There's no middle line on Shaq, you either hate him or love him. I've always loved him and think he's funny as hell. Everyone's noticed now that while he's in the twilight in the career (yet still dominating), he's been verbally lashing out at anyone who is even remotely criticizing him. After his 45 point unloading on the Raps, Chris Bosh mentioned how he didn't called for a 3 in the key, and Shaq responded by calling him the "RuPaul of big men." That stung Bosh but he took the high road.
Pretty mature of Bosh, and I'd say pretty immature of O'Neal, but that's what he does, that's what he's been doing since time and you can say there's a line but did he cross it? I don't know. We've laughed at most of his jokes all this time. While it bothers me that its against our franchise player, I'd be lying if I told you it wasn't kind of funny. Not the fact that Bosh looks anything like RuPaul, but just the reference itself. And Bosh said after that he didn't mean Shaq was doing it the whole game, but he didn't specify he meant for one posession either. And I'd care more if the Raptors didn't get blasted and surrender 45 points so easily to a player - granted it's Shaq, but please double him or something when he reached the mid 20's scoring wise.
Then on we go to Stan Van Gundy who called Shaq out for flopping, and in return Shaq went all out and belittled SVG as a coach and how no player that's played for him likes him. I thought Shaq seemed too venomous in this situation, but then I just saw this interview with him elaborating on the matter.
And I can see where he's coming from. Not that he didn't go overboard on Van Gundy, but he's been in the league almost forever and I guess I wouldn't like it either if someone singled me out that harshly on the podium. Now, let me be clear. I like Stan Van Gundy a lot, I think he's a wicked coach. And yup, no matter how you put it, Shaq flopped, and Van Gundy called him out for it. The issue is whether Van Gundy put too much emphasis on talking about the flop. And shaq didn't deny that he was trying to draw a charge. In the interview he said himself, he didn't get the call, he got up, and moved on with the game without complaining about the no-call, plus the Magic won and it should've been that. And I guess as such a dominating player over the decades I wouldn't want someone to say I was "floppING" as Shaq pointed out, indicating he's been doing it consistently Vlade Divacs style. Of course that's where the problem comes in I suppose, because Shaq has heavily criticized floppers his entire career and now that he finally tried to draw one is ironic, but is it that bad? And to what degree? I honestly have no idea.
So I guess the question is, is Shaq staining his great legacy by all these attacks nearing the end of his career, or is he simply standing up for himself and demanding the respect he feels he deserves? Or is he just simply being Shaq and everyone's reading into it too much?
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Shaq is being Shaq. But, the SVG thing went TOO FAR. There was a line, he crossed it. It is understandable, meaning you can see where he is coming from. But, there are different reactions that could have been employed by the big man - like laughing, like telling everyone he is the most dominant center, etc. But, to tear down another coach, and try to poison another team by telling them that their coach will let them down, that he is a master of panic? Too far. He better stop, or it will stain his legacy, as an outspoken, witty, admittedly egotistical, sometimes nasty but never too mean player. He was too mean this time.
ReplyDeleteThe RuPaul thing was Shaq overreacting, but certainly not as much of an overreaction as the media's. That is a 'let-bygones-be-bygones' scenario.
I feel pretty much the same way; it'd be funny if the Magic go really far in the playoffs this year. But who knows, maybe they (Shaq+SVG) will make up later on and just laugh about it as Shaq's done with several other incidents like calling the Spurs for using Hack-a-Shaq and then laughing about it in the season opener when Popovich called to intentionally foul him immediately on the tip-off.
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