Post by FLCeltsFan on Dec 9, 2010 9:47:56 GMT -5
From ESPN Insider
Shaq may deserve to be an All-Star
In limited minutes, O'Neal has become one of the most efficient players in the NBA
Haberstroh By Tom Haberstroh
ESPN Insider
Archive
Shaquille O'NealBrian Babineau/Getty ImagesO'Neal is thriving in Boston in limited minutes, mostly because he's willing to accept his new role.
For the fourth year in a row, the Boston Celtics have jumped out to a sizzling start, winning 16 of their first 20 games and earning a spot atop the Eastern Conference. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not with Kendrick Perkins sidelined until after the All-Star break, Rasheed Wallace retired and no real backup point guard without Delonte West. The Celtics were supposed to be hurting, not surging.
The biggest difference-maker? Shaquille O'Neal.
If you tuned in to Friday night's TV broadcast of the Celtics-Chicago Bulls game, you might have heard ESPN analysts Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy discussing the 38-year-old's candidacy for the All-Star team. Actually, the two weren't discussing his candidacy as much as they were flat-out campaigning for Shaq's selection to the team. This despite only playing a shade over 20 minutes per game.
Blasphemy? Well, consider the facts. Despite the stellar efforts of Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, who could well earn All-Star bids on their own, it is Shaq who boasts the team's highest player efficiency rating (21.2). In fact, when it comes to centers in the East, only Al Horford and Dwight Howard have been more productive on a per-minute basis. With an absurdly high 68.4 field goal percentage, we haven't seen someone this money from the floor since the days of Wilt Chamberlain.
However, individual accomplishments mean little if they get lost in translation on the team level. But after looking at plus/minus numbers, we can see that's certainly not the case with Boston's 15-time All-Star. The Celtics are scoring 120.2 points per 100 possessions with Shaq on the floor this season. How good is that? That's the highest rate for any player in the league, according to basketballvalue.com.
Not a bad return for a veteran-minimum contract.
But that contract may be the catalyst for Shaq's resurgence. At least one league executive said it has worked wonders to deflate his ego.
"It takes a long time for formerly great players to come to grips with the fact that they're not great anymore," said an Eastern Conference exec. "It has to be very humbling to be a free agent and the best he could come up with on a winning team was this deal. What he's done integrating in Boston really proves that he's true to his word about wanting to win."
Physically, Shaq may be a shell of his former self, but it's clear he can still be incredibly efficient -- only if he accepts his role.
"It's amazing, the guy can't even jump," said the exec. "He can't lose much more athletically than he already he has. It's not like he's been reborn or rejuvenated in any way. It's just that he's finally at peace with who he is."
But credit must be given to the shrewd Celtics front office for recognizing that Shaq is a finisher, not a creator. Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers incorporated Shaq into their offense by feeding him the ball in the post early in the shot clock. Shaq would then pound his post defender closer and closer to the basket before turning for a quick hook that would send the ball on a line drive directly at the basket. As we saw in the playoffs, this strategy rarely produced consistent buckets, now that Shaq has lost the quickness and the lift to work a high-percentage shot. More importantly, it simultaneously disjointed the offense and neutralized the powers of LeBron James.
If you've been paying attention this season, you'll notice that Boston rarely runs the offense through Shaq. The Celtics still execute the same sets that are predicated on off-the-ball screens, motion and penetration. But unlike the Cavaliers last season, the Celtics feature multiple scorers -- not just one really, really good one -- who can penetrate to draw weakside defenders. But not only that, they have both the selfless attitude and passing ability to reward the open man. The Celtics were aware that, even at 38 years old, if Shaq can get the ball within one foot of the basket, nothing stands between him and a thunderous dunk. They just need to get him the ball there.
And they have. We're seeing an enormous shift in Shaq's shot types this season, thanks to the passing skills of his teammates. According to Synergy Sports Technology, 29.5 percent of Shaq's offense has been generated off basket cuts, tripling his shot share in Cleveland last season. But post-ups essentially have been phased out. In a Cavs uniform, nearly two-thirds of Shaq's offense came from bludgeoning opponents on the block, but that's been cut to just 26 percent in 2010-11. Consequently, Shaq has been assisted on 76.9 percent of his field goals in Boston, drastically higher than his career norms. Even though he played a season and a half with Steve Nash in Phoenix, Shaq has never been delivered the ball as effectively as he has with his new Boston comrades.
So maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks. Or, rather, you can teach an old dog that his tricks aren't what they used to be and there's an easier way. At 38, Shaq has not only reinvented himself, but also may have reinvented what it means to be an All-Star.
Shaq may deserve to be an All-Star
In limited minutes, O'Neal has become one of the most efficient players in the NBA
Haberstroh By Tom Haberstroh
ESPN Insider
Archive
Shaquille O'NealBrian Babineau/Getty ImagesO'Neal is thriving in Boston in limited minutes, mostly because he's willing to accept his new role.
For the fourth year in a row, the Boston Celtics have jumped out to a sizzling start, winning 16 of their first 20 games and earning a spot atop the Eastern Conference. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not with Kendrick Perkins sidelined until after the All-Star break, Rasheed Wallace retired and no real backup point guard without Delonte West. The Celtics were supposed to be hurting, not surging.
The biggest difference-maker? Shaquille O'Neal.
If you tuned in to Friday night's TV broadcast of the Celtics-Chicago Bulls game, you might have heard ESPN analysts Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy discussing the 38-year-old's candidacy for the All-Star team. Actually, the two weren't discussing his candidacy as much as they were flat-out campaigning for Shaq's selection to the team. This despite only playing a shade over 20 minutes per game.
Blasphemy? Well, consider the facts. Despite the stellar efforts of Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, who could well earn All-Star bids on their own, it is Shaq who boasts the team's highest player efficiency rating (21.2). In fact, when it comes to centers in the East, only Al Horford and Dwight Howard have been more productive on a per-minute basis. With an absurdly high 68.4 field goal percentage, we haven't seen someone this money from the floor since the days of Wilt Chamberlain.
However, individual accomplishments mean little if they get lost in translation on the team level. But after looking at plus/minus numbers, we can see that's certainly not the case with Boston's 15-time All-Star. The Celtics are scoring 120.2 points per 100 possessions with Shaq on the floor this season. How good is that? That's the highest rate for any player in the league, according to basketballvalue.com.
Not a bad return for a veteran-minimum contract.
But that contract may be the catalyst for Shaq's resurgence. At least one league executive said it has worked wonders to deflate his ego.
"It takes a long time for formerly great players to come to grips with the fact that they're not great anymore," said an Eastern Conference exec. "It has to be very humbling to be a free agent and the best he could come up with on a winning team was this deal. What he's done integrating in Boston really proves that he's true to his word about wanting to win."
Physically, Shaq may be a shell of his former self, but it's clear he can still be incredibly efficient -- only if he accepts his role.
"It's amazing, the guy can't even jump," said the exec. "He can't lose much more athletically than he already he has. It's not like he's been reborn or rejuvenated in any way. It's just that he's finally at peace with who he is."
But credit must be given to the shrewd Celtics front office for recognizing that Shaq is a finisher, not a creator. Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers incorporated Shaq into their offense by feeding him the ball in the post early in the shot clock. Shaq would then pound his post defender closer and closer to the basket before turning for a quick hook that would send the ball on a line drive directly at the basket. As we saw in the playoffs, this strategy rarely produced consistent buckets, now that Shaq has lost the quickness and the lift to work a high-percentage shot. More importantly, it simultaneously disjointed the offense and neutralized the powers of LeBron James.
If you've been paying attention this season, you'll notice that Boston rarely runs the offense through Shaq. The Celtics still execute the same sets that are predicated on off-the-ball screens, motion and penetration. But unlike the Cavaliers last season, the Celtics feature multiple scorers -- not just one really, really good one -- who can penetrate to draw weakside defenders. But not only that, they have both the selfless attitude and passing ability to reward the open man. The Celtics were aware that, even at 38 years old, if Shaq can get the ball within one foot of the basket, nothing stands between him and a thunderous dunk. They just need to get him the ball there.
And they have. We're seeing an enormous shift in Shaq's shot types this season, thanks to the passing skills of his teammates. According to Synergy Sports Technology, 29.5 percent of Shaq's offense has been generated off basket cuts, tripling his shot share in Cleveland last season. But post-ups essentially have been phased out. In a Cavs uniform, nearly two-thirds of Shaq's offense came from bludgeoning opponents on the block, but that's been cut to just 26 percent in 2010-11. Consequently, Shaq has been assisted on 76.9 percent of his field goals in Boston, drastically higher than his career norms. Even though he played a season and a half with Steve Nash in Phoenix, Shaq has never been delivered the ball as effectively as he has with his new Boston comrades.
So maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks. Or, rather, you can teach an old dog that his tricks aren't what they used to be and there's an easier way. At 38, Shaq has not only reinvented himself, but also may have reinvented what it means to be an All-Star.
