H.O.F. Watch - Shaquille O’Neal
Every day we’re taking one active NBA star with at least arguable Hall of Fame credentials and breaking down his chances of getting into the Springfield, Mass., hoops mecca. We’re looking at not just past accomplishments, but also how a player’s career realistically projects for the future. For a full explanation of the process, click here. Today’s candidate: Shaquille O’Neal.
SHAQUILLE O’NEAL (16th year, Heat/Lakers/Magic)
25.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.4 blocks per game
Why: The most physically dominant player the game has seen since Wilt. All but impossible to guard 1-on-1 in his prime (and even still for a lot of centers today), Shaq changed defensive strategies similar to the way Lawrence Taylor impacted NFL offenses. Shaq’s collected four NBA championships, three Finals MVPs, one regular-season MVP (’99-00), and was chosen as one of the League’s 50 Greatest Players of all-time after he’d only played five seasons. Then there’s the 14 All-Star nods (with 2 All-Star Game MVPs), Rookie of the Year in ‘92-93, and two handfuls of All-NBA selections. Shaq ranks third all-time in career field-goal percentage (.580 coming into this season), is 8th all-time in blocks and 12th all-time in points (plus leading the League in scoring twice). And he was one of the college game’s all-time dominant forces at LSU.
Why not: He can’t shoot free throws (52 percent for his career), and some still live under the impression that Shaq is only good because he’s so big. Don’t listen to them.
Our call: IN
The H.O.F. Watch archive
11/15 - Steve Francis
11/14 - Ben Wallace
11/13 - Sam Cassell
11/12 - LeBron James
11/9 - Tim Duncan
11/8 - Steve Nash
11/7 - Yao Ming
11/6 - Gilbert Arenas
11/5 - Robert Horry
11/2 - Kobe Bryant
11/1 - Grant Hill
10/31 - Dirk Nowitzki
10/30 - Tony Parker
10/29 - Elton Brand
10/26 - Carmelo Anthony
10/25 - Vince Carter
10/24 - Penny Hardaway
10/23 - Alonzo Mourning
10/22 - Allen Iverson
10/19 - Dwyane Wade
10/18 - Chauncey Billups
10/17 - Stephon Marbury
10/16 - Jason Kidd
10/15 - Shawn Marion
10/12 - Ray Allen
10/11 - Chris Bosh
10/10 - Chris Webber
10/9 - Paul Pierce
10/5 - Jermaine O’Neal
10/4 - Gary Payton
10/3 - Tracy McGrady
November 16th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Charles-K says:
Dime once again takes friday off.
November 16th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Charles-K says:
He could actually kill his wife, start doping, do whatever else and would still be first ballot HOF.
C’mon when is Deke’s time?
November 16th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
djKianoosh says:
the only question left with shaq is where do you rank him among the top 5 centers in history… Russel, Wilt, Dream, Kareem, Shaq. or did I miss someone?
another way to relax on a friday:
http://www.jamphat.com/rap/
Rap represented in mathematical charts and graphs. the links take you to the videos. This is hilarious…
November 16th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Myrie in NY says:
No. Out. He slept with SuperHead and let his wife trick on him with her trainer. He tried to rap and he made some dumb ass movies (Kazaam, Blue Chips etc..) rather than work on his free throws.
He got punked by Olajuwon and then by Charles Barkley (down goes shaq..down goes shaq!!). Even Brad Miller and Ashton Kutcher punked him.
He started his playoff career by getting swept—repeatedly.
He bumped heads with all his star guards (Penny, Kobe) and they can actually make a play in the 4th quarter.
He couldn’t spell Mickey Mouse. Or the word “period”.
He broke backboards and never paid for them.
He tries to break dance. ugh.
He took up the whole half hour on mtv’s cribs. selfish!
Nah…Shaq is out.
November 16th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Ben says:
Without a doubt, Shaq gets in. No argument here.
November 16th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Mox says:
Probably the biggest no-brainer of the HOF series. If people dont like what Dime is spittin out they should go read a diff site. Why do some people always bring a “Skip Bayless-I’m always negative” comment?
Love the HOF watch. Keep it up Dime.
November 16th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Myrie in NY says:
CHI-C,
Shouts out to you today for calling this HOF Watch from yesterday (post #20).
Damn…these Dime boys are some slackers on Fridays!!
November 16th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
K-Dizzle says:
I got it as Wilt, Russell, Kareem, Shaq and Dream
November 16th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Gee says:
LOL I got it as Wilt, Russell, Kareem, Dream, Shaq lol.
For real though, he made the H.O.F. when he dunked and made the whole goal bow down.
With that said. Yall have a great weekend!
Gee
November 16th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
marcus says:
He should prolly have to wait an extra year to get in just for Kazaam. In all seriousness though hes a 1st ballot no brainer. The only question is where do you rank him in the top 5 centers of all time debate. Personally i have him at 5 in large part due to the pathetic FT shooting and, i dont want to say lack of drive, but he has shown disinterest that i think kept him from not only being the best center of all time, but the best player of all time. If he had 1/2 the work ethic that Magic or Larry had then I dont think we would be talking about Micheal being the greatest of all time.
November 16th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
flyp says:
He gets extra points for always dropping sweet quotes and for being an all-around magnetic personality.
lol to Myrie in NY. Nice try.
November 16th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Kobeef says:
Watching Shaq in his prime as a Laker was awesome.
It was hilarious to watch 2 or 3 guys hang off him, trying to stop him from scoring. The closest comparison is a monster flicking off tiny humans as they try (in vain) to stop him from kicking their house down.
His somewhat limited offensive arsenal is his main weakness (he has moves but almost all are very close to the basket).
November 16th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
AY says:
Russell, Wilt, Kareem, Shaq, Dream. But you’ve gotta put george mikan in there, it’s hard to compare but he got into the hall 10 years after the league started; that in itself says something.
November 16th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
SWAT says:
My call IN. as much as i don’t like the dude he was a monster in his prime. I got top 5 like this Russell, Wilt, Dream, Kareem, Shaq.
November 16th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Mdeezey says:
Gotta love these boys that say “dime takes a friday off”
Come right on.
These boys down here put this stuff up EVERYday. Oh and remember, they also put out a magazine. Beasides all that, to be a part of a magazine/ blog/ newsreel they have to be watching basketball games, player moment, player moods, the culture, ect at all times.
These boys do an amazing job.
November 16th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Bron42 says:
mikan doesnt crack the list, he was playin 6′3 white guys lol. I’d say russel 1, kareem 2, wilt 3 or shaq 4 (thats interchangeable, dream 5.
Heres my issue with some of these HOF watches…so are we basing it on magic/lakers/early heat shaq…or are we basing it on “if shaqs career at this point continues” type. With his stats it really wouldnt make a difference. thats just my case with doin these things on guys who are creepin towards the finish line.
November 16th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Celts Fan says:
So what? They save the easy ones for Friday. I save my easy stuff for Fridays too. Fact of the matter is, they’re making it an on-going series, so there will be some guys that don’t deserve the space it takes to write about them (Marbury and Francis) and others that they have to take the time to figure out a reason to even list as why not. I have no problem w/ them saving guys like Shaq and TD for Fridays. Great work Dime, love the series…
November 16th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Celts Fan says:
and my top 5 is 1A&B Wilt/Russell, 3. Shaq, 4. Kareem, 5. Dream
November 16th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Sanaa says:
yo the best centers of all time: The Dream, Shaq, Russell, Wilt, Kareem…
do you really think they played better basketball 50 years ago than today??? c’mon wilt couldn’t score against me if he was playing nowadays…
November 16th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
smity says:
“take it easy” fridays on the HOF watch is acceptable now(especially with the older shoe in players like shaq,)…
i’m surprised by so many of you all ranking the dream after shaq. I think shaq would come in at number 5 in my book. russell (11 chips? ridculous.), wilt (wish i could have seen him), kareem (wish i wouldve seen him), hakeem (wish i would have seen him more) and shaq.
Myrie in NY- that was funny. you forgot to mention the fact that he has been impressioned (/made fun of) to a T by aries spears multiple times but has never beaten him down for it.
November 16th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
Brown says:
As Bill Russell once said, if any of the top centers in history played against Shaq when they were all in their primes, Shaq would have destroyed all of them. Shaq may not have the rings that Russell has, the records that Wilt has, or the all around skills that Hakeem and Kareem had, but in his prime, he was the most unstoppable force the league has ever seen. I’d trust Russell’s opinion on this more than anyone else’s.
The one knock on Shaq’s career besides the free throw shooting would have to be his health. His body is breaking down as we can all see, and he won’t have the longevity that the other great centers had. I remember watching Kareem in his final seasons when I was younger, and he was still a big factor for the Lakers. Shaq’s weight and strength was his best asset when he was younger, but now his weight is what’s causing his game to dimish more than anything else.
November 16th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
smity says:
thats interesting that russell would have said something like that…its a shame that there werent any truly dominant centers for shaq to go against on a regular basis…
November 16th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
smity says:
and also 16 years is a long a** time
November 16th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
CHI-C says:
I knew IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!LOL
November 16th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
J Tok says:
if we were in the era of wilt and russell we’d say our negatives about them too
wilt couldn’t do anything outside of 10 feet and was playing guys half the size of shaq
and russell had no offensive game what so ever and also played with guys with half his ability. Shaq is playing in this modern day era where guys are as big as ever and as skilled as ever, there is no question that he is definitly up there with wilt and russell maybe even head of Dream
November 16th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
K-Dizzle says:
“c’mon wilt couldn’t score against me if he was playing nowadays…”
Dude, you need to disappear and never post again.
Not to get all statistical cuz i ain’t got that much time, but Slilt averaged 50 one seasoh and led the league in assists and rebounding in another.
He could play in any era; to say he couldn’t is ignorance.
Respect the past. Wilt played against real centers.
November 16th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
SWAT says:
real talk Dream will always be ahead of Shaq! 95 finals boys! Shaq in his prime getting dusted by Hakeem. The Dream shake put shaq to bed ladies and gents. Yall cats need to catch up or something because i also refuse to believe that Shaq would’ve beasted Wilt.
November 16th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
djKianoosh says:
seriously.. and wilt and russel have some of the most amazing stat lines ever. the points, the rebounds.. they didn’t even record assists and blocks like they do now and old timers I’ve talked to say Wilt had some bonkers 50-40-20-10 games regularly. that’s legendary in any era. we need some people who are like 60 or 70 to school us a little about those two.
I guess i never ranked my 5.
Russell - the championships man, just can’t argue against it
Wilt - dominance. stats still hold up to this day. rules had to be changed because of him
Kareem - the excellence in longevity is unparalleled
Shaq - shear physical dominance in his prime. and again, rules had to be changed.
Olajuwon - Amazing moves, great leadership, but not as dominant IMO as the guys above
November 16th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
djKianoosh says:
SWAT, Shaq was a pup who just came into the league when he went up against the Dream. that was not his prime. Shaq’s prime was when he won his 3 Lakers titles.
November 16th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
SWAT says:
DJ i disagree my friend, shaq was the thinnest and most athletic when he was with the magic…btw do you remember how sick he was in blue chips? In LA he was a beast yes but an overweight beast.
November 16th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
dagwaller says:
Wilt played against “real centers”. Such as…who, exactly?
I’m not saying he wasn’t top 5 of all time, but I think that memories of an era of dominant centers probably shouldn’t stretch too far past the 80s.
And if it DID, it’s in part because of the same reason perimeter players are more dominant NOW: rule changes. Before, no 3 point line, less rules for the paint - these things put an emphasis on the center on offense the same way the touchy-feely rules emphasize guard play now.
November 16th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
João says:
Next Friday, Michael Jordan on HOF watch … No way the Dream was better than Shaq ,,, And by the way, the only record that I dont see anybody breaking is the 48,5 minutes per game that Wilt have in 1962 … thats crazy ,,, he played every minute plus the overtime ,,, ridiculous ,,,
November 16th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Big10 says:
My order is Wilt, Dream, Russell, Kareem, Shaq.
November 17th, 2007 at 1:25 am
Coldchain says:
Even if Shaq was at his athletic peak in 95 against Hakeem, he wasn’t at his mental peak as a player. He was, what, 3-4 years into his career? Hakeem might have been past his quicker/younger days in 95, but his mental was at its peak. That’s why you can’t just judge Shaq on that series. Give him his 95 body with his 2001 brain and see who was better.
November 17th, 2007 at 6:07 am
karan says:
shaq in his prime would’ve destroyed every other center in the history of the game that dared to cross his path.
November 17th, 2007 at 10:25 am
DOC says:
shaq was not in his prime in 95.Thats like saying bron is in his prime now. When we all know hes gonna be crazy in a couple years. They just got their teams to chips and got swept by dudes in their prime.
November 17th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
2 Easy says:
Ah good ol dime fridays. Sad thing is we all called this last week and I think it attributed to their decision. Hmm whose left thats a no brainer that dime didnt do though? Next friday may be an actual challenge. This is sad the only knocks on Shaq are that he made terrible music and a terrible movie and cant shoot FTs. Well this was relaxin after that Ben one. Wait lemme see if i understand, u guys do an obvious out (Steve francis, Penny, Grant) than an obvious in (Kobe, JkIdd, AI, Shaq) come friday? Pretty sneaky Dime lol
November 18th, 2007 at 3:01 am
Ian says:
“c’mon wilt couldn’t score against me if he was playing nowadays…”
to one the who said that u r an idiot
wilt could dominate any part of the game he wanted to
thats is bullshit when people say everyone was smaller than wilt so what nobody came close to what he did
so babe ruth isnt the greatest cuz he played back then puh please
then some kids can use the same argument in 20 years to say jordan wasnt the greatest
IT DOESNT MATTER WHEN U DO SOMETHING IN BASKETBALL JUST THAT U DID IT
shaq is bigger than everyone else and when he won the rings there werent any good centers left(just the admiral and he was on his way down)
but nobody says that they just say it about wilt
another supid comment was that russell couldnt score please he didnt have to its just like duncan.
now to the shaq thing hes IN but he made kazaam so thats a minus
top 5. wilt admiral dream russell kareem
December 12th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
Eric says:
shaq is 100% in but he didnt rebound like he should have.. 13.8 rpg was his rookie year total AND career high. I thought he’d be a constant 12-17 rpg person but he was constantly 10-12. his career high in blocks was also his rookie year.
December 23rd, 2007 at 7:02 pm
FanOWilt says:
Wilt-Russell Debate
TO dagwaller
Re: “Wilt played against “real centers”. Such as…who, exactly?”
I was pretty young when I saw Wilt play in his last two seasons. It was the years 72′- 73′ and 73′- 74′. He still dominated the game. I still remember him blocking jump shots while the ball was just getting to the top of its arc.
So in answer to your question..
I saw him play against Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Walt Bellamy, Bob Lanier, Nate Thurmond (Golden State), and Wes Unseld. His earlier years he also played against Willis Reed, Bill Russell (of course). Just do a Google search on any one of these centers, they were great players in a very competitive league.