Re: LOL.. Shaq has a book forthcoming??
More stuff from the book on LeBron.
More stuff from the book on LeBron.
Shaq calls out Lebron James in new book
Had the NBA lockout not gotten in the way, we could have heard the words, instead of being reduced to reading them.
Thursday night, TNT had been scheduled to televise Heat-Magic, which would have afforded Shaquille O’Neal, in his new studio role with the network, an opportunity to address two of his former teams.
For now, though, we’ll have to rely on the print Shaq, in this case his impending autobiography “Shaq Uncut: My Story.”
Considering the excerpt released Wednesday by HoopsWorld.com, Shaq on LeBron James (and perhaps LeBron on Shaq in the locker room) could have made for fascinating Thursday fodder at AmericanAirlines Arena.
As it is, we’ll let Shaq take you back to his lone season as LeBron’s teammate with the Cavaliers.
To O’Neal, 2009-10 came down to one mission for Cleveland: Placating James so he would not leave at season’s end as a free agent (which he eventually did, to the Heat).
“LeBron was a huge star,” O’Neal wrote in the autobiography. “He was as big as I was in 2000 in L.A. when I was dominating the league.
“Our coach, Mike Brown, was a nice guy, but he had to live on edge because nobody was supposed to be confrontational with LeBron. Nobody wanted him to leave Cleveland, so he was allowed to do whatever he wanted to do.
“I remember one day in a film session LeBron didn’t get back on defense after a missed shot. Mike Brown didn’t say anything about it. He went to the next clip and it was Mo Williams not getting back and Mike was saying, ‘Yo, Mo, we can’t have that. You’ve got to hustle a little more.’ So Delonte West is sitting there and he’s seen enough and he stands up and says, ‘Hold up, now. You can’t be *****footing around like that. Everyone has to be accountable for what they do, not just some us.’ Mike Brown said, ‘I know, Delonte. I know.’ Mike knew Delonte was right.
“I’m not sure if Kobe [Bryant] is going to listen to Mike Brown [now Lakers coach]. LeBron never really did.”
O’Neal also offered his perspective on James’ flameout in the 2011 NBA Finals for the Heat, equating it to James’ struggles in the 2010 playoffs with the Cavaliers against the Celtics.
“There’s no question in Game 5 LeBron was kind of out of it. . . . I always believed he could turn it on at any moment, but for some reason he didn’t. Not against the Celtics in 2010 and not against the Mavericks in 2011. It was weird. It’s one thing to be a passer, but you are supposed to be the One.
“I’m watching him play against Dallas, and they’re swinging the ball and they get him a perfect open look — and he’s kicking it to Mario Chalmers. Makes no sense. I told people, ‘It’s like Michael Jordan told me. Before you succeed, you must first fail.’ “
Had the NBA lockout not gotten in the way, we could have heard the words, instead of being reduced to reading them.
Thursday night, TNT had been scheduled to televise Heat-Magic, which would have afforded Shaquille O’Neal, in his new studio role with the network, an opportunity to address two of his former teams.
For now, though, we’ll have to rely on the print Shaq, in this case his impending autobiography “Shaq Uncut: My Story.”
Considering the excerpt released Wednesday by HoopsWorld.com, Shaq on LeBron James (and perhaps LeBron on Shaq in the locker room) could have made for fascinating Thursday fodder at AmericanAirlines Arena.
As it is, we’ll let Shaq take you back to his lone season as LeBron’s teammate with the Cavaliers.
To O’Neal, 2009-10 came down to one mission for Cleveland: Placating James so he would not leave at season’s end as a free agent (which he eventually did, to the Heat).
“LeBron was a huge star,” O’Neal wrote in the autobiography. “He was as big as I was in 2000 in L.A. when I was dominating the league.
“Our coach, Mike Brown, was a nice guy, but he had to live on edge because nobody was supposed to be confrontational with LeBron. Nobody wanted him to leave Cleveland, so he was allowed to do whatever he wanted to do.
“I remember one day in a film session LeBron didn’t get back on defense after a missed shot. Mike Brown didn’t say anything about it. He went to the next clip and it was Mo Williams not getting back and Mike was saying, ‘Yo, Mo, we can’t have that. You’ve got to hustle a little more.’ So Delonte West is sitting there and he’s seen enough and he stands up and says, ‘Hold up, now. You can’t be *****footing around like that. Everyone has to be accountable for what they do, not just some us.’ Mike Brown said, ‘I know, Delonte. I know.’ Mike knew Delonte was right.
“I’m not sure if Kobe [Bryant] is going to listen to Mike Brown [now Lakers coach]. LeBron never really did.”
O’Neal also offered his perspective on James’ flameout in the 2011 NBA Finals for the Heat, equating it to James’ struggles in the 2010 playoffs with the Cavaliers against the Celtics.
“There’s no question in Game 5 LeBron was kind of out of it. . . . I always believed he could turn it on at any moment, but for some reason he didn’t. Not against the Celtics in 2010 and not against the Mavericks in 2011. It was weird. It’s one thing to be a passer, but you are supposed to be the One.
“I’m watching him play against Dallas, and they’re swinging the ball and they get him a perfect open look — and he’s kicking it to Mario Chalmers. Makes no sense. I told people, ‘It’s like Michael Jordan told me. Before you succeed, you must first fail.’ “
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