This week, he was at it again, taking a backhanded swipe now at Phil Jackson when he praised Pat Riley by saying: "I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, but he's actually been the best coach I've ever had."
That's right, better than the guy who coached him to three titles. The one who has won nine NBA titles to Riley's four.
Back in 1999, Shaq said of Jackson: "He's like a white version of my father."
This week he said of Riley: "He's the Italian version of my father."
Maybe Shaq has all these insecurities because he has daddy issues.
But the really silly thing he said this week was of Buss and the reason for his trade to the Heat: "He didn't want to pay me."
Right, Buss never wanted to pay him. Guess that $175million he signed him to over the years was chump change. And that $40-plus-million offered for another two years was an insult.
Shaq wanted the max, and since he was already set to earn over $27 million in the final year of his contract in 2005, it was an easy decision for Buss. Shaq was 32 and Kobe 25, and my 10-year-old could have made that call.
Shaq ended up signing an extension with the Heat at the $20 million per he rejected with the Lakers, and just to rub it in, lost the weight for Riley he never would for Buss.
And yet, there are those that still say Kobe pushed Shaquille out......with no proof of this, they still spit it like it was the word....
1 comment:
excellent post, x!!! I've always
laughed when I've heard the 'kobe
wouldn't have won 3 rings if not for shaq' crap...maybe, but you can be damn sure shaq wouldn't have won squat without kobe. he never did before kobe - hasn't yet, either. people seem to forget that kobe WASN'T the one who held his breath like a spoiled kid and demanded to get his way.
kobe was the one who was offered a boatload of $$$ from the clips but stayed with the lal. if anyone had a reason to bolt and start fresh, given all the bad press that was going on then it was kobe. but he stayed.
My theory: shaq knew who the 'new sheriff in town' was and he didn't like the look of the future. 2nd fiddle doesn't work for the big fella'.
as always, great blog.
ps-bird is looking to unload oneal...wouldn't that be ironic?
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