Shaq SHOULD have been GOAT if he had the work ethic of MJ

desert rat said:

chamberlain

shaq was @30 when he opted to have toe surgery which is near the end of a pro basketball players prime. surgery is always a last resort. i'm sure giving it time heal, in the off season, was a consideration. when shaq was younger, he never had weight problems. as he got older, he was packing a little more weight than he should have. it's not that unusual for older players to gain weight. it doen't mean he laid on the couch all off season, ate chips, and never worked out. it just means his metabolism had changed, with no correction in diet for it.

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trojanfan12 said:

Exactly, as we get older, our metabolism changes. Happens to everyone, even elite athletes.

So, as they get older, it becomes harder and harder to get back into shape and getting back into shape takes it's own toll.

Most players, especially the all-time greats, figure this out and make the necessary changes to their diet, workouts, how they handle injuries, etc.

I remember when Magic started getting older and having to make concessions. I guess he loves nachos and would eat them like crazy in the off-season. I remember him telling a reporter during training camp one year that the hardest thing for him when it came to getting/staying in shape was giving up nachos. lol

Shaq did none of the above. He tried to keep doing things the same way he did when he was younger and it cost him.

As for the surgery, he knew surgery was the only way to fix it and he chose to wait until training camp so he could do it on "company time."

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desert rat said:

shaq only missed 12 games with the surgery. shaq may not have worked as hard as some players, but i'm sure he worked hard, just as all elite pro's do. he just slowed down as he got older.

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broncosmitty said:

Wilt the Stilt.

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desert rat said:

just a physical freak by any era's standards. most of us never saw him play so he's not give as much credit. youtube has some video of prime wilt, but you have to look for it.

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desert rat said:

just a physical freak by any era's standards. most of us never saw him play so he's not give as much credit. youtube has some video of prime wilt, but you have to look for it.

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trojanfan12 said:

Yeah, he was something else. I didn't get to see truly prime Wilt as I started following sports religiously (and became a Lakers fan) in 1970. So, I saw the Wilt that had committed himself to defense and rebounding and wasn't really looking to score.

Even that Wilt was pretty amazing to watch.

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Wamu said:

Wilt wasn't that good. He played against a bunch of 6 foot white guys like Bill Russell.

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broncosmitty said:

I look at the part of his career that overlaps Kareem.

Blows him out of the water on the boards. And he was an old man.

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trojanfan12 said:

Yeah, Bill Russell was a great shortstop for the Dodgers. But he really wasn't very good as an NBA center. I'll never understand why Auerbach kept playing him.

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trojanfan12 said:

To be fair to Kareem. About the time their careers overlapped, Wilt was all about defense and rebounding. He had essentially become Dennis Rodman minus the crazy hair, tats and wedding dress. lol

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broncosmitty said:

I look at the part of his career that overlaps Kareem.

Blows him out of the water on the boards. And he was an old man.

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trojanfan12 said:

Yeah, he was something else. I didn't get to see truly prime Wilt as I started following sports religiously (and became a Lakers fan) in 1970. So, I saw the Wilt that had committed himself to defense and rebounding and wasn't really looking to score.

Even that Wilt was pretty amazing to watch.

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broncosmitty said:

The four years of overlap were also 4 out 5 of Kareem's highest scoring seasons.

Wilt was really only one dimensional his last two seasons. And didn't even miss a game his final three.

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desert rat said:

that was after major knee surgery, too. then he came back at the end of the season and took the knicks to 7 seven games in the finals.

he might have been the strongest nba player ever, and could make change off the top of the backboard. people seem to think shaq was more athletic, but i don't see it.

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trojanfan12 said:

Yeah, I think there are 2 reasons people think that Shaq was more athletic.

1. Not a lot of people are around that saw Wilt play.

2. For a guy who was 7' 350lbs. Shaq was surprisingly athletic.

Interesting factoid...Basketball wasn't even Wilt's first love or the sport he was best at. Volleyball was actually his first love and he had a travelling volleyball team for years.

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desert rat said:

wilt was cut, and they measured height with shoes off in those days. shaq may have looked wider, but schwarzenegger, who lifted weights with wilt, can attest to his strength.

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Raw_Bee808 said:

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