Miami
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade are doing everything they collectively can to avoid any possibility of another Kobe-Shaq-like rivalry. Shaq has gone the extra mile in reaching out to Miami's young star and by reporting to camp in excellent physical shape. Now it is up to Coach Stan Van Gundy to mold them all into a winning team.
According to press reports (see Newslines below), Shaq's first ambassadorial act upon hitting the ground running in Miami was to take Wade to dinner, at which he told him he didn't care whose team this was but that he, Shaq, would not be feuding. He advised Wade to check around with other people in the league, and Wade did, and Wade's happy.
Fine.
Now let's play ball. Pat Riley says the new Shaq can be the most dominant defensive rebounding player in the league. Is he saying that as a true prophesy or as a sly suggestion to his big fella as to where he expects a lot of his contribution to come from?
Defensive rebounding by Shaq would lead to fast breaks by Wade and the gang. But when you have a dominant offensive presence like Shaq, you typically want to slow the game down into a halfcourt set and post up Shaq against anybody.
Do we now have a good sense of what the Heat offense will be? It sounds like it will be a fast-breaking team as a first option that will settle down into a half-court set for Shaq if there is no opportunity on the break. That would combine both the speed and explosiveness of some of the Heat's younger players such as Wade and Udonis Haslem with the experience and ability to hit open shots of veterans such as Eddie Jones.
Sounds like a potentially winning combination. And it's keyed on Shaq being, in Riley's words, the most dominant defensive rebounder in the league.
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Dylan Barmmer of the Heat's web site writes: Dwyane Wade had just elevated an entire franchise and keyed a surprise playoff run, so yes, it would have been well within his rights to politely decline the invitation to Athens. But Wade doesn’t work that way. He may be just 22, but he is about as old-school as a 22-year-old can be.
Matt Youmans ofThe Las Vegas Review Journalwrites: A bitter feud between former teammates Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal continues to escalate, and it's not too soon to bet on the winner of their first duel.Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers host O'Neal and the Miami Heat on Christmas Day in the most anticipated game on the NBA schedule. Mirage sports book director Robert Walker said he decided there might be enough interest to post an early line. He opened the Lakers as 2-point favorites last week, but has taken only a few wagers so far. "It's almost for entertainment purposes only, but you can bet on it," Walker said.
The Rocky Mountain Newswrites: The first thing Heat center Shaquille O'Neal did upon arriving in Miami was invite guard -Dwyane Wade out to dinner.Thus began O'Neal's role as team leader, and Heat players seem to be accepting. O'Neal told Wade all the drama that happened between him and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant won't happen between O'Neal and Wade. But O'Neal told Wade not to take his word. He told Wade to ask others about his reputation, which Wade did. After consulting with Heat guard Eddie Jones, a former O'Neal teammate in Los Angeles, and Minnesota forward Kevin Garnett, among others, it seemed Wade liked what he heard.
Ethan J. Skolnick ofThe South Florida Sun-Sentinelwrites: There's a book on Shaquille O'Neal among NBA coaches. It's a good read, actually.Gregg Popovich, asked in July whether he had advice for Stan Van Gundy, about to coach a megastar for the first time, admitted he had an easy job guiding the agreeable Tim Duncan. "But I think Shaq is in the same category," the Spurs coach said. "I know sometimes Shaq says something, and people go, `Can you believe he just said that?' He says it for fun. He's getting a kick out of himself. He's a great guy. And Coach Van Gundy will have zero problem as far as Shaq and ego and all that, I guarantee you. He's as coachable as anybody else who has one-tenth his talent."