Rough day for some former Buckeyes
September 5, 2010While We’re Waiting… Jim Brown’s Gift, Wolverine’s Spread, and the 53-Man Roster
September 6, 2010At this point, this is what can be expected from Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq leaves team. Shaq rips team he leaves.
In step with what is now standard ops for the aging NBA vet, Shaq fired a shot in the direction of the Cavaliers yesterday.
In talking with John Reid of The Times Picayune, O’Neal said he joined the Celtics because of how unselfish they are.
As opposed to Mo Williams and the Cavaliers of course:
“I like that they play together and nobody really worries about shots, ” O’Neal said. “When I was with Cleveland, guys who couldn’t even play were worried about shots. Why was Mo (Williams) taking 15 shots, and I’m only taking four? If LeBron takes 20 shots, that’s cool.”
When I first read this, I tweeted the question yesterday asking who he could be referring to in mentioning the guys who couldn’t even play that were worried about shots last season. I then started speculating in my mind. The more I thought about it though, I came to the conclusion that I don’t care.
What does it matter who he was talking about?
This is the same guy who talked all season long about how great the Cavs’ chemistry and locker room was. He said he found basketball nirvana last season in Cleveland, and also went as far as to say the Cavs were the best team he had ever been on back in October:
”Like I said before, one through 15, it’s probably the best team that I’ve been on,” O’Neal said. ”I’ve always been on management to get me the shooters I needed and the power forward I needed, but here [we have that].”
So if 1 thru 15 are good, who can’t play?
Anyways, this isn’t even highlighting the contradiction within the very text of Shaq’s most recent quote to the Times.
He says that he likes the Celtics because “they play together and nobody is really worried about shots.” Yet in the same breathe he is pouting about the fact that in some games he took “four shots” and Mo Williams took more than he got to take. Sure, he’ll be a great role player.
Don’t sweat this Mo, and don’t read too much into it Cavs fans.
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In other Cavaliers related news, AOL’s Chris Tomasson caught up with Anderson Varejao in Istanbul while Andy and his Brazil squad were preparing to play Argentina.
They talked some about that game, but mostly about LeBron.
Those LeBron leaving the Cavs quotes from Varejao are below:
“We lost a big player, one of the best players in the world,” Varejao said of life in Cleveland without James. “But we know we can’t be thinking about that. … We’ve got to think about who is there now and try to do a good job this season.”
On the atmosphere at the Q next season:
“I’m not sure yet,” he said. “We don’t know how the fans are going to take (James leaving). I know they’re very angry right now. Let’s see when the season starts.”
If fans are right to be angry at James:
“I don’t know if it’s fair or not,” Varejao said. “LeBron did a lot for that town and, of course, when you lose a LeBron everybody is going to feel that. But it is what is. I’m not the guy that’s going to say that’s fair or not to have to be angry at LeBron.”
“He was a big part of that team. I’m not disappointed in him. It’s his decision. He chose to go to Miami. It’s his career and he knows what is best for him. … Whatever he thinks is the best for him, I just wish good luck for him.”
Varejao also said of the injury he suffered in international competition this summer that:
“It’s still not 100 percent, but I’m feeling pretty good.”
11 Comments
As predicted Shaq doesn’t have it in him to rip LeFraud. Wow what a joke. It really is a brotherhood now.
What a shock! Shaq burns things down as soon as he is out the door! Who could have foreseen that?
My range of feelings towards Shaq has run the full spectrum over his career, from hatred to love. This latest quote falls heavily towards the former. He should just be happy people still take him seriously. He had so many flat, hard, bricks ricochet off various parts of the hoop this past year that I’m amazed he thinks he still deserves shots. Everyone knows what I’m talking about. Go to Siberia, pick an average person, tell them to do a hook shot, and ten to one it resembles 2009-2010 Shaquille O’Neal.
He is a joke at this point. People say Kobe is the egomaniac….. Hope Shaq enjoys being married to Hoopz, a borderline call girl.
He is just bitter that Kobe won 2 without him.
did mr. o’neal comment on the 21-4 record of the cavs while he was injured?
maybe four shots per game was four too many.
I don’t recall Mo Williams bricking lay ups from 2 feet away from the rim either, maybe that accounted for the shot disparity.
It sucks to think that we actually rooted for (and defended) these guys last season. Shaq’s a bitter old man that needs to shut his mouth and go away.
With all due respect, we are one week away from the start of the NFL season and I may be in the minority by saying I don’t care about basketball generally, but really WHO CARES ABOUT THE CAVS RIGHT NOW? And that’s not sarcasm.
Do me a favor people, read the quote. “When I was with Cleveland, guys who couldn’t even play were worried about shots. Why was Mo (Williams) taking 15 shots, and I’m only taking four? If LeBron takes 20 shots, that’s cool.” Now unless Shaq is implying that he, himself “couldn’t even play”, he is obviously talking about what he heard others complaining about.
[…] This is the first time I’ve heard a player speak so openly about chemistry problems on the Cavaliers last season. Sure, Shaq took his little pot shots at Mo Williams for taking what was evidently too many shots in Shaq’s opinion, but really, that’s just Shaq being Shaq. […]