Shaquille O'Neal Profile

Shaquille O'Neal

"SHAQ,"
"Shaq Daddy," "Diesel," "Shaq Fu," "Superman," "The Big Aristotle," 
"MDE (Most Dominant Ever)," LCL (Last Center Left),"
"Wilt Chamberneezy," "The Big Baryshnikov," "Shaquille O'Nealovich,"
"Kazaam," "The Big Deporter," "The Big Galactus,"
"The Big Shaqtus," "Witness Protection," "The Big Shamrock"

 Magic, Lakers, Heat, Suns, Cavaliers, Celtics - 19 seasons- 1207 games 

7’1” – 325 lbs – 23.7 pts – 10.9 reb – 2.5 ast – 2.3 blk – .58 fg%

“Book of Basketball”- Bill Simmons’ Ranking: 11

SLAM #130 and Top 500 Ranking: 4

"Well, it's amazing how time flies. I just gotta say congratulations to the most gifted physical specimen that I've ever seen play this game with size and ability, and just natural talent," said Kobe Bryant at Shaq's jersey retirement in LA.

It was a seemingly heartfelt moment; candid and honest. Just Kobe caught without time to rehearse, and speaking about his greatest teammate and rival.

What he said is true. Undoubtedly so to the fans too young to remember the Olajuwons, Ewings, and Robinsons that dominated before Shaq entered the league.

And he was bigger and badder than the lot of them.

The towering power center bowled over the league for 19 seasons while starring as the most charismatic and recognizable player in a generation.

He played the game with joy and always understood that the game was a game - one that he was damn good at, mind you.

Shaq wasn't obsessed with stats like Chamberlain, and he wasn't obsessed with winning the way Russell was, he struck a rich balance with everything he did and made fans everywhere want to be a part of it.

Hell, everybody had to see him live. I watched him as an aged Celtic beat up on some kid named Joey Dorsey live just to see him with my own eyes. I will tell my grand-kids.

But through it all Shaq coasted. As the consensus best big man in the league and the self-procaimed "Last Centre Left," Shaq dominated would-be competition. Often he looked down on opposing bigs as if they were roast chicken and he was tightening his bib. Dikembe Mutombo was considered the best defender of his generation and look what happened there.

But that was only if he cared. Never driven by an opponent who could challenge him physically, he relied on his biggest assets and didn't develop many new ones. If there was a stake, a motive, a story, a rival, a must-win, Shaq came to play. And in key situations, Shaq brought more quickness and agility in a seven-footer than has been seen before or since with there was no mercy on the poor sonofabitch who battled the bear.

That quickness and agility allowed Diesel do dominate and demolish on the court. Shaq turned beautiful moves into destructive forces of slam that brought not just the rim down, but the whole backboard.

Off-court, Shaq released rap albums, movies including Blue Chips and Shazaam, and TV shows like Shaq VS, all while wearing a mask of himself and playing his lovable character. It was all part of his crux, his act, and if the NBA was the WWE he'd probably be remembered as it's greatest superstar. His poor foul-shooting became part of this act and part of his character, and he accepted this limitation throughout his career.

He never really figured out the free throw secret. Shaq launched cross-eyed bombs off his fingertips in a collision course for the rim that belied his overall grace. Why he couldn't loft them a bit higher or softer, we'll never know. What we do know is that his rookie FT% of .592 was higher than his final season FT% of .557 (he never improved), he once fell from .622 in 2002-03 to .490 the following season (inconsistent), and he finished his career with an average of .527 (typical Shaq).

Teams would employ the hack-a-Shaq defense where they would foul him on purpose and give him a pair of freebies rather than allow the opposing team to set up on offense. The hack-a-Shaq has since been employed on other wanna-be big men, but Shaq was a pioneer.

Simultaneously, and paradoxically, Shaq was the NBA's most efficient scorer from the field ten times in his career, including a stretch between the 97-98 season and the 05-06 season where he led the league in FG% eight out of nine seasons.

He made eight All-NBA First Teams, was named the '00 MVP, three-time Finals MVP ('00-'02), and won four titles (00, 01, 02 Lakers, 06 Heat) while averaging an easy 24-11. Not many players have ever been able to back up a championship guarantee either.

Late in his career, Shaq ring-chased a little while trying to cement his legacy. He moved to Phoenix, Cleveland, and Boston as a rather large shadow of himself, still able to rely on his overwhelming bulk, but without the grace he'd shown at his peak.

Shaq's legacy had already been secured long before those end-of-career moves. Now an analyst and entertainer, the memory of his dominance hasn't faded yet and that's probably why the Lakers chose to honor him sooner than later. On any given night, he was the most gifted physical specimen in the room and if he really wanted to, he could give it to the best of them.

 illustration by author: Devin Gray

Full stats from basketball-reference.com
Top 10 Plays of Shaq's Career

Shaq: Like No Other full DVD

Big Man Bio Series
Bill Russell
Moses Malone
Elvin Hayes
Hakeem Olajuwon

Canada Basketball

For the past four months I have had the pleasure of working with Canada Basketball to provide web content, social media updates, marketing and partnership assistance, event coordination, and media communications.

During my time with CB I wrote a variety of stories to fill web content including coverage of the National Teams, NBL, CIS, NCAA Canadians and a retrospective series on the history of basketball in Canada.

Below are links and brief explanations of each of the stories I wrote for basketball.ca, your source for Canadian basketball.

NATIONAL NEWS

Wiggins Shows Ability in Homecoming
Wiggins, Lyles Selected to Nike Hoop Summit, Rana to Coach
NBL Canada Playoffs Tip Tonight

LOOKING BACK 90 YEARS
For the 90th Anniversary of Canada Basketball, I helped to create and launch a series of stories that have impacted basketball for Canadians over the past nine decades.

1923 - Origin of Canada Basketball
1932 - Unbeatable Edmonton Grads
1936 - Silver at Basketball's First Olympics
1952 - The Livvies Live On
1953 - Houbregs crosses the border
1979 - Women Take on World & Take Home Bronze
1987 - The Fox 40 Revolution

LISA THOMAIDIS: COACH'S PERSPECTIVE
I had the opportunity to sit down with the new head coach of Canada Basketball's Senior Women's National Team and produced a three-part series.

Part I - Background
Part II - Philosophy
Part III - Outlook

NCAA ARTICLES
With 27 Canadians in March Madness and many more contributing to their teams throughout the college campaign, I had an opportunity to follow the seasons of plenty of home-grown talent.

Canadians in the Final Four
Canadians in the Madness
Canadians Receiving Recognition in the NCAA
NCAA CANADIAN IMPACT - Vol I: Bennett & Achonwa
NCAA CANADIAN IMPACT - Vol II: Wiltjer & Hanlan
NCAA CANADIAN IMPACT - Vol III: Bachynski & Agunbiade
NCAA CANADIAN IMPACT - Vol IV: Bhullar & Powell
NCAA CANADIAN IMPACT - Vol V: Plouffe & Birch
NCAA CANADIAN IMPACT - Vol VI: Olynyk & Plouffe
NCAA CANADIAN IMPACT - Vol VII: Stauskas & Pangos
NCAA CANADIAN IMPACT - Vol VIII: Cadougan & Fields
NCAA CANADIAN IMPACT - Vol IX: Alexander & Heslip
Lines of the Week: Canadians in the NCAA - March 28 
Lines of the Week: Canadians in the NCAA - March 15
Lines of the Week: Canadians in the NCAA - March 7
Lines of the Week: Canadians in the NCAA - March 1
Lines of the Week: Canadians in the NCAA - February 22
Lines of the Week: Canadians in the NCAA - February 15
Lines of the Week: Canadians in the NCAA - February 8
Lines of the Week: Canadians in the NCAA - February 1
Lines of the Week: Canadians in the NCAA - January 25
Lines of the Week: Canadians in the NCAA - January 18

CIS ARTICLES
As a former Carleton student myself, I have a background with the top team in the nation who proved once again this year why there should be no doubt of that status. I went to Ottawa where the Ravens and Gee-Gees hosted the national Final 8.

CIS Final 8 - Crucial Canadians
CIS Final 8 - Quarter Finals
CIS Final 8 - Semifinals
CIS Final 8 - Carleton Wins Record Ninth Title
This Week in the CIS - February 28
This Week in the CIS - February 21
This Week in the CIS - February 14
This Week in the CIS - February 7
This Week in the CIS - January 24
This Week in the CIS - January 17

And
Helped to run the #WECANBBALL social campaign to show the world that Canada's Got Game! and worked with the NBL's Oshawa Power to film a promo video in support of the Youtube campaign

Promoted and hosted a national Fantasy Game - March Madness Fantasy Pool

Wrote the Player of the Week column for four months

Raps Wrap: 2012-13 Season

Another season from Raptorland is in the books and it feels just like all the others in recent memory - no playoffs, continued belief in management that the team is 'getting there,' cries for a major trade, but an overall outlook that isn't entirely negative.

The team carried promise heading into the season, so much so that I had them making the playoffs in my October predictions. After a 4-19 start, we all knew the season was lost, but the ride the rest of the way was at least interesting as the team went 30-29 after tripping over the first few hurdles and finished 34-48.

Perhaps the most notable event for the Toronto club was the swap GM Bryan Colangelo made to send long-time PG Jose Calderon to Detroit and blooming young big Ed Davis to Memphis in exchange for Rudy Gay. The 6-9 small forward is an elite scorer who came in and made an immediate impact, hitting two game-winners over the Pacers and the Nuggets within his first week in a Raptor uniform. He can score, that much we know, but he had little time to integrate himself with new teammates and coaches, and advanced stats nerds are quick to point out his low win shares and poor true shooting percentage that likely led to his ouster from Memphis where player efficiency rating is everything. Despite an all-star level salary, Gay has yet to play in an ASG, but next year should be different.

With Rudy on the other wing, it has taken some of the scoring pressure off of DeMar DeRozan who continues to improve and is now locked into a four-year $38-million contract extension, inked mid-season on top of a garbage can. DeMar improved across the board averaging more points, rebounds, and assists while also stepping it up on the defensive end. He still has the tools to become an elite defender, and will work diligently on his three-point shooting in the offseason after averaging 28% this year. DeMar is set to become one of the leaders of this team in his fifth season and he can still fly with the best of them.

Andrea Bargnani was on about his eighth chance with the club and underperformed yet again this season. It's tough to blame Bargs for his numerous injuries, but every little tweak and strain seems to derail the big Italian for long periods of time while he rediscovered his game and place on the team. He has never really been comfortable as the face of the franchise and that time mercifully seems to be over as even Primo has pulled their go-to ad featuring the jump-shooting seven-footer. He only played in 35 games and off the bench in many of those as the team desperately tried to showcase him for trade suitors. He'll be gone next year and be traded for less than he's worth, which is unfortunate but necessary for both parties at this point.

With longest-tenured Raptor Jose Calderon departed, Kyle Lowry took over full-time point guard duties and was hit-or-miss. Lowry is a blend of styles and often looks to be aggressive and doesn't get as many calls as he thinks he deserves, or he'll put on the blinders and shoot to his heart's content. Sometimes Lowry tries to play more like Calderon and it's clear he learned a thing or two from the wily Spaniard, but then confuses himself and loses the aggressiveness that make him unique. If you think he's confused or frustrated, imagine how his coach must feel. Lowry and Dwane Casey must work together better and figure out how best to use the assets both he and the team has. They'd also benefit from a veteran backup PG to mentor Lowry.

The most pleasant surprise of the year was Jonas Valanciunas' ability to play against NBA opponents as a rookie with minimal transition from the international game. Sure he struggled sometimes with the defensive strategies and was hung out to dry by Bargnani's missed rotations, but he's long and very active, engaging, humble and focused. He's going to turn out to be a great pick, though most were already soured on the Raptors Euro-trend by the time Big V was selected. The Lithuanian big averaged 8.9 points and 6 rebounds, and started 57 of the 62 games he played. Not bad at all for a rookie centre who is only going to get bigger and more skilled as he matures.

The rest of the team? Alan Anderson was a solid defender and sometimes spectacular scorer off the bench and has earned himself a decent raise either in Toronto or elsewhere. The mess of Kleiza/Pietrus/Fields at small forward has luckily been dealt with as Rudy stepped into that slot, but can you imagine Pietrus starting 15 games this year? Well, it happened. Yikes. On the other hand Amir Johnson was OUTSTANDING. The dude was an absolute warrior all year and was the team's MVP with his steady play, defensive ability, and surprisingly dependable jumper. Terrence Ross won the dunk contest and his physical tools are evident. Ross should mold into a quality player but he remains a promising project. Quincy Acy filled in well late in the year, spent lots of time in the D-League, is active and athletic and a quality depth guy with good attitude. John Lucas was good in spot minutes, but he's not the type to run a team and Sebastian Telfair was brought in as insurance but likely won't be back, meaning the Raps will be seeing point guard depth in the summer. AND Aaron Gray is my favourite.

- Watch the Raptors top 10 plays of the 2012-13 season -

#KobeWatch Four

With a jumper in the second quarter of last night's 103-98 Lakers win over Sacramento, Kobe Bryant surpassed Wilt Chamberlain's career points record putting him in fourth position all-time.

Kobe now sits at 31,434 after eclipsing Wilt's 31,419. In my 2012-13 #KobeWatch preview I estimated Kobe wouldn't score any less than his career average of 25.4 after starting the season hot. Sure enough, Kobe has averaged 27.1 points per game this season, his 17th in the NBA.

With ten games remaining in the season, Kobe still had some room to top Wilt before the end of the year, but with the milestone already reached we can begin to look forward to the big one; Kobe passing Michael Jordan for third on the all-time list.

The all-time leading scorers list looks like this right now,

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 38,387
2. Karl Malone - 36,928
3. Michael Jordan - 32,292
4. Kobe Bryant - 31,434
5. Wilt Chamberlain - 31,419

If Kobe continues at his current pace of 27.1 points per game (conceivable with the Lakers in a tight Western Conference playoff race) for the remaining ten games, he'd finish with approximately 31,705 points at the end of the regular season.

That estimate would put Kobe 587 points behind Jordan's top-three all-time scoring record. If Kobe continues to average, say, 25 points per game next year, it would take him about 24 games at the start of the 2013-14 season to pass MJ, likely around mid-December.

Malone and Kareem are another story, but as we move along in Kobe's historic career we will continue the #KobeWatch. Follow along at 360special.

Link - Kobe sinks the mid-rangejumper to pass Wilt for fourth on the all-time scoring list

Link - Kobe on passing Wilt and what it means to him

A Fish in his Element

This story never made it to print with the Toronto Observer as far as I know. We were to have a year-end published section with two of our best stories and I held this profile of Carleton's Kevin Churchill to appear in print, but then graduated from school and never found out what happened to the story. Then I ran into Kev at the OUA Finals and he mentioned he'd never seen it. A full CIS season later and Churchill and Carleton are again national champs, with Churchill scoring another Ken Shields award along the way. My somewhat-forgotten blog may not be the perfect format for it, but the words tell the story. Enjoy!

Originally written October 18, 2012.

After the handshakes for rivals and teammates, and the hugs for friends and family, Kevin Churchill stands at centre court in the Ravens Nest looking around at his home away from home.

For the past four years the Toronto-native has immersed himself in the Carleton Ravens basketball life, and despite all the wins and the championships, it hasn’t been easy.

On this night he apologizes for the lackluster effort and talks about the many things the team still has to work on. Even though the Ravens just won 102-80 over Laval, Churchill seems disappointed.

“There was a stretch where we were getting out-rebounded, kind of out-hustled, and really that was not a great game for us,” Churchill explained. “We came out with a win, but a lot to work on from this game for sure.”

Nobody can sink every shot, but Churchill certainly comes the closest to perfection, as is evidenced by his league-leading 69 per cent shooting last year.

Expecting perfection has led the Carleton program to eight of the last 10 CIS national championships.

The Ravens endeavor to never be out-hustled, a trademark of the Dave Smart-led program now in its 14th season, always pushing the pace even if it means the bench keeps the team’s collective knee on the oppositions’ chest when they’re already up by 40.

“I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I came here,” said Churchill. “That standard’s just so much higher than what I was used to. It’s great though, you can never get complacent, there’s always something to be getting better on and it challenges you to be a better player and a better person every single day.”

At 9.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists per, Churchill’s numbers don’t represent how much he can influence a game. In fact, none of the Ravens’ numbers matter in their team-first system except one – wins.

In the forward’s senior year of high school, Smart showed up to an Ottawa-area tournament Churchill’s North Toronto Norsemen were playing in, liked what he saw, and began recruiting him.

“It’s hard to say no to a coach who has won as much as Dave has,” said Churchill.

“Looking at my options I could go to Carleton and try to learn whatever they do, or I could go somewhere else and probably lose to Carleton.”

The choice was obvious, but it also meant moving cities, leaving Toronto for Ottawa. And though he’s still going to root for the Leafs rather than the Senators, he’s made a mark on Ottawa.

Churchill has become involved in the community, lending a hand with both the Ottawa-area Spirit Program and Camp Merrywood, helping children with special needs. The 22-year-old also volunteers in Toronto at Swish for the Cure to help raise money for Childhood Cancer Canada research.

With these contributions, and his Academic All-Canadian status in his philosophy major, Churchill earned the OUA East Ken Shields Award last season, given to the student-athlete who best demonstrates outstanding achievements in basketball, academics, and community involvement.

“He’s a great guy,” said teammate and 2012 CIS MVP Tyson Hinz. “He’ll do anything for you if you need him. He’s a great teammate and you couldn’t ask anything more of him.”

Churchill has also shown his dedication on the court. The forward worked himself from the last man on the bench to a starter and became an integral part of the Ravens’ rotation in his third year.

“He wasn’t looking to just play right away he wanted to learn and be good when he got to play, and he is,” said Smart.

“Kev’s obviously a leader on this team, but he can also really score. There’s still not a lot of guys in the country who can cover him one-on-one.”

Along the way, Churchill has learned much about basketball and himself, and would recommend the Carleton program to anybody who has the opportunity, even if they’re from Toronto.

“It’s amazing,” said Churchill. “You learn a lot about yourself. There’s never a day off, you’re going to be challenged every single day to get better and it’s not going to be easy some days but it’s just a matter of getting through that and there’s nothing really like it anywhere I’ve ever seen. I’d recommend it to everybody, to be honest, there’s nothing like it.”

Raps Wrap: December

"It's desperation time" - DeMar DeRozan

Toronto's December games are a tale of two halves. 

The Raptors started the month losing their first six games, the first five of which came on a Western Conference road swing, but have turned around their fortunes with inspired play of late.

As frustrations mounted during the lowest moments of the losing streak, the team fell to a 4-18 record after a tough loss December 10th to the Portland Trail Blazers that saw both Andrea Bargnani and Kyle Lowry leave the game with injuries, and Amir Johnson ejected after tossing his mouth-guard at an official.

Then on December 14th, sitting at 4-19 with nowhere to go but up, the Raps started turning things around with a blowout win over the Dallas Mavericks back home at the Air Canada Centre as the schedule began to soften up a bit.

Including the Dallas game, the Raptors reeled off five straight victories and finished the month at .500 having now won seven of their last eight.

At the heart of this turnaround has been the team's commitment to defence.

Toronto has allowed just 91.8 points per game in the eight contests since the losing streak ended. In their first 23 games, the team had allowed 102.6 points per game. This places the Raptors 24th in the league in opponents' points allowed at 99.8 points per game.

Even though Bargnani remains on the shelf, and now Jonas Valanciunas is out four-to-six weeks with a broken finger, the Raps did regain Alan Anderson and Landry Fields from their injuries. Lowry didn't miss much time, and they also added veteran free agent wing Mickael Pietrus.

The engine that powered the Raptors during this bright pocket has been Jose Calderon who averaged a double-double in points and assists, shot the ball well from distance, dictated the tempo, and set up his teammates. With Lowry's return, Calderon has stayed the starter while Lowry has provided a boost from the bench. While this isn't what the team brass envisioned when acquiring Lowry in the offseason, Calderon has proven himself indispensible. 

Ed Davis has stepped up in Bargnani's absence and rookie Terrence Ross has also seen an increase in minutes and confidence within the team's second unit. He continues to be effective inside and out and is showing some of the potential that made him the eight overall pick this past June. Ross has shone both in the second unit and alongside DeMar DeRozan, who has been equally impressive averaging 24.8 points in his last five games.

Three-pointers have also been key to the team's success as their 77 long bombs have paced the Eastern Conference in the second half of December.

But where to go from here?

Sitting at 11-20, the Raptors are still in the huge hole they dug themselves into with their terrible start. In the middling East that puts them just 3.5 games out of a playoff spot. They also have a home-heavy schedule coming up and the team is a surprisingly decent 7-5 on the ACC court.

In the deal for Lowry, the Raptors dealt their first-round pick in the upcoming draft, with the caveat being that the pick is top-three protected. During the losing streak it seemed like Toronto was one of the worst three teams in the NBA, but now they sit somewhere between high draft pick and low playoff spot.

Should they miss out on the playoffs by a few spots, they'll also have no pick in the 2013 draft and retain much the same roster heading into next season, barring moves through trade or free agency. 

Does this mean a big roster shuffle is coming? If the team is playing better without Bargnani, will they look to deal him once he's healthy? Is Calderon the team's most important player? How good is this team really?

The previous installment of Raps Wrap for the month of November was titled "Five feet under" a quote from Kyle Lowry, and this month I leave you with another hole reference from head coach Dwane Casey.

"We were in a 4 1/2-foot hole; now we're in a 3 1/2-foot hole trying to crawl our way out."

7th Men of the NBA

 I've been mulling the idea for awhile, and believe some credit or investigation at the very least should go to finding the NBA's best seventh men. The Sixth Man of the Year Award is handed out annually to the player who most impacts his team from the bench. Guys like Manu Ginobili, James Harden, Lamar Odom and Jamal Crawford have been recognized for their contributions while out of the starting lineup, but the teams with depth who can made the first substitution of the game a double are truly dangerous. Obviously injuries, coaching strategy, and other circumstances shift a player's role, but here's an attempt at making a top 10 for the season so far,

1. Eric Bledsoe, LAC - 10.1ppg, 3.0apg, 50%FG, 0 games started, behind sixth man Jamal Crawford
2. Jeff Green, BOS - 9.8ppg, 3.0rpg, 45%FG, 0 games started, behind sixth man Courtney Lee
3. Derrick Favors, UTA - 9.3ppg, 7.5rpg, 2 games started, behind sixth man Randy Foye
4. Larry Sanders, MIL - 7.6ppg, 7.7rpg, 3 games started, behind sixth man Mike Dunleavy 
5. Steve Novak, NYK - 8.6ppg, 47 3s, 0 games started, behind sixth man JR Smith
6. Amir Johnson, TOR - 7.3ppg, 5.4rpg, 50%FG, 0 games started behind sixth man Jose Calderon
7. Nick Collison, OKC - 6.1ppg, 3.9rpg, 64%FG, 0 games started behind sixth man Kevin Martin
8. Stephen Jackson, SAS - 7.7ppg, 4.3rpg, 2 games started, behind sixth man Manu Ginobili
9. CJ Watson, BRK - 6.7ppg, 1.8apg, 1.3rpg, 0 games started, behind sixth man Andray Blatche
10. Taj Gibson, CHI - 5.9ppg, 4.5rpg, 0 games started, behind sixth man Nate Robinson

Also... Udonis Haslem, Andre Miller, JJ Barea?