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Jordan-esque
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 Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 12:33 pm Post subject: Shaq: “I’d average 50 in this era because bigs don’t play physical” |
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Lakers’ podcast with Shaq:
https://www.podcastone.com/the-official-lakers-podcast
| Quote: | In response to a question submitted on social media, Shaquille O’Neal went on to say he would not attempt to become a 3-point shooter if he was brought up in the current era:
“First of all, if I came up in this era, I wouldn’t shoot threes. That’s not what a big guy is supposed to do. If I played today, I’d average 50, without free throws. I’d average 50, because guys don’t play physical. They whine and they cry; I’m going to punish everybody. All these guys talking about shooting jump shots, you’re going to have to defend me. And you can’t defend me with three or four fouls. I’m just going to punish you. I haven’t really lost to a lot of guys that shot jumpers in my face, but I beat everybody by playing low. So I would definitely average 40-50. Easily.”
“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, well, it’s a different game.’ No. When people are doing things different, that’s when you’ve got to do something different. OK, everybody is shooting jumpers. Fine, but I make my money on the inside. A lot of people don’t understand it takes legs and strength to shoot the jumpers. A lot of people will try to shoot jumpers for three quarters against me. In the fourth quarter, banging up against me all the time, it won’t work.”
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cathy78
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 12:39 pm Post subject: |
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| I guess he would foul out within 13 seconds because he plays too physical... |
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Judah
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 12:59 pm Post subject: |
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It would be super fun to watch him in this era. I don't know if he'd average 50 (lol), but I definitely have a hard imagining teams not making any adjustments against him. You can't play anything but a traditional big on him. But even then you're still at his mercy.
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LakersFanESS
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Shaq would just dominate this crop of centers in the league. They get scared of Lebron coming at them at 260...Shaq was 7-2 360 and more agile and quick than your center. Remember what he did to Mutumbo, Sabonis, Vlade...it would be a blood bath against Capela, Horford, etc... |
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SuperboyReformed
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 1:39 pm Post subject: |
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yea shaq, not necessarily. Yes, the centers play soft and shoot jumpers now, but this is something the league has deliberatly moved towards. SO what he is saying would require the cooperation of the nba rulemakers and refs most importantly. He may adjust, but that's an IF.
He talks like he can shoot threes, he just chooses not to. WEll, sorry. You probably couldn't shoot threes, just like you couldn't hit free throws (but yes you did make them for the lakers when it counted).
Shaq might be forgetting that the zone ruined his game. He didn't forget, he always mentions it lol. The zone was basically instituted the year Shaq destroyed the league. He was not super effective in college for the same reason. I don't see how different it would be now, the game is basically like college.
Again, we will see this year how good a team can do that sucks at shooting threes. We are that team. Other than KCP and Beasly, we have average shooters. |
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SuperboyReformed
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 1:40 pm Post subject: |
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| LakersFanESS wrote: | | Shaq would just dominate this crop of centers in the league. They get scared of Lebron coming at them at 260...Shaq was 7-2 360 and more agile and quick than your center. Remember what he did to Mutumbo, Sabonis, Vlade...it would be a blood bath against Capela, Horford, etc... |
i dont think anyone is scared of lebron without the refs. There are at least two finals where he was single covered and dared to shoot, lol. That's embarrassing. |
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Judah
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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| SuperboyReformed wrote: | | LakersFanESS wrote: | | Shaq would just dominate this crop of centers in the league. They get scared of Lebron coming at them at 260...Shaq was 7-2 360 and more agile and quick than your center. Remember what he did to Mutumbo, Sabonis, Vlade...it would be a blood bath against Capela, Horford, etc... |
i dont think anyone is scared of lebron without the refs. There are at least two finals where he was single covered and dared to shoot, lol. That's embarrassing. |
 Says the guy sitting on his butt watching games from his couch. I'm sure if you asked the players and coaches themselves it would be a much different answer.
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Staccatos
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 2:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Average 50? No way. Shaq wouldn't/couldn't because he didn't stay in good enough shape. He'd be gassed. There's no way he could keep up that pace. Sure, he's have more 50 point games, but he wouldn't be close to averaging that. |
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deal
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 3:23 pm Post subject: |
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I for one, believe he could...
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BynumForThree
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 3:29 pm Post subject: |
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No chance, I'd argue he'd average less than what he did in the early 00s when you look at the rule changes the NBA has undergone since then.
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trablos
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 3:33 pm Post subject: |
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| He's absolutely right. Well, maybe not 50 lol but he would feast even more in today's game with spacing, smaller C's and single coverage most of the game. |
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PartyMan
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 3:33 pm Post subject: |
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Magic/Laker Shaq would dominate any era.
Side note: my sister saw him at a restaurant yesterday. Said he was real nice and saying hi to everybody. 
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epak
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 3:40 pm Post subject: |
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| I think Shaq would average 30+ |
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PartyMan
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 3:55 pm Post subject: |
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Nobody could ever really guard Shaq effectively. But is there even anybody in the league he wouldn’t maul every night? If he could hit free throws, maybe around 40. 35 a night wouldn’t be out of the question imo.
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TheBlackMamba
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 3:56 pm Post subject: |
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| He'd definitely dominate on offense in any era because that's just the type of generational physical talent he had, and he could thrive on that alone. But you've got to figure that if even if he's scoring 2 points on teams almost every time down, is he going to come out and guard 3-point shooters on the other end? Probably not. Good coaches would easily be able to exploit his weaknesses and pick on him on defense with the ways most offenses are designed to score now. Not to say that you couldn't win with him, but there are definitely pros and cons there, and it would be interesting to see how slowing down the pace with a more half court-centric offense built around Shaq would fare today. I think it's safe to say the out-of-shape version of him wouldn't work, though. He wouldn't able to get away with that (bleep) anymore. |
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Daphanabe
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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| I dont think he’d average 50, but he would be even more dominant than he was at the turn of the century. The Shaq and Kobe Lakers would eviscerate everyone in the league now, including the Dubs. |
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Peppe89
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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Thats just talking....
Better prepare your son for NBA. |
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lakersboy
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 7:22 pm Post subject: |
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2004 Lakers lost when Shaq couldn't score enough against a 6' 7" center, to win more than 1 game in the finals.
The legend of Shaq grows. He's never been 7'2", or 360 as a player. When he gained weight, he declined athletically.
Since the days of him bulling his way through players who had legitimate post position, the rules have changed and don't allow for anyone to do that anymore.
I remember Shaq making little effort to defend pick and rolls in his latter Lakers years, so all that has to be taken into consideration when you're claiming what you could do now. A young man once talked about an older man, who was in a position of authority over him. The older man constantly threatened "I'll kick your...." After restraining himself, the young guy later asked someone: "What will I be doing while he's kicking my behind? Letting him?" (Back to Shaq) Sports are as much about strategy, as they are about ability. What coach wouldn't kill him with pick and rolls until he had to leave the game? The same thinking brought on the use of hack a Shaq, hoping he would be removed from close games if he couldn't make free throws.
Westbrook, the Rockets, Warriors and others would make his head spin on defense.
Last, not least, why would Adams, Gobert, Mark Gasol, Dwight, and others fare any worse than a former opponent like Vlade, who never lifted a weight heavier than a cigarette? |
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ringfinger
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Every generation says the same old thing about the new generation. |
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Runway8
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Joined: 19 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 10:48 pm Post subject: |
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| ringfinger wrote: | | Every generation says the same old thing about the new generation. |
Was about to say that. And around here, it's always spun in favor of our players. Case in point, Kobe Bryant. When comparing to MJ, we say he would have killed it in MJ's era. Then recently, I've read how he would just kill it in this pansy 3 pt shooting era. So it just so happens that the era he played in gave him the most fits? Just so happens Shaq played in the era that gave him the most issues too. Otherwise Shaq and Kobe would average 100 combine in today's league. LOL! |
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governator
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| Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 3:36 am Post subject: |
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| Shaq was stronger, faster, bigger and more agile than DeMarcus Cousins, hell he was almost as athletic as David Robinson (D.Rob could run like a gazelle tho). He prob wouldn’t have bulked up much more than his Orlando physique and prob concentrate on developing jumpers more but he can most def do well in this era |
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LongBeachPoly
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| Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 4:19 am Post subject: |
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| TheBlackMamba wrote: | | He'd definitely dominate on offense in any era because that's just the type of generational physical talent he had, and he could thrive on that alone. But you've got to figure that if even if he's scoring 2 points on teams almost every time down, is he going to come out and guard 3-point shooters on the other end? Probably not. Good coaches would easily be able to exploit his weaknesses and pick on him on defense with the ways most offenses are designed to score now. Not to say that you couldn't win with him, but there are definitely pros and cons there, and it would be interesting to see how slowing down the pace with a more half court-centric offense built around Shaq would fare today. I think it's safe to say the out-of-shape version of him wouldn't work, though. He wouldn't able to get away with that (bleep) anymore. |
The offenses of today are overrated. They're dominant in the regular season, not so much in the playoffs.
Year after year, we see them bog down in the playoffs. Houston failed to score 100 pts vs. GS last yr for the last 5 games or so?
GS struggled last yr vs. Houston, turning to Kevin Durant isolation plays.
They also struggled vs. Memphis when Memphis had Gasol and Zach Randolph.
I don't know how many great teams GS has played during this run, but they haven't looked dominant.
They've faced one good low post player during this entire run (Marc Gasol/Zach Randolph. I don't consider Anthony Davis a low post player. I think most of his damage starts from the perimeter, or on fastbreaks/lobs. It doesn't seem that he operates alot out of the low post). 2 if you count LeBron, who gives them fits when he goes down low.
I'd like to see that Hampton 5 lineup vs. a prime Shaq. Can Draymond play Shaq as well as Dennis Rodman did? It also depends which version of Draymond - the one that can knock down threes, or the one that can't like last year?
2015
vs. NO
vs. Memphis
vs. Houston
vs. Cle
2016
vs. Hou
vs. Por
vs. OKC
vs. Cle
2017
vs. Por
vs. Uta
vs. SA
vs. Cle
2018
vs. SA
vs. NO
vs. Hou
vs. Cle |
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LandsbergerRules
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| Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 6:12 am Post subject: |
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I think he could average 35, but 50 is, as Kobe would say, a bikram yoga stretch.
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BynumForThree
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| Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 7:53 am Post subject: |
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| trablos wrote: | | He's absolutely right. Well, maybe not 50 lol but he would feast even more in today's game with spacing, smaller C's and single coverage most of the game. |
Single coverage? Have you seen a game from the 00s and today? Defenses were way less complex back then. The introduction of zones defenses (specifically introduced to neutralize Shaq ironically) allow multiple defenders to pester and crowd Shaq before he even gets the ball.
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If Brandon Knight were to come out, I would take him number 1 in the draft. - Magic Johnson Mar 27, 2011
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Dladi Vidac
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| Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 8:14 am Post subject: |
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50 trips to In-N-Out
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