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Dunking on Shaq By Christopher Sells
07.21.2009 - Updated on 07.21.2009
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Few things are guaranteed to the NBA big man. But if anything is certain in a center’s life, it is this:
You will get dunked on.
Sure, these guys probably have more longevity than your average NBA guard (you can’t teach height, after all) but many bigs are often thought of as unmarketable, awkward, plodding players that are only drawing an NBA check because they have to duck to get through most doors. This makes them less popular than many of their smaller, quicker and more coordinated counterparts and means that they get the short end of the stick in many cases.
This is not true for every player, but hovering around the seven foot mark means you have a target on your head that you cannot escape. How often have we heard of teams taking bets on who will dunk on the latest giant to enter the league? It’s almost inescapable and it doesn’t discriminate based on the amount of talent the player possesses. Scrubs and superstars get smashed on alike. Don’t believe me? Check the evidence.
Hakeem Olajuwon: dunked on. Tim Duncan: dunked on. Manute Bol: dunked on. Yao Ming: dunked on. Dikembe Mutombo: dunked on so much that someone made a top 10. Alonzo Mourning: ditto. Shawn Bradley: embarrased. Michael Olowokandi: used. Dwight Howard: caught slipping. Frederic Weis: teabagged. Patrick Ewing: disrespected. Greg Ostertag: you get the picture. Pick a big man’s name out of the NBA’s history books and you’ll undoubtedly find a video, photo or story of some sort about the time he got caught slipping and paid for it with his dignity.
If there’s one player who seems to have mostly escaped this curse, it’s Shaquille O’Neal. Sure, Derrick Coleman got him early in his career and Andrew Bynum put a nice spin move on him once, but dunking on Shaq is a rare feat. It’s so rare that Kobe had to wait unitl his back was turned during practice to get him. There are a few other examples floating around out there, but you won’t find enough for a top 10, maybe not even a top 5.
How has Shaq managed to avoid the plight that has befallen so many others? For one, he’s a pretty big guy (understatement). Shaq has tossed people around his whole career because he’s just flat out stronger than they are. For another, Shaq has a mean streak and a reputation for flattening would-be assailants as soon as they enter the lane. He’s Shaq. He dishes out the punishment, he doesn’t take it. That’s just the way it is.
Now that you’ve been educated, please pass this information along to NBA rookies Jonny Flynn and James Harden. These two lottery picks have talent to spare and should likely have fruitful careers with their respective teams. But someone needs to let these guys know that it’s OK to decline answering some questions. The media isn’t out to get them or anything, but they want interviewees to say something that they can refer to later to get viewers, readers and listeners excited. Something that might get them embarassed or hurt.
Something like saying they want to dunk on Shaq.
Flynn committed this error on the four-letter network (around the 4:03 on this video) and Harden while talking to someone from the NBA’s summer league coverage (around 1:30). Innocent questions asked and answers that weren’t even cocky or disrespectful. But is this honestly the tree these guys want to climb?
Shaq isn’t a bad answer, actually. His reputation precedes him as a player that doesn’t get dunled on and these guys used him as the most unlikely answer, kind of like kids saying that they want to be president when they grow up. Aim high, right? Shoot for the moon and if you miss, you’ll still probably stick one on Erick Dampier, Roy Hibbert or some other unbelievably tall and marginally talented player. Because you’re not going to get one on Mr. O’Neal, especially not after you’ve put him on alert.
Hasheem Thabeet, consider yourself warned.
[Photo courtesy of Keith Allison] |
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Posted by
noooooooooob
on 07.22.2009 | shaq will put a body on you when you try to get him. which makes dunkers avoid him or even fear him . | Posted by
Snika
on 07.22.2009 | Here is the difference, Dikembe and Zo tried to block everything, and if you dunked on them... they just blocked your next 10 attempts. If you TRY to dunk on Shaq, he will knock you to the ground, and kill you. He is not afraid to hurt you, plus it was your decision to try to embara-------him... don’t make that mistake youngsters! . | Posted by
Fresh-prince
on 07.22.2009 | lebron will dunk on shaq in Practice just like kobe did . | Posted by
Dezflo
on 07.21.2009 | If you’ll notice he will only jump if he knows he’s got it. His ego can’t take it! He’ll just look and pause like it’s too late where as in the same situations alonzo or dikembe would have jumped. Not knocking shaq though! Getin dunked on is embarressing, especially when your a markee center(see vince carter vs zo or shaq vs dikembe, ect). It doesn’t cost the game plus your a poster child! I guess it’s just another way that makes shaq diesel like nothing we’ve ever seen! . | Posted by
40inchleaper
on 07.21.2009 | Shaq and Vince had an agreement that both of them will not dunk on each other. Hmm... it was during the high-flying days of Vince Carter. was it a preventive measure for Shaq? . | Posted by
alexb
on 07.21.2009 | amare will dunk on shaq this season watchG0 SunS ! . | Posted by
ronh
on 07.21.2009 | Someone will dunk on shaq this upcoming season it is just a matter of time. . |
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