Shaq criticizes LeBron for how he left Cleveland

[Mr. I'm So Rad]

Everyone has an opinion. Shaquille O'Neal weighs in on the most controversial subject in the NBA over the past year, LeBron's decision to leave Cleveland. Shaq's opinion is noteworthy, as the Big Diesel was right in the middle of the Cleveland soap opera last season when they failed to make it past the Celtics in the second round.

According to Ken Berger from cbssports.com:

If he had been straight up with the guy [Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert], like, 'I'm not coming back,' and let the guy make moves and try to build his team, everything would've been all right," O'Neal said. "But you can't keep messing around -- 'I don't know, I don't know, I don't know.' And then, 'All right, Mike [Brown], you're gone. All right, you're gone, you're gone.' The guy was trying to make it better for LeBron, but LeBron and his group of guys didn't tell him what was going on. And then at the last minute, it was too late. The guy couldn't go out and get any free agents. I just think if LeBron had just done it better business-tactically, things would've been all right.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/1...options-advice

[kaiiu]

Shaq is a real ni99a

[Patrick Chewing]

Well, Shaq is wise, whereas LeBron is a complete idiot. I mean does his own mother come to watch him play?? I feel sorry for the bastard.

[Mr. Jabbar]

Lebron Did the pussiest move ever, some may say it, others will remain silent, but we all know it, we were actually witnesses

[gilalizard]

Respect to Shaq for speaking the simple truth.

[Bigsmoke]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WGIHYBb6wE

[Shepseskaf]

Essentially true, but is Shaq the one who should be dispensing knowledge on the proper way to leave a team?

[gilalizard]

Essentially true, but is Shaq the one who should be dispensing knowledge on the proper way to leave a team?

Shooting the messenger doesn't make the message less true.

[Ne 1]

Lebron Did the pussiest move ever, some may say it, others will remain silent, but we all know it, we were actually witnesses

Yeah, it's really the way LeBron left that made the Cavs fans and organization so angry, not just that he left. His little tv gig was a punk move and the whole time he always suggested that he was going to return to Cleveland. I mean he had every right to go play for who ever he wanted to play for, but the way he handled it was classless.

But it's over now and at some point you just have to let bygones be bygones.

[RedBlackAttack]

Essentially true, but is Shaq the one who should be dispensing knowledge on the proper way to leave a team?

Actually, I can't think of anyone more qualified. He was completely straight-forward with Orlando prior to his leaving for LA.

[gilalizard]

Yeah, it's really the way LeBron left that made the Cavs fans and organization so angry, not just that he left. His little tv gig was a punk move and the whole time he always suggested that he was going to return to Cleveland. I mean he had every right to go play for who ever he wanted to play for, but the way he handled it was classless.

But it's over now and at some point you just have to let bygones be bygones.

Nope. It's part of his legacy and will be rightfully talked about and held against him forever.

The guy has actively sought out the spotlight. He (and his stans) just don't like it when the spotlight highlights his flaws.

[Ne 1]

Nope. It's part of his legacy and will be rightfully talked about and held against him forever.

The guy has actively sought out the spotlight. He (and his stans) just don't like it when the spotlight highlights his flaws.

Oh, I agree. His legacy is going to take a hit because of it.

[AlphaWolf24]

The "Decision" thing is just strange all around....2009 he preaches to everyone that he's going to change his number to #6 after the 2010 season... and his reasoning "Jordan's #23 should be retired leaguewide"....

2010 he leads the Cavs to a 63 win season and the best record in the NBA...Cav's are the favorites to win it all...after a disappointing loss to the Celtics he then decides Cleveland's front office failed to build a team around him that is "good enough to win it all"....so he leaves to Miami to join Wade and Bosh after never telling Cleveland until the the television show

Miami has a worse record then the Cavs the year before...even if he does win..so what ....he should have stayed in his hometown.

it just so happens that the #23 in Miami is "retired" by Jordan ...how [FONT="Arial Black"]"convenient" [/FONT] for Lebron....

[Pointguard]

Shooting the messenger doesn't make the message less true.

Can mean that its a motivated discussion - not something in his heart. Shaq has been the best example in the history of the sport on how not to leave a team. He was on a show with Dennis Scott talking about he and Kobe had a good relationship and that he had to press certain buttons? He dogged his ex-coach out in a way unheard of in professional sports. Didn't get surgery once during the off season because he got hurt on company time. He often dogged his worth with weight problems. I'm sure the Magic weren't happy with his departure. He's trying to make amends and who is to say this isn't one of the "get on the popular side of things" to clean up his legacy.

This is like Shaq telling Dirk how to shoot free throws. He might have a good point but it seems incredibly odd.

[knightfall88]

Deception was the issue with how he left Cleveland.

Just a few names, Shaq, Melo, KG all told their organisations that they wanted to go