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[h4]Shaq says Kobe MVP, puts Stoudemire ahead of Garnett[/h4]
When asked for his thoughts on the MVP race, Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O'Neal didn't hesitate.
"The Kobester," he said, referencing his old teammate and occasional foil, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. "He's anassassin, with LeBron [James] coming in right behind. After that, I really haven't been paying attention."
So some brave soul raised the possibility that the guy across the hall in TD Banknorth Garden - Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett -- might be in the discussion as well. O'Neal shook his head. Noway.
"I'm going to have to go with my guy before him," he said, motioning to teammate Amare Stoudemire's locker. "All day, every day. Garnettdoesn't play defense".
[h4]
Shaq takes swipe at Riley and Heat for making him scapegoat[/h4]
The once-blissful marriage between Shaquille O'Neal and Pat Riley endedbadly. As their championship core crumbled, so did their relationship. MiamiHeat officials believe Shaq quit on them and point to his chronic hip problems that prevented him from playing in Miami but have not stopped himfrom averaging 29.3 minutes a night with the Phoenix Suns. Conversely, Shaq believes Riley quit on him and saddled him with the blame for the franchise'simplosion.
"I guess when you have a lot of power, you can do what you want," O'Neal said. "Me? If I ever came into that kind of power, I thinkI'd be willing to admit it if I messed up."
O'Neal's comments were met with silence out of Miami yesterday.
"I know what they said about me," Shaq said. "Grant [Hill] called me up and told me, 'They said you don't want to play no more.'I understand being the scapegoat comes with being the superstar. When it all goes right, you get the credit. And when it doesn't . . . I guess this is whatyou get. I can accept being the scapegoat when we do things my way and they don't work out. But when you have no control how things are handled,and you are still the scapegoat, I don't go for that."
[h4]
Riley responds to O'Neal trashing Heat: "It's sad"[/h4]
NEW YORK (AP)-Pat Riley can't understand why Shaquille O'Neal keeps talking about the Miami Heat.
Riley responded to O'Neal's criticisms Wednesday with some of his own, saying his former center was wrong to disparage some of his old teammates andtrainers in a Boston Globe story.
"It's sad that he says those things. We shared so much here, together, for three years, good and bad, 3 1/2 years," Riley said, referringspecifically to the Heat's 2006 NBA title. "I just think it's sad that he's got to do that."
Riley dealt O'Neal to Phoenix before the trade deadline, allowing the 36-year-old center the chance to compete for another title instead of stickingaround Miami for a last-place finish. O'Neal made it clear how much he prefers his new teammates.
"I love playing for this coach and I love playing with these guys," O'Neal told the Globe. "We have professionals who know whatto do. No one is asking me to play with Chris Quinn or Ricky Davis. I'mactually on a team again."
Riley said he doesn't have "anything but good feelings for Shaq" and wasn't bothered by any criticism leveled at him. But hesaid O'Neal has no reason to blame anyone else in the organization for his unhappiness.
"When you're 9-40, we're all frustrated. I mean everybody's at fault, we all were. Everybody was feeling bad and nobody wants that,"Riley said.
"He didn't want to be there, he didn't want to play for that kind of situation, 35 years old. He wanted to go to a contender and we sent himthere. We sent him to Utopia and we're left here with the carnage and I don't know why he's not happy."
Riley also defended the work of veteran trainer Ron Culp and the team's medical staff, saying O'Neal was out of line to speak poorly of them.
"It's really a shame that he would insult those people like that because they gave him care. They cared," Riley said. "They didn'tkiss his butt. They cared about him.
"He can do whatever he wants to do to me. That's OK, I don't care. But those men, they tried. … That upsets me more than anything."
I like Shaq but he takes an "L" on this one.
at Shaqsaying KG does not play defense, because we all know Shaq's been a defensive force his whole career
.
When asked for his thoughts on the MVP race, Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O'Neal didn't hesitate.
"The Kobester," he said, referencing his old teammate and occasional foil, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. "He's anassassin, with LeBron [James] coming in right behind. After that, I really haven't been paying attention."
So some brave soul raised the possibility that the guy across the hall in TD Banknorth Garden - Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett -- might be in the discussion as well. O'Neal shook his head. Noway.
"I'm going to have to go with my guy before him," he said, motioning to teammate Amare Stoudemire's locker. "All day, every day. Garnettdoesn't play defense".
[h4]
Shaq takes swipe at Riley and Heat for making him scapegoat[/h4]
The once-blissful marriage between Shaquille O'Neal and Pat Riley endedbadly. As their championship core crumbled, so did their relationship. MiamiHeat officials believe Shaq quit on them and point to his chronic hip problems that prevented him from playing in Miami but have not stopped himfrom averaging 29.3 minutes a night with the Phoenix Suns. Conversely, Shaq believes Riley quit on him and saddled him with the blame for the franchise'simplosion.
"I guess when you have a lot of power, you can do what you want," O'Neal said. "Me? If I ever came into that kind of power, I thinkI'd be willing to admit it if I messed up."
O'Neal's comments were met with silence out of Miami yesterday.
"I know what they said about me," Shaq said. "Grant [Hill] called me up and told me, 'They said you don't want to play no more.'I understand being the scapegoat comes with being the superstar. When it all goes right, you get the credit. And when it doesn't . . . I guess this is whatyou get. I can accept being the scapegoat when we do things my way and they don't work out. But when you have no control how things are handled,and you are still the scapegoat, I don't go for that."
[h4]
Riley responds to O'Neal trashing Heat: "It's sad"[/h4]
NEW YORK (AP)-Pat Riley can't understand why Shaquille O'Neal keeps talking about the Miami Heat.
Riley responded to O'Neal's criticisms Wednesday with some of his own, saying his former center was wrong to disparage some of his old teammates andtrainers in a Boston Globe story.
"It's sad that he says those things. We shared so much here, together, for three years, good and bad, 3 1/2 years," Riley said, referringspecifically to the Heat's 2006 NBA title. "I just think it's sad that he's got to do that."
Riley dealt O'Neal to Phoenix before the trade deadline, allowing the 36-year-old center the chance to compete for another title instead of stickingaround Miami for a last-place finish. O'Neal made it clear how much he prefers his new teammates.
"I love playing for this coach and I love playing with these guys," O'Neal told the Globe. "We have professionals who know whatto do. No one is asking me to play with Chris Quinn or Ricky Davis. I'mactually on a team again."
Riley said he doesn't have "anything but good feelings for Shaq" and wasn't bothered by any criticism leveled at him. But hesaid O'Neal has no reason to blame anyone else in the organization for his unhappiness.
"When you're 9-40, we're all frustrated. I mean everybody's at fault, we all were. Everybody was feeling bad and nobody wants that,"Riley said.
"He didn't want to be there, he didn't want to play for that kind of situation, 35 years old. He wanted to go to a contender and we sent himthere. We sent him to Utopia and we're left here with the carnage and I don't know why he's not happy."
Riley also defended the work of veteran trainer Ron Culp and the team's medical staff, saying O'Neal was out of line to speak poorly of them.
"It's really a shame that he would insult those people like that because they gave him care. They cared," Riley said. "They didn'tkiss his butt. They cared about him.
"He can do whatever he wants to do to me. That's OK, I don't care. But those men, they tried. … That upsets me more than anything."
I like Shaq but he takes an "L" on this one.
