# Shaq already tired of playing defense



## Locke (Jun 16, 2003)

> By all accounts, center Shaquille O'Neal is working hard to master the Heat's aggressive defensive style, which can take him away from the basket to help guard smaller players.
> 
> But *after the 85-70 defeat at Houston Sunday night, O'Neal said he's better suited playing closer to the basket and the Heat might have to go to "Plan B."*
> 
> ...


Link


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

I know you are just going to call this whining, but why would you put your 7'1" - 330 lb center in a position where he ends up guarding people on the perimeter?


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## MemphisX (Sep 11, 2002)

Now I sure thought I remember Shaq saying (in between digs at Kobe) he was willing to do whatever Van Gundy and the Heat wanted him to do. The Miami Heat is soon to find out that that does not include defending.


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>JNice</b>!
> I know you are just going to call this whining, but why would you put your 7'1" - 330 lb center in a position where he ends up guarding people on the perimeter?


:yes:


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>MemphisX</b>!
> Now I sure thought I remember Shaq saying (in between digs at Kobe) he was willing to do whatever Van Gundy and the Heat wanted him to do. The Miami Heat is soon to find out that that does not include defending.


If Van Gundy told Shaq to play point, should he do it? No... Because it isn't benefitting the team. By putting Shaq out so far on D, it plays right into the other teams hands... Shaq is just simply saying, that's not what should happen...


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## nbanoitall (May 21, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>MemphisX</b>!
> The Miami Heat is soon to find out that that does not include defending.


Ding Ding we have a winner. Shaq's biggest weakness is his free throw shooting....um...false. Shaq's biggest weakness is his transition D. That and with the lack of depth on the team.....I do not believe Miami can compete with Indiana or Detroit. Ive said before that Shaq had some nice teams in LA but couldnt get over the hump before Kobe Bryant flourished into the closest thing known to MJ. So unless Wade somehow turns into the next closest thing to MJ...(and even so that makes Miami still less talented than the Lakers were) I wouldnt count on Miami winning any titles especially if Shaq gets his new monster contract extension to continue eating their entire salary cap.


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## HEATLUNATIC (May 27, 2002)

U people really need to stop reading into BS that isnt there!!!

Shaq isnt bit*hing,whining or sayn that he wont play D the way SVG wants him to!!!

Hes adjusting to a new system!!!

End of story...


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## HEATLUNATIC (May 27, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>JNice</b>!
> I know you are just going to call this whining, but why would you put your 7'1" - 330 lb center in a position where he ends up guarding people on the perimeter?


According to SVG he wont!!!



> I don't know how much of that [scheme] we are going to do" in the regular season, Van Gundy said. "It is in our playbook, it is one of our schemes you certainly want to be ready to do. It is the hardest of our pick-and-roll schemes to do, so it is what we started with first.
> 
> "It requires the most effort; it requires you to be more aggressive. I don't know if it is what we are going to do the majority of the time, so we can take him out of those situations. ... We are putting him in tough positions, and we will try our best not to do that [in the regular season]."


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>JNice</b>!
> I know you are just going to call this whining, but why would you put your 7'1" - 330 lb center in a position where he ends up guarding people on the perimeter?


Um, maybe to guard the pick and roll? You've never seen Duncan come out and defend the pick and roll near the 3-point line? Do you not remember that Shaq's achilles heel defensively for the last 4 years has been pick and roll defense?


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>EHL</b>!
> 
> 
> Um, maybe to guard the pick and roll? You've never seen Duncan come out and defend the pick and roll near the 3-point line? Do you not remember that Shaq's achilles heel defensively for the last 4 years has been pick and roll defense?


Yeah it is a weakness. Every player has their weaknesses. It is the coaches job to make sure to not highlight player's weaknesses and the way I originally read this, that is what it sounded like they were doing ... purposely putting Shaq in a situation that is difficult for him.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>JNice</b>!
> 
> 
> Yeah it is a weakness. Every player has their weaknesses. It is the coaches job to make sure to not highlight player's weaknesses and the way I originally read this, that is what it sounded like they were doing ... purposely putting Shaq in a situation that is difficult for him.


OK, but it still makes perfect sense that Shaq is out of the perimeter. How else do you guard a high pick and roll without giving up uncontested jump shots?


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>EHL</b>!
> 
> 
> OK, but it still makes perfect sense that Shaq is out of the perimeter. How else do you guard a high pick and roll without giving up uncontested jump shots?


Hell if I know. I'm not on the coach level, still scrub level.


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## Locke (Jun 16, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>EHL</b>!
> 
> 
> Um, maybe to guard the pick and roll? You've never seen Duncan come out and defend the pick and roll near the 3-point line? Do you not remember that Shaq's achilles heel defensively for the last 4 years has been pick and roll defense?


That's it. It really isn't necessary for him to be out on the perimeter trapping guys, but any big has to come outside the paint to defend the pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop. That's how Mike Bibby, Troy Hudson and Tony Parker were able to be so effective against the Lakers; not because Derek Fisher and Gary Payton couldn't stop them one on one. If Shaq gives in and starts playing the picks the Heat can be a dominant defensive team, but if he doesn't, perimeter defense will be a serious weakness to say the least.


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## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>SacKings384</b>!
> 
> 
> If Van Gundy told Shaq to play point, should he do it? No... Because it isn't benefitting the team. By putting Shaq out so far on D, it plays right into the other teams hands... Shaq is just simply saying, that's not what should happen...


Wow, you are freaking defending Shaq now.


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## lakegz (Mar 31, 2004)

^ :laugh:


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## Hov (Aug 12, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Jamel Irief</b>!
> 
> 
> Wow, you are freaking defending Shaq now.


:laugh: 
Your one-liners have been on point lately.


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Jamel Irief</b>!
> 
> 
> Wow, you are freaking defending Shaq now.


Read alot of my posts even when Shaq was with the Lakers... I never came down hard on Shaq...


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

Shaq can't defend the pick and roll... The Lakers never managed to find a way to make up for that weakness, I don't know how SVG will... Other than rotating over a guard and doubling the guy that's coming off the screen...


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## reHEATed (Jun 29, 2003)

he will adjust to the new system. He has been commenting about doing more stuff in practice, and how much Van Gundy stresses defense. Takes more than 1 week, but Miami style defense will rub off on him. Not im not saying he will trap or do any of that, but the Heat play agressive style of defense, and that will continue


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## jazzy1 (Jul 16, 2002)

Sore Hammy, complaining about the defense, Heat fans are gonna get to know the Shaq Laker fans have come to know and love the last couple of years. 

Best thing the Heat could do is craft some sort of zone defense to give Shaq a rest. He's gonna have to carry more of the load offensively than he has in years and it makes little sense wearing him out actually doing what other big men in the league do. 

Van Gundy is gonna have to alter his coaching style. Shaq has to be handled with the Big picture in mind. 

SacKings defending Shaq now that he plays for someone else. 

What a concept.


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## IV (Jul 16, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>JNice</b>!
> why would you put your 7'1" - 330 lb center in a position where he ends up guarding people on the perimeter?


Because it a part of the defensive skeme Gundy runs. He needs the center along with every player on the court to fall into the team's defensive concept. As a Lakers fan, I can't stress how much Heat fans will become furious with Shaq's unwillingness to guard the pick and roll. But I'm sure Gundy will alter d skemes enough to please Shaq, that likely will hurt the defense, but you gotta do things Shaq's way. If he's not happy, he's not going to do what you need him to do anyway, so you have to get the most that he's willing to give you.


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## Bartholomew Hunt (Mar 4, 2003)

Shaq is a major liability on defense. If you Heat fans did not know that a big man plays a big roll against the pick and roll, you will find out fast. Especially when every PG that plays you in the playoffs looks like an all star (Tinsley, Billups, McInnis, Alston, etc.)


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## CrossOver (May 19, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>-D!</b>!
> Shaq is a major liability on defense. *If you Heat fans did not know that a big man plays a big roll against the pick and roll, you will find out fast.* Especially when every PG that plays you in the playoffs looks like an all star (Tinsley, Billups, McInnis, Alston, etc.)


We have been playing a trapping, rotating style defense ever since Riles came over from New York. We've been very successful with it and are always one of the best defensive teams in the L. 

With Zo and PJ the post D was absolutely sick. We were able to cover up Tim Bugs and Voshon Lenards weaknesses on D pretty effectively. 

When Zo went down that had a pretty big effect on how we played D. We didn't have the big man in the middle anymore but we relied on some pretty serious rotating and trapping on the perimeter. While we were not a shot blocking team, we were always in the upper echelon of FG% against and ppg against.

How this will translate with Shaq manning the middle remains to be seen. He actually did a decent enough job stepping out on the pick and roll in the Houston game but he made a lot of ticky tack fouls as well. It is going to take time for him to adjust as well as take time for Stan Van Gundy to adjust. This is definetly a different experience for both in that Shaq's never really played in this kind of system and Stan had BG last year in the middle. Brian Grant while an excellent on the ball defender obviously is not a shot blocker so we shall see how Shaq is utilized to emphasize his strengths and hopefully minimize his weaknesses.

It's still too early to say he won't be able to do this or won't be able to do that. That is what training camp and the preseason is for. Working out all of these issues will be priority number 1 for SVG. As far as I can remember, Miami has stressed D during traiing camp and the preseason btw. 

I think we have issues far greater than Shaq's willingness or lack thereof to worry about. Small forward comes to mind. I'm satisfied with the combination of Haslem/Laetner/Allen at PF but I'm not sold on Rasual Butler as a starting SF yet. He is one one the worst on the ball defenders I've seen. He also always seemed a step slow rotating to the proper man on D. I don't care if he shoots 60% from the field when you give up as many points. Hopefully the kid will develop with more time but I'm not counting on it.


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## Bartholomew Hunt (Mar 4, 2003)

Good post CrossOver. I felt that PJ Brown was one of the most underrated post defenders during that time. I know Riles came under fire when he gave PJ the contract. Ultimately costing him Juwan Howard right? What a tragic loss! lol.


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## Pinball (Aug 3, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>SacKings384</b>!
> Shaq can't defend the pick and roll... The Lakers never managed to find a way to make up for that weakness, I don't know how SVG will... Other than rotating over a guard and doubling the guy that's coming off the screen...


We did have Malone rotate out to help the defend the pick and roll at the beginning of the year. He did a pretty good job at it too. Once Malone got hurt, he was never the same and neither was our pick and roll defense. We simply haven't had the luxury of having athletic, defenisve-minded big men to help Shaq out on the perimeter. Otherwise, you'd probably never see Shaq on the perimeter in pick and roll situations.


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