http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21088633/
Divorce aside, Shaq usual cheery, playful self On eve of Heat's camp, O'Neal refuses to discuss personal life
The Associated Press
Updated: 2:07 p.m. PT Oct 1, 2007
UpdateTimeStamp('633268696368330000');
MIAMI - Shaquille O’Neal’s offseason included some yoga, hunting and even ultimate fighting. Yes, there are apparently people out there willing to don headgear and fight a 7-foot-1, 330-pound powerhouse.
His record?
“77-0,” O’Neal claimed, before asking for volunteers to try out his choke hold.
There were moments Monday, on the eve of Miami Heat training camp, that O’Neal seemed like his usual playful and cheery self. He referred to himself as CEO of the Heat, demoting coach Pat Riley to vice president, and interrupted Antoine Walker’s live radio interview with a bear hug.
This year, though, Shaq also has a sad side.
The Heat center, the names of his six children tattooed on his wrists, filed for divorce Sept. 4, although he actually signed the papers weeks earlier. His mood instantly turned sullen when discussing the situation.
“It’s something that I won’t discuss now with you guys. Won’t discuss 10 years from now. Won’t ever discuss it,” O’Neal said. “If I ever do have a bad game or bad couple games, I won’t blame it on that. ... It’s something that I obviously have to deal with and I’m going to deal with it the best way possible.”
He’s getting help from the team in that regard, too.
Riley’s voice dropped to barely a whisper when asked about O’Neal’s personal turmoil Monday, saying “all you can do is support and do things the best you can.” Some teammates said they approached O’Neal privately to offer whatever help they could.
“Shaq is a professional,” Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. “I think guys who have a lot to do with sports in their jobs use it to get away from anything that’s going on personally in their lives. Basketball is kind of that way out. I’m sure when he comes in here, he’ll be focused on what we’re trying to do and he’ll deal with everything else.”
Training camp might be coming at the perfect time for O’Neal — in that it provides a needed diversion.
“Nothing is easy,” O’Neal said. “Basketball has always been a release. It’s something I have to deal with and I’ve been programmed to deal with any situation.”
Things are far from perfect for the Heat, whose championship reign ended with a first-round loss to the Chicago Bulls five months ago. Wade is still recovering from offseason knee and shoulder operations, and the rotation has many question marks — since the training-camp roster has nine players who weren’t with Miami for the failed title defense last season.
But the core of the team that beat Dallas in six games for the 2006 title is still here, and most of those veterans believe Miami should be back among the NBA’s elite.
“We have enough guys who can score,” Riley said. “We have two of the very best players in the league in Shaquille and Dwyane and we have a lot of other players who I feel, if they’re healthy, can fill in. ... We have enough.”
For whatever reason, Miami didn’t have enough last year. Far from it.
O’Neal missed much of the first half of the season with a knee injury after trying to take a charge. He finished with career-lows in games (40), scoring (17.3 points), rebounds (7.4), minutes (28.4) and free-throw percentage (.422).
Wade dislocated his shoulder in February, and although he returned late in the year, was never close to 100 percent. Riley himself missed 22 games because of knee and hip surgery.
“A lot of things went wrong,” O’Neal said.
Miami shook off a slow start to get into the playoff mix, but was simply outplayed by the younger Bulls in the opening round. After five months — the longest offseason of O’Neal’s career — the Heat finally have a chance to start anew when camp formally begins Tuesday.
“It lingered for a long time,” O’Neal said. “It was very, very disappointing for a numerous amount of reasons. But in this society we live in, this world we live in ... you can’t win them all.”
Except, perhaps, when he’s in the ultimate fighting cage.
“It’s time for me to step up a little,” O’Neal said. “And I have no problem doing that.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21088633/
Divorce aside, Shaq usual cheery, playful self On eve of Heat's camp, O'Neal refuses to discuss personal life
The Associated Press
Updated: 2:07 p.m. PT Oct 1, 2007
UpdateTimeStamp('633268696368330000');
MIAMI - Shaquille O’Neal’s offseason included some yoga, hunting and even ultimate fighting. Yes, there are apparently people out there willing to don headgear and fight a 7-foot-1, 330-pound powerhouse.
His record?
“77-0,” O’Neal claimed, before asking for volunteers to try out his choke hold.
There were moments Monday, on the eve of Miami Heat training camp, that O’Neal seemed like his usual playful and cheery self. He referred to himself as CEO of the Heat, demoting coach Pat Riley to vice president, and interrupted Antoine Walker’s live radio interview with a bear hug.
This year, though, Shaq also has a sad side.
The Heat center, the names of his six children tattooed on his wrists, filed for divorce Sept. 4, although he actually signed the papers weeks earlier. His mood instantly turned sullen when discussing the situation.
“It’s something that I won’t discuss now with you guys. Won’t discuss 10 years from now. Won’t ever discuss it,” O’Neal said. “If I ever do have a bad game or bad couple games, I won’t blame it on that. ... It’s something that I obviously have to deal with and I’m going to deal with it the best way possible.”
He’s getting help from the team in that regard, too.
Riley’s voice dropped to barely a whisper when asked about O’Neal’s personal turmoil Monday, saying “all you can do is support and do things the best you can.” Some teammates said they approached O’Neal privately to offer whatever help they could.
“Shaq is a professional,” Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. “I think guys who have a lot to do with sports in their jobs use it to get away from anything that’s going on personally in their lives. Basketball is kind of that way out. I’m sure when he comes in here, he’ll be focused on what we’re trying to do and he’ll deal with everything else.”
Training camp might be coming at the perfect time for O’Neal — in that it provides a needed diversion.
“Nothing is easy,” O’Neal said. “Basketball has always been a release. It’s something I have to deal with and I’ve been programmed to deal with any situation.”
Things are far from perfect for the Heat, whose championship reign ended with a first-round loss to the Chicago Bulls five months ago. Wade is still recovering from offseason knee and shoulder operations, and the rotation has many question marks — since the training-camp roster has nine players who weren’t with Miami for the failed title defense last season.
But the core of the team that beat Dallas in six games for the 2006 title is still here, and most of those veterans believe Miami should be back among the NBA’s elite.
“We have enough guys who can score,” Riley said. “We have two of the very best players in the league in Shaquille and Dwyane and we have a lot of other players who I feel, if they’re healthy, can fill in. ... We have enough.”
For whatever reason, Miami didn’t have enough last year. Far from it.
O’Neal missed much of the first half of the season with a knee injury after trying to take a charge. He finished with career-lows in games (40), scoring (17.3 points), rebounds (7.4), minutes (28.4) and free-throw percentage (.422).
Wade dislocated his shoulder in February, and although he returned late in the year, was never close to 100 percent. Riley himself missed 22 games because of knee and hip surgery.
“A lot of things went wrong,” O’Neal said.
Miami shook off a slow start to get into the playoff mix, but was simply outplayed by the younger Bulls in the opening round. After five months — the longest offseason of O’Neal’s career — the Heat finally have a chance to start anew when camp formally begins Tuesday.
“It lingered for a long time,” O’Neal said. “It was very, very disappointing for a numerous amount of reasons. But in this society we live in, this world we live in ... you can’t win them all.”
Except, perhaps, when he’s in the ultimate fighting cage.
“It’s time for me to step up a little,” O’Neal said. “And I have no problem doing that.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21088633/
