He actually shot the ball like this
Confession time:  I don’t like Shaquille O’ Neal.  When the hand of Moses parted the great sea of Lakers fans so that he could pass through to Ontario without hearing any unbiased opinions, I was on the side which pledged my loyalty to Kobe Bryant.  Once you’ve made your choice between Shaq and Kobe, there is no going back.  There will never be a reconciliation sincere enough for Lakers fans on the Bryant side to consider re-dedicating themselves to Shaq.
So it becomes a somewhat awkward situation for Kobe fans, then, to find out that the Lakers intend to retire his jersey at some point in the next season.  Even though it was inevitable, did they have to do it while Kobe continues to play on the team?  Is it a slight to Bryant to have to watch his former nemesis have his jersey raised to the rafters?  Or is it the opposite?  Maybe the rise of Shaq’s jersey to the rafters signifies the final nail in the coffin of his career, a moment for Shaq to be at Staples Center during a time in which Bryant chases his 6th ring.  Regardless of how you feel about either one of them, their battle is over and Bryant has won.
Ultimately, though, all of that history doesn’t matter.  Shaq and Kobe were just the latest (and probably most dramatic) in a long line of teammates who quietly or openly disliked each other but found a way to win together on the basketball court.  No matter how much we may want to take away from him, Shaq (and Kobe) was directly responsible for three championships with the Lakers.  It is easy to bring him down for his narcissistic antics or his lack of dedication to maintaining physical shape, but the fact that he could have these lapses and remain one of the greatest players in NBA history is just another testament to his greatness.  Wilt, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Elgin Baylor: this is the level of talent that meets the standard for retiring jersey numbers for the Los Angeles Lakers.  And as pleasurable it would be to suggest otherwise, Shaq absolutely belongs among them.
There is also a divide among fans on how they feel about Jamaal Wilkes, but for entirely different reasons.  Older fans and basketball historians recognize Wilkes for what he essentially was: the James Worthy of the Lakers before James Worthy came along.  Younger, less knowledgeable fans don’t bother to recognize him at all.
The problem is essentially one of revisionist history.  The Lakers of the 1980s are seen as a sort of dynastic unit, a Magic and Kareem led squadron that all grew up and won championships together.  The team was obviously at their most renowned after they had already won a few titles, and Worthy was a key figure in those later seasons, winning rings as the starting small forward in 1985, 1987, and 1988.  But Worthy had much less to do with the Laker NBA titles in 1980 and 1982, as he wasn’t even in the NBA at the time.
Instead, the Worthy role went to Jamaal Wilkes.  In Worthy’s seven year stretch as a starter during the era of significant Laker playoff runs from 1985-1991, Worthy averaged 19.9 points and 5.5 rebounds.  In his six healthy seasons with the Lakers, from 1979-1984, Wilkes averaged 19.9 ppg and 5.4 rebounds.  Shockingly similar numbers, aren’t they?  Well, this is Big Game James we’re talking about.  Surely Jamaal Wilkes doesn’t have any playoff performances similar to those produced by Worthy.  That would be true, except for the fact that Wilkes was the second leading scorer on both the 1980 and 1982 championship teams.  In the famous “Magic as center†game in the 1980 Finals against the Sixers, Wilkes ‘s 37 point, 10 rebound performance was overshadowed by Magic’s 42 point, 15 rebound, 10 assist masterpiece.  It would be an unfortunate omen of a pattern of a man being overshadowed despite wonderful production.
The Lakers have always maintained stringent standards for players deserving of jersey retirement, taking a commendable hard-line stance in this world of settling for less than stupendous and achievement trophies for everyone.  There is a case to be made that, by their own standards, Worthy himself is un-worthy (pardon the pun) of the honor.  There is a lot of merit in that argument.  But because Worthy did receive the honor long ago, it is only just that his shadow finally get his due.  Perhaps it is also fitting that Wilkes’s gold uniform rises to the rafters during the same season that Kobe’s shadow sees his jersey rise as well.
Post written by Calvin Chamberlain
As the only non-Celtic fan functioning writer on the site, my job is to provide more of an objective look at general NBA topics.
Read More by Calvin Chamberlain.
No comments:
Post a Comment