PAT Riley already has waited far too long; it’s time to fetch Willie Mays from San Francisco for a candid conversation with Shaquille O’Neal.
And, by all means, ask the Say Hey Kid to bring along some footage of the unsightly end of his career in a Mets uniform – losing fly balls in the sun (and that was during night games) and being whiffed by nobodies with nothing on the ball – in hopes of getting his point across:
Leave the Heat’s two-year guarantee on the table and retire reasonably graciously; when you’ve banked as much as O’Neal has, the additional $40 million isn’t worth looking foolish every game against every other game . . . not even in a divorce year.
Members of the Shaq Paq are hereby advised to spare themselves the spectacle . . . in-person or in high definition.
Regardless of whether he’s being weighed down by age, injury, a scrub-infested roster, 21 losses in 29 games, an unserviceable odometer, improper training, personal problems or the whistle blowers suddenly prohibiting him to reach, grab and hold or plow into opponents, The Big Aristotle is fading fast.
Experience has taught me that the referees always are the first to notice when it’s over. Statistics support the sad truth: O’Neal is averaging 14 points (9.7 FGA and 5.3 FTA) and 7.8 rebounds in 28.8 minutes. His career numbers, including this season, are 25.6 (17.5 and 10) points and 11.5 boards in 37 minutes.
Not to say O’Neal is no longer a league leader; he tops all happy hackers with an average of 4.1 fouls, including six disqualifications, and a streak of five straight broken Christmas when Riley sat him with just under seven minutes left after he’d picked up personal No. 5.
In 16 seasons, it’s interesting to note, O’Neal has fouled out 53 times, eight as a rookie in 1992-93. Once his reputation was cemented in Year 3, he fouled out a grand total of five times over a four- season stretch.
You’re get ting old if you can remember when each game, two or three oppo nents used to get four, five or six fouls trying to guard O’Neal.
The results are no better for O’Neal at Miami’s offensive end of the floor. For those who’ve so much as caught a glimpse or a scent, clearly his teammates aren’t good enough to feed off him, and he’s not good enough to feed off them.
Even Dwyane Wade, having missed the first seven games due to offseason surgeries, could use some serious help until he regains his conditioning, shooting rhythm and feel for the game. A couple of setbacks ago to the Cavaliers on Christmas Day, Wade aborted half of his 16 free throws and committed five turnovers, a category he leads the league in at 4.5; Jason Kidd and Allen Iverson are his nearest competitions at 3.7.
Wednesday night’s 96-85 loss to the 76ers is a perfect illustration of how distorted Riley’s offensive scheme has become and how low O’Neal has sunk on its totem poll, either by design or oversight.
In four ticks fewer than 29 minutes, O’Neal took four shots and made two, went to the line four times and converted one, grabbed 10 rebounds and had zero assists.
I have no idea how many times O’Neal touched the ball on entry passes once he got below the foul line.
Meanwhile, all eight of O’Neal’s illustrious teammates who played (five saw fewer minutes than Shaq; three between 7:47 and 15:59), touched it enough to loft up at least four or more shots. Wade got the most (10-22), Ricky Davis converted 9 of 18 and rookie Daequan Cook rose up for 15, hitting five.
I retract what I wrote above; later for Willie Mays and his film of yesteryear. O’Neal would’ve retired yesterday if forced to eyeball such silliness.
It’s irrelevant whether O’Neal is rapidly closing in on retirement or death, Riley is utilizing him as if he were Aristotle Onassis instead of The Big Aristotle.
That whine you just heard was O’Neal complaining about his achy left hip. Uh-oh, stay tuned, I sense a two-for-one, coach-player surgery special announcement.
How much time do you think Jeff Van Gundy and Rony Seikaly will need to be ready?