Tracey (Miami, Fl.): Thanks for taking our questions Ric. In local media, Shaq has continuously called you one of his all-time haters. What issues do you have with him and why do you prefer Kobe? Ric Bucher: When Shaq was being discounted as just a big lug who dunked the ball and was being frozen out of his first all-star game, I stood up for him. I knew he was a lot better than that. In his days with the Lakers before all the Kobe-Shaq mess, he was an unstoppable force. Now? He's paying for all those years he wasn't in great shape. In any case, it's not personal with me. Like KG said, there'd have to be something wrong with you not to like Shaq. He's a funny, personable guy. He's also a bit of a clown who hasn't always been dedicated to his job and frequently makes rude, insensitive comments. I watched a clip of him today telling us about how he's a humble big man. The next breath he's saying he was the baddest at every age he's ever been, including now. So which is it? With Shaq, as with every player, I've simply tried to portray them as I see them and not be misled by what popular opinion is. And the people I look up to? They don't tell me who and what they are. They show me. One last thing: there's a difference between being humble and being humbled. I don't prefer Kobe -- I respect his approach to his job and I feel he's been maligned as much as Shaq has been overly glorified. I'm just doing my part to try to balance the scales a bit. I don't see that as playing favorites. I see it as doing my job.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">Tracey (Miami, Fl.): Thanks for taking our questions Ric. In local media, Shaq has continuously called you one of his all-time haters. What issues do you have with him and why do you prefer Kobe? Ric Bucher: When Shaq was being discounted as just a big lug who dunked the ball and was being frozen out of his first all-star game, I stood up for him. I knew he was a lot better than that. In his days with the Lakers before all the Kobe-Shaq mess, he was an unstoppable force. Now? He's paying for all those years he wasn't in great shape. In any case, it's not personal with me. Like KG said, there'd have to be something wrong with you not to like Shaq. He's a funny, personable guy. He's also a bit of a clown who hasn't always been dedicated to his job and frequently makes rude, insensitive comments. I watched a clip of him today telling us about how he's a humble big man. The next breath he's saying he was the baddest at every age he's ever been, including now. So which is it? With Shaq, as with every player, I've simply tried to portray them as I see them and not be misled by what popular opinion is. And the people I look up to? They don't tell me who and what they are. They show me. One last thing: there's a difference between being humble and being humbled. I don't prefer Kobe -- I respect his approach to his job and I feel he's been maligned as much as Shaq has been overly glorified. I'm just doing my part to try to balance the scales a bit. I don't see that as playing favorites. I see it as doing my job.</div> Ric Bucher needs a new job. His days as a BSPN Anchor/Columnist are numbered. Fire Mitch! Hire Ric!
