13 FT, 60.2 double teamed%, .446 TS%, 8 assists, 3 O-reb allowed to Shaq

Shaq blocked 2 Hakeem shots, Hakeem blocked 0 Shaq shots. Hakeem did make a 3P on Shaq. Hakeem guarded Shaq on 73.3% of the touches he had, while Shaq guarded Hakeem on 69.6% of his touches. Hakeem got a lot more fastbreak touches than Shaq so in the halfcourt, they guarded each other about even.

When they weren't being guarded by each other, Shaq was being guarded by Charles Jones and Hakeem by Horace Grant.

Shaq vs Jones: 7-11 FG (63.6 FG%), 35 doubles in 52 touches (67.3%), 2 assists
Hakeem vs Grant: 13-24 (54.2 FG%), 33 double teams in 58 touches (56.9%), 6 assists

Jump shots:
Hakeem: 27-62 (43.5%)
Shaq: 2-7 (28.6%)

The vast majority of Shaq's shots were close range hooks.

Dunks:
Hakeem: 1 dunk (vs grant)
Shaq: 9 dunks (2 of them were in Hakeem's face)

Fouls drawn on offense:
Shaq: 37 (17 on Hakeem)
Hakeem: 21 (9 on Shaq)

Hakeem did draw 4 Shaq charges.

Shaq was called for 5 travels, Hakeem 2.

Plus/Minus (Houston outscored Orlando by 28 points total):
On court:
Shaq: -12 in 180 minutes
Hakeem: +17 in 179 minutes

Off court:
Shaq: -16 in 16:37 of action (Houston scored 133 points per 48 in the minutes Shaq missed)
Hakeem: +11 in 17:11 of action (134 points per 48 in the minutes he was off the court)

Interestingly enough, in 2 of the games, the Magic outscored the Rockets when Shaq was on the court. The magic were -8 in about 9 minutes of action without Shaq in game (lost by just 2 points). In game 3, they were -4 in the minutes Shaq missed in a game where they lost by 3 points. In game 1, the Rockets outscored the magic by 9 in the minutes Hakeem missed, but they were outscored by a combined 4 points in games 3 and 4 without Hakeem.

Observations:
-Orlando was for some reason really committed to doubling Hakeem in game 1. They were throwing a lot of hard doubles. Hakeem had 5 assists in that game, all of them 3 pointers, 4 came off of doubles (one was a triple team). I'm guessing it was a response to Hakeem's series vs Robinson. For the rest of the series, Orlando didn't double Hakeem as much and they threw softer doubles.

-Hakeem made like 5 or 6 baskets in transition to Shaq's 1 or so. So while Shaq didn't get credit for giving up those buckets since he didn't guard, a few of those times Shaq was slow in transition. Shaq got about 3 or shots

-One of the commentators compared Horry to Scottie Pippen and Walton took the comment seriously. They are vastly different players IMO

-I'm not sure why Penny wasn't more aggressive. Kenny Smith couldn't guard him at all. When Penny did drive to the basket, he made a few shots over Hakeem.

-Drexler was the man in this series. He really wanted to get his first title badly. For some reason, people rarely talk about him despite him getting more WS than Hakeem in that playoff run

-It's fashionable these days to **** on Hakeem's cast in 94, but this cast was much better than that one. The guards outplayed Orlando's guards. Horry played really well. The 3P shooters benefited a lot from the shortened 3P line.

-Contrary to popular belief, handchecking wasn't allowed in 95. The refs called like 2 handchecking fouls in this series

-I'm so thankful the NBA got rid of the illegal defense. The refs called like 5 of them in each game. It destroyed the flow of the game and limited the ways you could double team a player.


Or this research...


Hakeem's TEAMMATES, collectively, had a considerably higher TS% in that series, than Hakeem, himself. So, those that favor this stat, had better prepared to explain that. Looks to me like Houston won that series DESPITE Hakeem.

Meanwhile, Shaq's TS% in that Finals was far greater than what his teammates gave him.

Hakeem shot 55-115 from the field, 1-1 from the arc, and 18-26 from the line.
His teammates shot 70-136 from 2pt range, 36-91 from the arc, and 77-97 from the line.

Shaq shot 44-74 from the field, and 24-42 from the line.
His teammates shot 78-156 from 2 pt range, 41-118 from the arc, and 37-47 from the line.

Using a TRUE TS%, Hakeem shot .508. His teammates collectively shot .589.

Shaq shot a TRUE TS% of .589. His teammates shot a collective .533.


Hell, Hakeem didn't even shoot the post-season NBA average in eFG% (.488 to the league average of .504.)

Hmmm...I don't see Hakeem "completely decimating" Shaq in that series...AT ALL.

[Nevaeh]

Can you name the players who played in the NBA for twenty seasons, and were arguably at least top-10 in 15 of them? I suspect it would be a very short list.

Thank you. And "lazy" players don't stay in the League for 20 years without any major injuries either. This current generation really gets on my f@cking nerves constantly trying rewrite history and minimize the impact of players who were "League Changing Impact" players, when they were at their best.

[aj1987]

Thank you. And "lazy" players don't stay in the League for 20 years without any major injuries either. This current generation really gets on my f@cking nerves constantly trying rewrite history and minimize the impact of players who were "League Changing Impact" players, when they were at their best.
Shaq is my all time favorite player, but he's kind of a dolt. What people are trying to say is that he could've been even better, if he had a better work ethic. Imagine Shaq being a top 3 player over 10 years and top 5 over 15 years, instead of top 10 over 15 years. He did come into camp overweight and he did say, "I got hurt on company time, so I

[Jailblazers7]

Bill Simmons nailed the whole Shaq thing when he said that Shaq was the guy in college who could have got a 4.0 but instead got a 3.5 and had the most fun.

[Marlo_Stanfield]

Shaw could have been the second best player after Wilt if he had better work ethic and a better teammate in his absolute prime than Kobe"Clutchbrick"Bryant.
without Clutchbrick purposely chucking them out of a sure title in 2003 even tho Shaq destroyed the Pistons defense, he would have 4 even with a terrible teammate like Clutchbrick.
Had he played together with someone like LeBron, they both would be sitting on 7 titles at least with each one getting3-4 FMVPs:applause: :applause:
Shaqs work ethic and Clutchbrick Bryant denied him a shot at GOAT:coleman:

[Nevaeh]

[QUOTE=aj1987]Shaq is my all time favorite player, but he's kind of a dolt. What people are trying to say is that he could've been even better, if he had a better work ethic. Imagine Shaq being a top 3 player over 10 years and top 5 over 15 years, instead of top 10 over 15 years. He did come into camp overweight and he did say, "I got hurt on company time, so I

[AirFederer]

That is pure speculation.

I could also argue that had Shaq "merely" been 300 lbs, or less, that he would not have been nearly as physically dominant, either.

Look at this footage...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ3FXLyNFew

Do you think a 280 lb Shaq is capable of that?

I see a lot of offensive fouls.

And he should have stayed lighter than he did and focused more on basketball. But he never had the mindset to become the GOAT, unlike MJ.

[tomSR.]

no way he should be under 300 lbs, he came in the league almost that

300-310 range is good for him

yeah, but that was muscle..........then he turned into 300 pounds of fat

[mr.big35]

if shaq and kobe didnt have the ego issues they would easily won 7 rings together. he was still the goat what more do you want him to do.

[SexSymbol]

Man if only Shaq had less of an ego.
Probably 8 rings would be a good prediction if that's the case, 4-5 with kobe, 2-3 with Wade

[BlackVVaves]

People are missing the point. No one has disputed his greatness. They are just saying he could have been the clear, greatest player of all time, if he was as committed to his conditioning as he was to his brand.

Also, whoever brought up Rick Barry wanting to train with Shaq, I commend you. That has always been perplexing to me. I read one of Bill Russell's books a while back and he noted the baffling nature of Shaq's response as well. One of the greatest free throw shooters in the NBA offers to help improve your FT%, and you decline because the method would clash with your presence in the Hip Hop community (paraphrasing from Russell's book)?

If Shaq was committed to being the greatest ever, he would have indulged in every opportunity to improve his game, from staying in shape to his free throws. I can't even imagine what kind of Armageddon a 75% free throw shooting Shaq would have unleashed on the NBA.

Anyway. Top 8 player of all time. OP, and the rest of us, are just saying he could have been even greater in his illustrious career. But, like someone already said, who cares. He still managed to be great and be the entertainer he longed to be.

[SHAQisGOAT]

I somewhat agree. Just the way he was. Didn't stop him for being top10 all-time and having arguably the GOAT peak.

[riseagainst]

Shaw could have been the second best player after Wilt if he had better work ethic and a better teammate in his absolute prime than Kobe"Clutchbrick"Bryant.
without Clutchbrick purposely chucking them out of a sure title in 2003 even tho Shaq destroyed the Pistons defense, he would have 4 even with a terrible teammate like Clutchbrick.
Had he played together with someone like LeBron, they both would be sitting on 7 titles at least with each one getting3-4 FMVPs:applause: :applause:
Shaqs work ethic and Clutchbrick Bryant denied him a shot at GOAT:coleman:

Lakers played the Detroit series in 2003... yeah ok......

[Micku]

Bill Simmons nailed the whole Shaq thing when he said that Shaq was the guy in college who could have got a 4.0 but instead got a 3.5 and had the most fun.

Pretty much. I love this analogy too.

Shaq could've been better than what he was, and probably could've been GOAT if he had the mindset. He could've stayed in shape, improve his FTs, improve his game, and his longevity could've been better. His longevity was already good. He was very athletic for his size, and could've been more.

But alas, he had a great career. His peak/prime is one of the greatest we'll ever see. It's the way it is. As Bill Simmons said, Shaq probably wouldn't change it if he had to redo it.

[miggyme1]

if shaq had stayed in la and didnt get lazy i believe he could have won 7 str8 rings from 2000-2006..i still think spurs would have won in 07 thus ending the lakers dynasty

[selrahc]

Thank you. And "lazy" players don't stay in the League for 20 years without any major injuries either. This current generation really gets on my f@cking nerves constantly trying rewrite history and minimize the impact of players who were "League Changing Impact" players, when they were at their best.

Are you kidding me? Shaq was lazy as ****... He came to training camp every season at least 15-20 lbs over weight and would have to spend the first 20 games of the season trying to condition himself back in to shape... You clearly didn't watch many Laker games around this time.

[bdreason]

He won a title at the age of 33. I'd say that's pretty impressive for a guy who is 7' 300+ lbs. Winning titles is in large part circumstantial. Even if he stayed in better shape, and stayed with the Lakers... I'm not sure he would have won more titles with Kobe.

[bdreason]

Also I'm not sure where this idea that Shaq didn't have killer instinct or desire to be great comes from... did any of you actually watch the guy play? We're not talking about Dwight Howard here. When Shaq took the court he meant business, and he tried to crush people's souls.

[red1]

Shaw could have been the second best player after Wilt if he had better work ethic and a better teammate in his absolute prime than Kobe"Clutchbrick"Bryant.
without Clutchbrick purposely chucking them out of a sure title in 2003 even tho Shaq destroyed the Pistons defense, he would have 4 even with a terrible teammate like Clutchbrick.
Had he played together with someone like LeBron, they both would be sitting on 7 titles at least with each one getting3-4 FMVPs:applause: :applause:
Shaqs work ethic and Clutchbrick Bryant denied him a shot at GOAT:coleman:
clutchbrick? are you retarded?

[senelcoolidge]

Shaq had a great career, but at the same time it was disappointing because he could have been better. He was lazy. He could have been as good as Wilt, but laziness did set him back. He's still one of the best centers ever. No doubt about that.

[Odinn]

His career could have been better. But it doesn't mean it was disappointing.

[Nevaeh]

His career could have been better. But it doesn't mean it was disappointing.

The irony is that those who seem the most "disappointed" in how his career played out were never fans of his to begin with.

http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/laugh.gif

[SamuraiSWISH]

He was amazing, but yes a disappointment in a way in basketball terms. But I mean Shaq always had a bigger picture of life. He wanted to have fun, enjoy himself, and not work hard. On a personal level, there is no shame int hat at all. But dude still is a top ten all-time player. Not everyone takes the game as seriously as others. Especially ones who had to work harder to get there.

[Basketbolero]

clutchbrick? are you retarded?
What? Are you not convinced yet?

[Cold soul]

Shaq had a fantastic career one of top 10 NBA players of all time. But Shaq could of had much greater career if he would of took basketball more seriously and not been out of shape during offseason time and time again when coming into training camp. His peak might be the greatest ever, but lack of work ethic and lazyness held him back to his true potential with a Kobe/MJ mindset Shaq would of been the GOAT. I'm huge Shaq fan but yes his career was somewhat of a disappointment of what it could of been.

[SHABBA]

LAZERUSS ruining every thread he goes in :coleman:

[Replay32]

So now shaq had a disappointing NBA career? :lol

Funny thread.

[T_L_P]

So now shaq had a disappointing NBA career? :lol

Funny thread.

Disappointing (and only slightly disappointing) relative to what it could have been.

Imagine if Shaq didn't pull that toe surgery bullshit in 2003, for example. Or imagine if he didn't pout about playing defense at times.