Shaquille O’Neal Questions LeBron James’ Desire

Shaq’s much anticipated autobiography continues to have excerpts leaked, which continues to fuel the sports media industry that has jumped on board this tabloid obsession that America is so saturated with.

The latest sees O’Neal discussing his time in Cleveland with LeBron and some of the bigger issues that plague his game today. Obviously we are referring to his ‘clutchness’ or whatever other ridiculous adjective we have invented to determine why a player was able to find success late in a game.

"“There’s no question in Game 5 LeBron was kind of out of it,” O’Neal wrote. “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.’”"

So once again we have the Michael Jordan and LeBron James comparison, once again we are talking about Boston and Dallas, once again we are talking about him supposedly giving up the big shots and once again we are questioning his (mocking quotational fingers) killer instinct.

There are a lot of us common sensical people out there that have become all too tired of these arguments, but I am getting to the point now where it’s just background noise. I have accepted that this idiotical crap will most likely never go away, so I had better make peace with it.

I’m getting there.

I am not going to stand up and defend the way he played against Dallas in the Finals this year. I watched all 48 minutes of every game and I sat through every second of those 48 minutes telling myself the real LeBron James would soon stand up.

We only saw him on a handful of plays.

That is inexcusable and I get it, but what I don’t get is why everyone was so quick to forget the Eastern Conference Semi Finals against Boston and the Eastern Conference Finals against Chicago.

LeBron James, for the majority of those series’, single handedly carried the Heat. Chris Bosh turned up one night per series and Dwyane Wade was completely out of it. They obviously have nothing else. James buried the Celtics time and time again, then moved onto the MVP, allowed one basket when defending the POINT GUARD and again made all the big shots for the Heat.

He gets to the Finals and that all disappeared, but Dwyane Wade certainly improves from his disappearing act in the Eastern Conference Semis and Finals. LeBron James is crucified for his apparent constant late game failures, despite everyone proclaiming him as Jordan’s second coming only a week earlier including Scottie Pippen (the least likely man to say so), and Dwyane Wade is for some reason elevated to the game’s best player, to Miami’s hero and to be carrying the team?

I love Dwyane Wade, but that made absolutely no sense.

I am going to leave that argument right there, because no one wants to get drawn back into this never-ending bullshit, least of all me.

Shaq’s comments aren’t surprising, but probably are not as well though out given the huge promises he gave the city of Cleveland upon his arrival, and never actually showing anything of what he said he still had, particularly in the playoffs (where he finds fault in LeBron).

Maybe LeBron was waiting for you to get off Twitter and do something?

Maybe LeBron was waiting for you to forget what you may have done in the past and start living in the now? To start adapting your game to suit your age, declining athleticism and increasing injury problems?

Perhaps he was expecting a man who has 1000 nicknames for himself, rates himself as one of the greatest players ever and one of the greatest champions ever to start playing like the before mentioned characteristics.

Don’t get me wrong I looooove Shaq, I think he is a refreshing, entertaining and fantastic character and the most frightening player I may have ever seen in my years of watching sport all around the world, but c’mon man, it’s just not necessary.