It’s no secret that Dwight Howard and Shaquille O’Neal are not exactly fond of one another. The fact that Howard uses the Superman nickname and has basically followed the same career path as Shaq has resulted in the four-time NBA champion being anything but friendly towards Howard. Additionally, Shaq tends to use any chance he gets to throw the Los Angeles Lakers’ newest superstar under the bus.
Ironically enough, this season Shaq will have his No. 34 jersey retired and raised up to the rafters alongside other Lakers greats like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain. It would be safe to assume that there will be a fair amount of tension in the air on April 2, 2013 when the retirement ceremony for Shaq will take place at the Staples Center.
As an NBA analyst for TNT, it’s Shaq’s job is to express his opinions and make predictions. With that said, Shaq’s jabs at Howard are not coming out of leftfield. Shaq is asked questions and he merely responds with honest answers.
Recently, Shaq was once again asked about his former team’s adjustments to a new-look roster. The future Hall of Famer responded with the following, after being asked about the Lakers switching the Princeton offense: According to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com via Twitter:
.@shaq on a NBA on TNT conference call today about the Lakers: “If they’re going to switch offenses, they should go back to the Triangle”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 23, 2012
It’s been hard to see the impact of the new Lakers offense during the first six games of the preseason, as many players have come in and out of the lineup. With the starters having limited time on the floor, the offense has yet to flow or reach the potential the coaching staff hopes that it will, during the regular season.
As for the Triangle offense, Phil Jackson was able to successfully use it with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. With 11 NBA titles to his credit among the two teams, there’s no question that the Triangle office can be successful if done the right way.
Obviously, Lakers Coach Mike Brown does not want to go that route, as Coach Brown specialty is defense. It remains to be seen if Brown’s coaching style and emphasis on the defensive end of the floor will pay off, but the implementation of the Princeton offense definitely shows a willingness to change and improve the team’s offensive performance.
