Shaq was pissed but Chuck was right.

[Hornsstampede2.0]

Shaq age 31-37
21/11 .588 shooting Finals
24/11 .601 shooting ECFinals
23/11 .600 shooting Champs
22/9 .591 shooting 1st round
17/11 .593 shooting 1st round
17/8 .609 shooting (missed playoffs)
12/6 .566 shooting ECFinals

Kobe age 31-37
27/5 .457 shooting Champs
25/4 .450 shooting 2nd round
27/5 .430 shooting 2nd round
27/6 .460 shooting (missed playoffs)
13/6 .425 shooting (missed playoffs)
22/5 .373 shooting (missed playoffs)
17/3 .358 shooting (mssed playoffs)


Kobe was far less successful at the same ages, and nobody questioned his conditioning.

 

[trojanfan12]

Shaq age 31-37
21/11 .588 shooting Finals
24/11 .601 shooting ECFinals
23/11 .600 shooting Champs
22/9 .591 shooting 1st round
17/11 .593 shooting 1st round
17/8 .609 shooting (missed playoffs)
12/6 .566 shooting ECFinals

Kobe age 31-37
27/5 .457 shooting Champs
25/4 .450 shooting 2nd round
27/5 .430 shooting 2nd round
27/6 .460 shooting (missed playoffs)
13/6 .425 shooting (missed playoffs)
22/5 .373 shooting (missed playoffs)
17/3 .358 shooting (missed playoffs)


Kobe was far less successful at the same ages, and nobody questioned his conditioning.

You've got to be joking with this.

Did you forget that Shaq went to much better teams than Kobe was left with? Shaq was ring chasing and went to teams that were already playoff contenders.

Kobe was also plagued by injuries and tore his Achilles during that time.

Additionally, Shaq was a post up player and Kobe was a perimeter player. Shaq better have a better shooting percentage than Kobe, no matter how in shape either of them might be.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

The point is that SHAQ is accused of being out of shape and that is why his career was not as great in older years.
I think it is more do to simply getting old. Kobe did less during the same years from 31-37.

Old age took down Kobe as well.
Old Age sucks.

at 25, you can do anything. You can eat most anything. You can drink every weeked. You heal immediately from minor injuries. You fit the skinny jeans.

at 35, you start noticing things. You get longer nagging injuries. You work twice as hard at the gym for half the results. You buy looser clothes.

at 45, it seems like you are cursed. You get fat even if you diet and count calories. Injuries take 10 times as long to heal. You work 3 times as hard at the gym and it still seems like the fat keeps piling on. You try any and all solutions and it still yield half-ass results.

 

[bksballer89]

Shaq age 31-37
21/11 .588 shooting Finals
24/11 .601 shooting ECFinals
23/11 .600 shooting Champs
22/9 .591 shooting 1st round
17/11 .593 shooting 1st round
17/8 .609 shooting (missed playoffs)
12/6 .566 shooting ECFinals

Kobe age 31-37
27/5 .457 shooting Champs
25/4 .450 shooting 2nd round
27/5 .430 shooting 2nd round
27/6 .460 shooting (missed playoffs)
13/6 .425 shooting (missed playoffs)
22/5 .373 shooting (missed playoffs)
17/3 .358 shooting (mssed playoffs)


Kobe was far less successful at the same ages, and nobody questioned his conditioning.

Comparing a guard shooting % to a Center is not smart

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

Comparing a guard shooting % to a Center is not smart

I wasnt comparing them. I showed how each faded as they got older at a very similar rate.
Despite KOBE being viewed as a hard-working workout gym rat, his decline was similar.

Comparing how an athlete fades over time to another athlete fading over time is irregardless of position.

Shaq got worse as he got older because EVERYONE DOES regardless of position.
Kobe got worse as he got older because EVERYONE DOES regardless of position.

If anything, Kobe faded a little bit faster than Shaq did.
And that might be the only positional argument, the rate of fading.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

Shaq age 31-37
21/11 .588 shooting Finals
24/11 .601 shooting ECFinals
23/11 .600 shooting Champs
22/9 .591 shooting 1st round
17/11 .593 shooting 1st round
17/8 .609 shooting (missed playoffs)
12/6 .566 shooting ECFinals

Kobe age 31-37
27/5 .457 shooting Champs
25/4 .450 shooting 2nd round
27/5 .430 shooting 2nd round
27/6 .460 shooting (missed playoffs)
13/6 .425 shooting (missed playoffs)
22/5 .373 shooting (missed playoffs)
17/3 .358 shooting (mssed playoffs)


Kobe was far less successful at the same ages, and nobody questioned his conditioning.

Are you serious? You are too smart to come up with this. Did you not forget what happened to Kobe at ghe end of his career? You really think his decline was the same as Shaq’s decline?

 

[Clayton]

I think no doubt only getting 3 is underachieving but they were both able to do damage away from each other so from a career standpoint its probably similar.

You might have some bizarro world where the Lakers win 5-7 championships with Shaq and Kobe and then become irrelevant. Perkins never gets traded to OKC, OKC keeps Harden, Durant stays and then OKC wins 4-6 championships.

Im sure in some bizarro world the Spurs stay healthy and win an extra 2 championships along the way.

The 'what if' game is a mess.

 

[msgkings322]

I think no doubt only getting 3 is underachieving but they were both able to do damage away from each other so from a career standpoint its probably similar.

You might have some bizarro world where the Lakers win 5-7 championships with Shaq and Kobe and then become irrelevant. Perkins never gets traded to OKC, OKC keeps Harden, Durant stays and then OKC wins 4-6 championships.

Im sure in some bizarro world the Spurs stay healthy and win an extra 2 championships along the way.

The 'what if' game is a mess.

Also don't nobody win 4-6 championships anymore. This isn't the 1960s Celtics era, or even the 1990s Bulls era. It took the Spurs 15 years to win 5. There's no way the Ws win more than 2 more, and likely just one.

 

[Heatles84]

A certain amount of criticism is fair because of Shaq not staying in shape. He could have slowed his decline significantly.

I don't disagree with you. Having said that, I don't think the number of titles in LA would've made a difference. He still got 3 which is pretty good.

 

[Heatles84]

But if they win in 2016, I doubt they bring in KD....lotta things hinge on small events like Kyrie making that shot...

Yep. Hypothetical situation - Kyrie doesn't hit that shot. Warriors win. Warriors stay in place for 2017, then possibly lose to Cleveland in 2017. Who knows? But as a close to 3-peat team, I guess the Warriors should count in some ways given that they won 2 out of 3, and that one they lost was very close.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Chuck shoulda won just one before talking shit.

I actually have never thought much of Barkley as a commentator in the sports industry.

 

[trojanfan12]

I don't disagree with you. Having said that, I don't think the number of titles in LA would've made a difference. He still got 3 which is pretty good.

3 is great, especially considering it was a 3-peat. But he may have gotten more in LA, or even more than 1 after LA if he had stayed in shape.

 

[broncosmitty]

Comparing a guard shooting % to a Center is not smart

This is the first of Andre Drummond's six seasons with a higher FG% than FT%.



It's almost like he's better at dunks than jumpers...

 

[SJ76]

Barkley getting all up in Shaqs head. Good shit!


I love me some chuck

 

[msgkings322]

I actually have never thought much of Barkley as a commentator in the sports industry.

Yeah and you never thought he was much of a player either, since he's just a thug to you. Not skilled like Bill Laimbeer.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

The point is that SHAQ is accused of being out of shape and that is why his career was not as great in older years.
I think it is more do to simply getting old. Kobe did less during the same years from 31-37.

Old age took down Kobe as well.
Old Age sucks.

at 25, you can do anything. You can eat most anything. You can drink every weeked. You heal immediately from minor injuries. You fit the skinny jeans.

at 35, you start noticing things. You get longer nagging injuries. You work twice as hard at the gym for half the results. You buy looser clothes.

at 45, it seems like you are cursed. You get fat even if you diet and count calories. Injuries take 10 times as long to heal. You work 3 times as hard at the gym and it still seems like the fat keeps piling on. You try any and all solutions and it still yield half-ass results.

I seriously doubt Shaq played the same amount of minutes Kobe did.

 

[The Q]

shoud've won 5 in a row, and frankly probably should've had more than that anyway...but the league needed good tv and wouldn't call the defenders guarding shaq by the book.

PGs would've had to have been guarding him by the 3rd quarter if they did that.

 

[shopson67]

Warriors got closer

Winning 1 in a row is not closer to a 4 peat than a 3 peat.

 

[msgkings322]

Winning 1 in a row is not closer to a 4 peat than a 3 peat.

They got closer to a threepeat by almost winning 2016, they barely lost a game 7.

 

[shopson67]

They got closer to a threepeat by almost winning 2016, they barely lost a game 7.

That's nice, but you can't begin to think about winning 4 until you win 3. It's a different kind of pressure involved when you are trying to 4-peat than never even repeating.