West Coast Connection Forum
Lifestyle => Sports & Entertainment => Topic started by: Sccit on July 07, 2013, 12:01:49 PM
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Shaq: Houston 'safe move' for Dwight
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Shaquille O'Neal says the Los Angeles spotlight was too bright for Dwight Howard.
Speaking at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Shaq hammered his former colleague as if they were battling in the post.
O'Neal opened his mouth agape when asked about Howard, who chose to leave the Lakers for the Houston Rockets late Friday, and joked about cheering on Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick in Saturday night's race.
A few seconds later, he threw an elbow Howard's way.
"It was expected," Shaq said. "We've all been in LA, and not a whole lot of people can handle being under the bright lights. Everybody wants to do it, but when you get there, there are certain pressures. I think it was a safe move for him to go to a little town like Houston. That's right, little town. I said it."
Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson, meanwhile, shared his thoughts on Howard's decision through his Twitter account Sunday morning, writing that he believes the Lakers will be fine. "Reflection on DHoward’s exodus. He left a distaste in Lakerland The Lakers will be fine. Pau fits MDA’s style of Off-it was about the future" via Phil's Twitter
Howard chose the Rockets over the Lakers on Friday night, saying he believes Houston gives him the best chance to win an NBA title.
"I just looked at both teams and I felt like Houston was going in one direction -- they got a lot of young players, they got a good coach in Kevin McHale and I just felt like having him as a coach, he could really help me in the post and help me develop like I want to," Howard said in an interview with ESPNLosAngeles.com. "That was mainly the big reason right there, and having the opportunity to grow with a team, a young team, like the Rockets. That's the reason why [I decided to leave]."
Howard ended up spending just one season with the Lakers, averaging 17.1 points and 12.4 rebounds in 76 games.
"It was tough," Howard said of leaving Los Angeles. "I enjoyed, for the most part, living here in L.A. I just really think the timing in L.A., it wasn't right for me. Maybe two years ago, or 2-3 years from now, it would have been the right time. But I just think right now the timing was off for me. That's not saying that L.A. is a bad place, but I just think it's all about timing and fit when you're talking about basketball. You can put anybody together on the court and expect them to win, but the pieces have to really fit in order for a team to be successful and it was very, very tough, man. It's probably one of the toughest decisions I've ever had to make in my life."
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9454960/shaquille-oneal-blasts-dwight-howard-says-los-angeles-spotlight-was-too-big
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The safe move is playing in LA, with the greatest shooting guard in the history of the game* and getting an extra 30 mill. Dwight could have stayed and Shaq would have said that he was just there to be Kobe's sidekick, Shaq is the supreme hater. And a EL OH EL on calling Houston a small town. Dream and that small town swept his fat ass.
Plus it's over for Shaq. All the kids now just remember him as the fat guy who flopped against Dwight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyk7IrlPjpQ
*per NIK
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Shaq's always popping off at the mouth, don't really put a lot of stock into what he says. Agree with his point here, though.
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The safe move is playing in LA, with the greatest shooting guard in the history of the game* and getting an extra 30 mill. Dwight could have stayed and Shaq would have said that he was just there to be Kobe's sidekick, Shaq is the supreme hater. And a EL OH EL on calling Houston a small town. Dream and that small town swept his fat ass.
Plus it's over for Shaq. All the kids now just remember him as the fat guy who flopped against Dwight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyk7IrlPjpQ
*per NIK
LOL MUCH SAFER PLAYIN FOR HOUSTON THAN TO PLAY FOR A FRANCHISE WITH GREAT EXPECTATIONS ALA THE LAKERS....THAT GOES WITHOUT SAYING.
LIKE I SAID BEFORE, ENJOY THE RIDE, ROCKET FANS ;)
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Shaq being Shaq
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http://www.youtube.com/v/oXqiMlFumjk
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Dwight took it like a champ, Shaq still flopped.
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put Dwight in the 90's and he isn't a top 5 center
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Shaq's been shitting on dude for a minute ever since son busted out the Superman cape in the dunk contest.
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put Dwight in the 90's and he isn't a top 5 center
HE WOULDNT EVEN HAVE BEEN A CENTER IN THE 90S....LETS NOT FORGET HE ENTERED THE NBA AS A POWER FORWARD LOL
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Shaq's been shitting on dude for a minute ever since son busted out the Superman cape in the dunk contest.
this is true
didn't he make fun of Howard for leaving Orlando for LA like he was copying him?
Shaq's first day on TNT he said Brook Lopez was better than Howard
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Shaq's first day on TNT he said Brook Lopez was better than Howard
HE HAD A POINT
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Shaq's first day on TNT he said Brook Lopez was better than Howard
He said, he like Brook Lopez more because he plays like a old school big men, back to the basket. He obviously had a point there, cause Dwight can't post up and I think working with Hakeem won't help him cause he don't have the footwork of The Dream. Dwight in the 90's would be on the level of the likes of Rony Seikaly - good player, but far from Top 5 on his position.
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Shaq's first day on TNT he said Brook Lopez was better than Howard
He said, he like Brook Lopez more because he plays like a old school big men, back to the basket. He obviously had a point there, cause Dwight can't post up and I think working with Hakeem won't help him cause he don't have the footwork of The Dream. Dwight in the 90's would be on the level of the likes of Rony Seikaly - good player, but far from Top 5 on his position.
they dont make em like they used 2
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The safe move is playing in LA, with the greatest shooting guard in the history of the game* and getting an extra 30 mill. Dwight could have stayed and Shaq would have said that he was just there to be Kobe's sidekick, Shaq is the supreme hater. And a EL OH EL on calling Houston a small town. Dream and that small town swept his fat ass.
Plus it's over for Shaq. All the kids now just remember him as the fat guy who flopped against Dwight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyk7IrlPjpQ
*per NIK
houston is a small town,
LA doubles its population, NYC almost quadruples
and you cant even compare the those 2 cities with houston, houston at times looks barren, and the lack of diverse food etc etc.
its a boring city, i would never move there ever i rather move out of country than go live in a bland town like houston. i need more diversity, i need some nice ethnic restaurants that know what their doing.
you dont ever hear anyone going "hey i wanna live in HOUSTON!" dont get me wrong when i go there sometimes (because we have a customer there but which is rare maybe once or twice every 3 years, more less now)
galveston is nice and i like whataburger and the absurdly big portioned foodsbut thats not gonna make me want to go there or live there.
im a city boy, and i hardly call houston a real city
i mean no offense if you live there, its ok to visit but you cant compare houston to LA or NYC. they just make houston look like the countryside/boonies.
anyways with that said dwight dreams of being better than shaq, but the thing is hes just not that good. he has no post moves even after years of being in the league and training with the dream himself, he has no shooting touch let alone a SOFT touch, constantly bricking close hook shots and getting stripped or throwing a bad pass.
i never wanted him on this laker team, never.
laker fans wanted dwight to stay, not because he was a laker fan, but for the betterment of the team, to have a better chance of winning, i wasnt to keen on dwight being the face of the franchise after kobe left because i jsut dont think hes that type of player nor did i ever think he was. it was for kobe to have a better chance at getting a ring with a defensive anchor, that hopefully will get utilized correctly
the fact that we even threw the ball to dwight in the post rather than pau and have pau create opportunities for him was a head scratcher. MDA just wasnt respected enough.
all dwight needs to do is what he did in orlando, go for lobs, get baby assits and finish. dude that he was the second coming of kareem when he was in LA. all he need to do is pick and dive.
shaq is a baby, but he does have a right to talk shit to dwight some what, why? because hes miles better than him. shaq could pass, he had a touch and he had more than one stupid post move that dwight bricks consistently, and his foot work was better.
hell derrick caracter and hill had better footwork than dwight.
hes an athletic beast, but he isnt a talented with skill. hes an athelte not a ball player.
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never been to Houston but it's the 5th largest city in the USA
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Shaq's first day on TNT he said Brook Lopez was better than Howard
He said, he like Brook Lopez more because he plays like a old school big men, back to the basket. He obviously had a point there, cause Dwight can't post up and I think working with Hakeem won't help him cause he don't have the footwork of The Dream. Dwight in the 90's would be on the level of the likes of Rony Seikaly - good player, but far from Top 5 on his position.
they dont make em like they used 2
At least with one point we agree :)
Too many soft ass divas running the NBA these days...
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yeah, starting with that Kobe guy ;D
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Shaq's first day on TNT he said Brook Lopez was better than Howard
He said, he like Brook Lopez more because he plays like a old school big men, back to the basket. He obviously had a point there, cause Dwight can't post up and I think working with Hakeem won't help him cause he don't have the footwork of The Dream. Dwight in the 90's would be on the level of the likes of Rony Seikaly - good player, but far from Top 5 on his position.
they dont make em like they used 2
At least with one point we agree :)
Too many soft ass divas running the NBA these days...
ur not on hack's level, brobro...we can agree on many things. at least u aint runnin around with no dignity tryna troll every thread for a reaction LOL. u have a credible basketball opinion, i just think ur a huge jordan fanatic, so sometimes u hold him in the same "untouchable" regard as most casual basketball fans.
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ur not on hack's level, brobro...we can agree on many things. at least u aint runnin around with no dignity tryna troll every thread for a reaction LOL. u have a credible basketball opinion, i just think ur a huge jordan fanatic, so sometimes u hold him in the same "untouchable" regard as most casual basketball fans.
You on the other hand try to tell people that it was all just a good marketing and Jordan was just a regular guy, plus he will be a nobody in today's washed up NBA, lol.
If I'm a huge Jordan fanatic, then I don't know how to describe you when it comes to Kobe bro :)
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ur not on hack's level, brobro...we can agree on many things. at least u aint runnin around with no dignity tryna troll every thread for a reaction LOL. u have a credible basketball opinion, i just think ur a huge jordan fanatic, so sometimes u hold him in the same "untouchable" regard as most casual basketball fans.
You on the other hand try to tell people that it was all just a good marketing and Jordan was just a regular guy, plus he will be a nobody in today's washed up NBA, lol.
If I'm a huge Jordan fanatic, then I don't know how to describe you when it comes to Kobe bro :)
NAAH, NEVER SAID THAT...JORDAN IS A GOAT. ONE OF ABOUT 10 TOP TIER GOATS WHO WERE THE BEST AT WHAT THEY DO....FAR FROM JUST A REGULAR GUY.
IM A LAKER FAN SINCE BIRTH BORN AND RAISED IN LA, SO U CAN SOMEWHAT UNDERSTAND WHY I APPRECIATE THE GREATNESS I GREW UP WATCHIN FOR THE PAS5 17+ YEARS 8)
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NAAH, NEVER SAID THAT...JORDAN IS A GOAT. ONE OF ABOUT 10 TOP TIER GOATS WHO WERE THE BEST AT WHAT THEY DO....FAR FROM JUST A REGULAR GUY.
You can't be "a" GOAT, let alone "one of about ten top tier GOATS." There should really only be one, period, otherwise it defeats the purpose of the label.
IM A LAKER FAN SINCE BIRTH BORN AND RAISED IN LA, SO U CAN SOMEWHAT UNDERSTAND WHY I APPRECIATE THE GREATNESS I GREW UP WATCHIN FOR THE PAS5 17+ YEARS 8)
And so are a lot of us too.
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NAAH, NEVER SAID THAT...JORDAN IS A GOAT. ONE OF ABOUT 10 TOP TIER GOATS WHO WERE THE BEST AT WHAT THEY DO....FAR FROM JUST A REGULAR GUY.
You can't be "a" GOAT, let alone "one of about ten top tier GOATS." There should really only be one, period, otherwise it defeats the purpose of the label.
IM A LAKER FAN SINCE BIRTH BORN AND RAISED IN LA, SO U CAN SOMEWHAT UNDERSTAND WHY I APPRECIATE THE GREATNESS I GREW UP WATCHIN FOR THE PAS5 17+ YEARS 8)
And so are a lot of us too.
GREATESTS OF ALL TIME....I DONT BELIEVE THAT THERE CAN BE ONLY 1 GOAT. THATS GOD.
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NAAH, NEVER SAID THAT...JORDAN IS A GOAT. ONE OF ABOUT 10 TOP TIER GOATS WHO WERE THE BEST AT WHAT THEY DO....FAR FROM JUST A REGULAR GUY.
IM A LAKER FAN SINCE BIRTH BORN AND RAISED IN LA, SO U CAN SOMEWHAT UNDERSTAND WHY I APPRECIATE THE GREATNESS I GREW UP WATCHIN FOR THE PAS5 17+ YEARS 8)
I've been a Bulls fan all my life so I understand that, just don't agree with some stuff you have written about Jordan trying to downplay his game in order to make the case for Kobe - that's all. I think every reasonable basketball fan does appreciate, what Kobe has done in his career - we just don't blow everything out of proportion ;)
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I TALK JORDAN DOWN BECAUSE THE REST OF THE WORLD TALKS HIM UP DUE TO YEARS AND YEARS OF MEDIA BRAINWASH...AGAIN, GREAT PLAYER ALONG WITH THE LIKES OF KAREEM, MAGIC, BIRD, KOBE, ETC, NOT AHEAD OF THE LIKES AS MANY WOULD MAKE IT SEEM. NOT SAYIN HE'S LEBRON, THO.
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Shaq breaks his hip:
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/07/shaquille-oneal-dwight-howard-criticism/
Shaq backs down from Dwight Howard criticism
“I meant that Houston is a smaller city, a smaller market than L.A.”
By Nate Scott – July 10, 2013 at 6:50pm EDT
Shaquille O’Neal has backed away from comments he made regarding Dwight Howard’s decision to leave the Los Angeles Lakers to sign with the Houston Rockets.
In a phone interview on Wednesday, the former All-Star clarified comments he made earlier this week, in which he stated that “it was a safe move [for Howard] to go to a little town like Houston.”
O’Neal first wanted to point out that he meant no disrespect to the city of Houston.
“I love Houston. I live in Houston,” said O’Neal, referring to the home he owns in Sugar Land, Texas, a suburb of Houston. ”I meant that Houston is a smaller city, a smaller market than L.A.”
He went on to clarify:
“I meant that it’s a smaller move for him. [There is] not that much pressure in Houston. Well, there’s a little bit of pressure. Just not as much pressure as playing for L.A.”
As for what Shaq expects of Howard next season, he believes Howard will do well.
“He should dominate,” said O’Neal. “He’s got the best body in the game.”
O’Neal went on to discuss plans he had for next season to mentor DeMarcus Cousins, the enigmatic young center for the Sacramento Kings. O’Neal said he believed the best way he could help improve Cousins’ game was nothing too complicated–he just wants to teach him some “easy moves” that will improve his game around the basket.
The phone interview was conducted with O’Neal and Adam Sandler, who both appear in Grown Ups 2, a movie that comes out on Friday.
Sandler, a frequent attendee of Lakers games, said he would stick with the team next season, even with Howard gone. He also praised Shaq’s acting abilities, comparing him to the late comedian Chris Farley for his ability to “light up a room.”
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lol he don't want the city of Houston boycotting "grown ups 2"
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lol he don't want the city of Houston boycotting "grown ups 2"
Or pissing off his seeds he has all over the city
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never been to Houston but it's the 5th largest city in the USA
thats not saying much,
in every country theres about 1-2 cities that are worth living in.
over in the US its LA or NYC, Chicago is a distant 3rd and then comes miami