Penny Hardaway was a 1st Team All NBA player in the 2 consecutive seasons before Shaq left (and was 3rd Team All NBA Shaq's first year in LA and then he got hurt). Shaq also had 3 time champion (and all star) Horace Grant starting at PF, and even guys like Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott were near 20 point scorers in the NBA. Yeah, I'd say Shaq had way more talent than Lebron did in Cleveland. Not even close and you really don't need to go past Penny Hardaway to reach that conclusion.
Orlando offered the same money that Los Angeles did. So while he didn't take less money, he didn't take more money either.
Shaq left because he didn't get along with Orlando's coach (hill) and was in the middle of a power struggle with Penny (sounds kind of familiar if you ask me), which became readily apparent the summer of 96 while Shaq was playing for the Olympic team, which was training in Orlando. Was their tampering, who the hell knows, but I could easily draw that conclusion just as you did with Lebron (without any proof mind you).
Your revisionist history here is just crazy and doesn't mimic reality at all.
Not exactly. Horace Grant was an all star one whole time. I think he was consistently very underrated, but I feel that way about Antwan Jamison too and he was all star twice
If you are comparing Jamison to Grant, who is the Penny Hardaway in Cleveland? Also, Jamison was 33 and two years removed from his last all star appearance (with deteriorating stats). Grant was 29 and 30 (his two seasons with Shaq) and was an all star in Orlando with Shaq.
Scott was averaging about 17ppg when Shaq left, but the two years before that it was 13 on poor shooting
Nick was a 15ppg guy also on not great shooting.
So you mean when Shaquille O'Neal, Penny Hardaway, and Horace Grant all join a team in consecutive seasons the scoring of the other players decreases. Stop the presses, this is the first time ever that this has happened. Dennis Scott is a career 40% shooter from 3 point range. I wouldn't exactly call him a poor shooter. Nick Anderson was a pretty efficient scorer during the Magic's hey day, when his role was greater he was a worse shooter (imagine that).
They were both good teams. They both went to the finals. Do you think Lebron could have won a ring with Shaq's cast in Orlando?
Lebron was a more similar player to the other pieces on that Magic team, so it probably wouldn't have been a well constructed team, but if you gave Lebron a PF or C as good as Penny Hardaway in Cleveland and they win at least one title if not more.
Also I was under the impression LA offered maybe 10mill less because Orlando had the bird rights, but Shaq made more money going to LA, which is the 2nd biggest market in America and put him close to many media people. Kobe for example has made more money in LA than he could have had he had the exact same career in Orlando and D Howard has thought of that
so by that logic, then Lebron will make more money in Miami then he could have made in Cleveland. I mean it works both ways. If you look at factors outside of the actual contract, then Lebron will also make more money in Miami (the state tax difference alone is huge - which actually worked in reverse for Shaq i.e. no state tax to fairly hefty state tax). You can't have it both ways.
The reality is Shaq did the exact same thing as Lebron and Shaq left a better team behind with a better management structure. But as with all things, it is ok for others, but not for Lebron. Shaq switches teams no problem. MJ misses or passes a final shot no problem. Lebron does it problem. Take your dislike of Lebron out of the equation as that is the only way you can see things clearly.
Topic: Steve Kerr: Lebron is more Pippen than MJ (Read 22139 times)