lakerevolution wrote:Simply put, he had his best years in P&G - which is a credit to West and Phil for knowing what a force he would be when surrounded by the right players and tutored by the right coach. I will always regard the '99 season and the emergence of Tim Duncan as the #1 reason Shaq came back and enforced his Big Fundamentals on the league. His technique, his ball-handling, his footwork, his I.Q., his focus and his versatility all went up a notch for the next 3 years and along with Kobe, Fish, Horry and the slew of clutch role players he had around him, domination was inevitable.
He still almost got punked by Sabonis, though. It took an iconic alley-oop play via Kobe (against one of the best defenders in modern history, Pippen) to get him to the big stage. Kobe did what Penny couldn't, and I think Mamba will never get the credit he deserves.
Julius Russell wrote:Shaq was one of the greatest ever no doubt.
Perhaps he could have had MORE dedication to FTs, fitness and finesse he would be the GOAT.
Still unbelievable the years he and Kobe were both in their primes. But 2000, right before Kobe's prime, Shaq was the unquestioned Superman.
Mikan era.
West/Baylor era.
West/Wilt/Goodrich era.
Kareem/Magic era
" "Worthy era.
Shaq/Kobe era.
Kobe/Pau era
Kinda unfair when you look at that lineup.
Will Russell, Clarkson, Ingram, Randle, Nance, Zubac be mentioned in the breath of those guys?
That's a LOT to ask realistically.
But as of today it's not out the realm of possibility.
It won't be this year. Unlike Kobe and Magic, Russell wasn't blessed with an all time great big man in his prime.
In terms of Shaq, let's hope Randle can add a bit more Shaq to his game.
Sometimes, strength is the best advantage and his quickness can be his secondary weapon
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