<div align="center">Source - Associated Press</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">MIAMI - Shaquille O'Neal ranked among the NBA leaders in scoring and rebounding a year ago, helped carry the Miami Heat within one game of the Finals and was a narrow runner-up to Steve Nash in the MVP voting. Impressive? Not in O'Neal's estimation. "I was normal. ... I was an earthling last season," a relaxed, smiling and confident O'Neal said Monday, when the Heat held their annual media day on the eve of training camp. "I had to go back to my alien roots." What that meant was a rededication to weight training, something O'Neal avoided a year ago in a regimen that helped him shed 30 pounds and get perhaps slimmer than he'd been in a decade. He's noticeably bigger than he was at the end of last season, particularly in the upper body, and believes he'll be tougher to guard. "I expect Shaq will be the most dominant force in the NBA," Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said. "I've got a little bit of history to back that up." O'Neal - who averaged 22.9 points and 10.4 rebounds during the regular season, his 13th straight with averages of 20-plus points and 10-plus boards - took pride in losing the weight, but his body betrayed him at the most critical time of last season. "I was kind of weak," said O'Neal, who played at 327 pounds. "Last year he just lost weight," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. "And I think at the end of the year that kind of took a toll on him because he didn't have that strength that he used to, to fall back on. ... Shaq is motivated to do something better and help the team." O'Neal said he packed on at least 10 pounds of new muscle, increasing his self-admitted weight to 340. He endured two-a-day summertime sessions in the weight room with Jerome Crawford, his longtime bodyguard, hoping it'll be enough to get him through an injury-free season. "I like him the way he is now," new Heat guard Gary Payton said. "I think he just wanted to get in shape to show people he can do that. Shaq is Shaq when he's big and when he can muscle people around. I think people thought they could muscle him around. He didn't feel comfortable with that. ... It'll be a big difference." Not every teammate is thrilled with Shaq's new look. Alonzo Mourning is among those who have the unenviable task of guarding him in practice, a job that was never enjoyable and just got considerably less so. "He didn't have to do that," Mourning said, groaning a bit. "He's already heavy enough. Good gracious." His tone turning a bit more serious, Mourning said he believes O'Neal - who signed a $100 million, five-year deal in the offseason, turning down at least another $25 million so the Heat could have plenty of flexibility to sign other players - will be even more valuable during his second season with the Heat. "He's going to be extremely effective for this team," Mourning said. "All he has to do is show up on that block. His presence alone is enough for this team." O'Neal said he does not have a target weight, yet isn't likely to revert back to the pre-Miami Shaq, who often played at an estimated 360 pounds during the latter years of his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. A reporter asked O'Neal if he was already feeling stronger than he did a year ago, and the 12-time All-Star center didn't hesitate before offering another in his endless stream of comedic replies. "Why don't you bring your face up here and let me punch it?" O'Neal said, laughing. "Then you can tell me."</div>
Rant: Shaq where was this dedication when you were with the Lakers? Rant Over. Shaq is definitely focused to winning a title this season and making sure he's dominant again. I always thought he should work more on his conditioning in the off-season. His frame allows him to play well over 300+ lbs, but as he's gotten older his stamina isn't as good and it just takes longer to recover. The last few seasons it was hard for Shaq to be dominant in back to back games when the playoffs came around. Getting stronger, but also running and stretching will help Shaq be explosive again. 10lbs more of muscle over a summer is impressive though.
10 pounds isnt going to make Shaq more dominant then he already his. I would'nt blame his performace in the EC Finals because of his weight. Shaq wants his 4th title more than ever and is going 2 do anything to achieve it. Hardworking player.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GotSkillz92:</div><div class="quote_post">I would'nt blame his performace in the EC Finals because of his weight.</div>He was injured by that collision with Jermaine O'Neal and played injured throughout the playoffs. His ability to rebound, block shots, and his lift (to score) was affected but he still was the 2nd best performer on both teams. Wade was 1st.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GotSkillz92:</div><div class="quote_post">10 pounds isnt going to make Shaq more dominant then he already his. </div> By making this move Shaquille is trying to extend his career, and prevent his body from breaking down, not necessarily doing it to be more dominate. To Shapecity?s rant I agree with you I to am starting to question Shaq?s effort to get in shape when he was in Los Angeles. It seems like every superstar in the league who got traded recently has a new found work ethic Tarcy Shaq, Carter, etc.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Heat4Life:</div><div class="quote_post">He was injured by that collision with Jermaine O'Neal. You did know about this, right?</div> I knew about that but in the article it said that he didnt have enough weight to carry him through the postseason. I was kind of weak," said O'Neal, who played at 327 pounds. "Last year he just lost weight," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. "And I think at the end of the year that kind of took a toll on him because he didn't have that strength that he used to, to fall back on. ... Shaq is motivated to do something better and help the team." 327 pounds playing against 250,260 etc. He cant blame his weight for the performance. It wasnt bad but we're used to seeing shaq dominate. He didnt in the postseason.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GotSkillz92:</div><div class="quote_post">I knew about that but in the article it said that he didnt have enough weight to carry him through the postseason.</div>I think you missed the point of what he meant.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GotSkillz92:</div><div class="quote_post">10 pounds isnt going to make Shaq more dominant then he already his. I would'nt blame his performace in the EC Finals because of his weight. Shaq wants his 4th title more than ever and is going 2 do anything to achieve it. Hardworking player.</div> It's not just 10lbs, it's 10lbs of muscle he added to his body. Adding muscle mass will allow Shaq to be more dominant, because it should allow him to be more explosive and his body won't tire out as easy. The key for him will be his ability to have the stamina to support the extra 13 pounds he put on over the summer.
I don't know how much it matters how much Shaq weighs. It matters how he actually delievers during the season. In the playoffs it wasn't his weight that was the primary factor, it was more of the injury he sustained.
You know Shaq can go for a record 14 seasons averaging 20 and 10 if he does it next season, it will be interesting to see, but I'm pretty sure he's gonna do it. Anyways, 10 pounds of muscle for a guy like Shaq is always good, if he can be healthy come playoff time, the Heat will be scarier.
i know he`s a great player an all that but shaq really does talk like a plum every time he says something you think "is this guy ACTUALLY that immature"
Gary Payton was commenting on Shaq: Point guard Gary Payton, one of the 12 players added to the Heat this summer, played with O'Neal when O'Neal was at his largest, during the 2003-04 season in Los Angeles. Payton said last year's version of O'Neal was not the more effective one. ''I didn't like him as light as he was,'' Payton said. ``I thought he should've been a little bit bulkier. That's how we know him as Shaq Diesel. This year he put [weight] on his upper body a little bit more. I think you're going to see a lot more dunking. I like him the way he is now. ``We talked about that, and I think it's going to be a big difference. I think he's going to come out real strong this year. He didn't like the 19 [points] and 10 [rebounds] he was getting, and I didn't like it either. So this year we'll get him back to 26 and 13 and he'll be fine.'' Some extra Shaq comments: O'Neal, however, said he felt weak at times because he was a few pounds lighter. He also believes he would not have been injured during last year's playoffs had he been physically stronger. ''Last summer I did cardio, didn't really do any weights at all,'' O'Neal said Monday. ``Last year I felt kind of weak, especially there at the end. I've been hitting the weights a lot harder.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">Rant: Shaq where was this dedication when you were with the Lakers? Rant Over. </div> he get them three rings
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting chuck d:</div><div class="quote_post">i know he`s a great player an all that but shaq really does talk like a plum every time he says something you think "is this guy ACTUALLY that immature"</div> cuz he doesn't like to be serious all day long he likes to joke around
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Heat4Life:</div><div class="quote_post"> ''I didn't like him as light as he was,'' Payton said. ``I thought he should've been a little bit bulkier. That's how we know him as Shaq Diesel. This year he put [weight] on his upper body a little bit more. I think you're going to see a lot more dunking. I like him the way he is now. </div> All he does is dunk, thats the thing; everybody knows thats what he's going to do. Thats why teams just wait for him to make his move, then they resort to the hack-A-Shaq. yah, he says that he'll make his free throws when they count, but I think teams are taking there chances on that. And fortunately for the Pistons the chances swung on their side... Plus, he was bulkier the year he lost to the Spurs, he was more bulkier, when he lost to the Pistons. What makes you think him being bulkier now is going to make a difference? <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Heat4Life:</div><div class="quote_post"> ``We talked about that, and I think it's going to be a big difference. I think he's going to come out real strong this year. He didn't like the 19 [points] and 10 [rebounds] he was getting, and I didn't like it either. So this year we'll get him back to 26 and 13 and he'll be fine.''</div> So whats wrong with 19 & 10? Thats a double-double in my book; if you can't win with those numbers, then maybe it's other players on the team that needs to step it up... <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Heat4Life:</div><div class="quote_post"> ''Last summer I did cardio, didn't really do any weights at all,'' O'Neal said Monday. ``Last year I felt kind of weak, especially there at the end. I've been hitting the weights a lot harder. </div> Weak because people were pushing him around, or weak because he's trying to catch his breath? I think his weight was perfect last year, I just thought that fatigue was setting in. If that was the case, then he wasn't doing enough cardio.... Over all, I felt they had that game seven and I don't believe that the players injuries were a factor; they just didn't execute at the end.... Here's an extra Shaq comment: How about picking up your free throw percentage to 70%... If you did that, you wouldn't have to worry about how weak you felt in the stretch; just go to the line and make your baskets. You'd probably be more of a threat then the fact that you can bully yourself in the paint... Why? Because these days, refs call the charging foul on you more then ever before... So I'm going to bank that everytime you try to bang it up, your going to cause a turnover...
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Plus, he was bulkier the year he lost to the Spurs, he was more bulkier, when he lost to the Pistons. What makes you think him being bulkier now is going to make a difference? </div> that bulk was fat, at that time shaq was close to 370 alot of which was fat. he added 10 pounds of upper body muscle, it different.
I have to dissagree with that.. In the beginning of the 2004 season he hitting the weight room to get big. This was his goal as well; to get stronger in the post. Unfortunately, he was getting too heavey for his feet to handle, thats why I think has problems with his toe. by the end of the season its already starting to flare... I just think that his weight last year was/is more suited for this generations type of game. Its much faster now, and because guys are able to double team a player with out the ball, he has to keep moving which is going to require him to keep his stamina. If you don't have stamina, I don't care how much muscle you have; you will get tired...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Lamont:</div><div class="quote_post">that bulk was fat, at that time shaq was close to 370 alot of which was fat. he added 10 pounds of upper body muscle, it different.</div> I have to dissagree with that.. In the beginning of the 2004 season he was hitting the weight room to get big. This was his goal as well; to get stronger in the post. Unfortunately, he was getting too heavey for his feet to handle, thats why I think he has problems with his toe. by the end of the regualr season its already starting to flare... I just think that his weight last year was/is more suited for this generations type of game. Its much faster now, and because guys are able to double team a player with out the ball, he has to keep moving which is going to require him to keep his stamina. If you don't have stamina, I don't care how much muscle you have; you will get tired...
