Asked whether Dwight Howard's Superman mystique is bothering him, Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O'Neal said:
Doesn't bother me. I can't be impressed by something I invented in '92. I mean, you look at what he is doing, I've been there and done that. Every street he is driving down in Orlando, I have been on that street. Every nightclub, every restaurant. ... I have been there and done that. Until he wins three, four championships, then we can talk about him. But right now, he is just like every other big guy: 'You can run and jump, but you haven't won yet.'
Shaq is only concerned with his personal legacy in the NBA. He couldn't care less about his former teams. This is an area where Howard is different. By choosing to re-sign with the Magic, Howard showed proof of his committment to building his legacy in conjunction with this town and this team. Therefore, in the eyes of Magic fans, he is already eclipsed Shaq in our eyes, even without the ring.
ReplyDeleteWhat team can Shaq still cling to? Most real Magic fans can't stand the guy. Any sense of betrayal that Lakers fans feel is assuaged by the presence of Kobe, the favored one. Miami? Same thing except substitute Wade for Kobe. Phoenix? Come on. Shaq may be an all-time great, but he is an NBA nomad with no place to call home. Howard will always have Orlando.
It's a shame that one of the game's best big man is going to finish his career with no real legacy or history. You can't look at his career as a great and then look at other greats like Bird, Magic, Jordan, Olajuwon, Kareem, Russell, etc, etc that for the most part, built their careers, and legacy with one team. Played there forever and its part of NBA history. Shaq has jumped around to 4 teams now. He is still and individual great, but has nothing on others that stayed put in good times and bad times and made their team their own and sticked around no matter what.
ReplyDeleteSure the game in the late 90's and 2000s changed. The whole franchise player idea is really now gone, you are only a franchise player until you want more money, you are a sore loser and a quitter, or the team wants some cap room. There's no loyalty to teams or players anymore, and us fans are affected by this. Some moves are understandable, others are not.
We have our own "big name" Free Agent(possible) this off season in Hedo. Will he follow the rest, and follow the money? or Will he want to build his legacy and prove his loyalty to the team, and fans, that made him a "star"? Of course some terms are used losely, but you can all agree that Orlando fits Hedo's style like a glove, and he has played the best ball of his career here.. Only time will tell
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