Shaq Attack is Back

By now you've probably heard Shaq's recent comments regarding his former teammates. Pat Riley has already responded with a statement, saying he is disappointed with our former center's comments. Calling these unprovoked attacks "sad" is an understatement, but I applaud Riles for not shooting back with insults of his own. God knows he could dredge up plenty of dirty laundry from Shaq's playing days here. As much as O'Neal improved on his physical condition, his work ethic was in question many times.

Now he has the gall to call out specific teammates. He had previously taken shots at them, but didn't identify anyone by name. Unfortunately, he changed his mind and felt the need to insult Ricky Davis and Chris Quinn while describing how happy he is playing for the Suns. I'm sure playing for the Suns is fantastic, and Ricky Davis is hardly the best teammate on the court, and yes, Chris Quinn is a marginal player at best, but come on Shaq.

The problem with Shaq is that he doesn't really care about anyone but himself. The things he has said about the team are true: yes they stink and maybe it wasn't all that fun playing here these past 2 seasons. But he didn't seem to have a problem playing with players of Quinn's caliber when we won a championship 2 years ago. Remember how he said Michael Doleac was the first true backup center he ever had? Hah. And according to Ira, he wanted Antoine Walker out, got his wish, and still complains about what we got in return. What did he expect, Corey Maggette?

Quinn is a hard working guy who gives his all every time he plays. The same can't be said for Shaq, who weighed down this franchise with 20 minutes a game for 20 million dollars. Look at his mini-Renaissance in Phoenix. It's not that their training staff are miracle workers. He is playing better there because 1) obviously he has better teammates, but more importantly 2) he is actually trying. That proves he is unprofessional. Even in a 10-72 season, I expect men being paid millions of dollars to play a game to at least go out there and try. Granted, losing wears you down, but give the fans the decency to put forth some effort for their money. Shaq didn't always do that.

There is no need to bring down people you used to work with. Even if they take the first shot, it's unprofessional to say anything negative against former employers or co-workers. There's no excuse for what Shaq does. Even if everything he says stems from some locker room strife we don't know about, then one can easily point to his days in Orlando and Los Angeles, where after leaving those two teams, he again had words to say about some of his teammates.

O'Neal is and always has been two-faced. He always has wonderful things to say about his new team, charming the media and the fans into liking him and overlooking his shortcomings. Don't forget how little respect he's had for opponents in the past and then once he is on the same team with them, he loves them.

It's sad because Shaq is one of the best players in NBA history and above all he is concerned about his legacy. The mistake he has made is that he thinks he will only be remembered for his exploits on the court. What he hasn't realized yet is that when people talk about the great players of all-time, they also acknowledge what kind of people they were and what they did off the court. It may be irrelevant to their basketball accomplishments, but I guarantee you that O'Neal will always be held below Bill Russell partially because people will subtly remember what a bad teammate Shaq was at times.