I will say this about Shaq’s book, he isn’t pulling any punches and from the excerpts I have read it doesn’t appears he is embellishing things.
His thoughts on Kobe and now Lebron are not uncommon for those who have been covering the NBA for awhile. Frankly even casual fans probably knew this was going on with Lebron.
Here is what the Diesel had to say.
“Our coach, Mike Brown, was a nice guy, but he had to live on edge because nobody was supposed to be confrontational with LeBron. Nobody wanted him to leave Cleveland, so he was allowed to do whatever he wanted to do.
“I remember one day in a film session LeBron didn’t get back on defense after a missed shot. Mike Brown didn’t say anything about it. He went to the next clip and it was Mo Williams not getting back and Mike was saying, ‘Yo, Mo, we can’t have that. You’ve got to hustle a little more.’ So Delonte West is sitting there and he’s seen enough and he stands up and says, ‘Hold up, now. You can’t be pussyfooting around like that. Everyone has to be accountable for what they do, not just some us.’ Mike Brown said, ‘I know, Delonte. I know.’ Mike knew Delonte was right.
“I’m not sure if Kobe [Bryant] is going to listen to Mike Brown [now Lakers coach]. LeBron never really did.”
O’Neal also offered his perspective on James’ flameout in the 2011 NBA Finals for the Heat, equating it to James’ struggles in the 2010 playoffs with the Cavaliers against the Celtics.
“There’s no question in Game 5 LeBron was kind of out of it. . . . I always believed he could turn it on at any moment, but for some reason he didn’t. Not against the Celtics in 2010 and not against the Mavericks in 2011. It was weird. It’s one thing to be a passer, but you are supposed to be the One.
“I’m watching him play against Dallas, and they’re swinging the ball and they get him a perfect open look — and he’s kicking it to Mario Chalmers. Makes no sense. I told people, ‘It’s like Michael Jordan told me. Before you succeed, you must first fail.’ “
Do you find it curious that Delonte West name keeps popping up in regards to Lebron?
Just something to think about.
Star players are treated differently, but for role players it can be difficult to be called out while the star player get a pass. That is a recipe for disaster for any team.
Speaking specifically to Shaq’s claim that Lebron doesn’t have the killer instinct, that is something everyone has said. It isn’t that I think Lebron isn’t clutch it just seems to come in spurts, he isn’t consistent, he can look like a killer in one game and totally tentative in another. If he can ever find that consistency that would be the final piece to put him over the top to win the Championship he desperately needs to change his reputation.