Friday, October 5th, 2012 at 9:00 am  |  150 responses

Dwight Howard Fires Back at Shaq: ‘Your Time is Up’


by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Shaquille O’Neal, in his role as television analyst, continues to push forward his silly idea that Dwight Howard is anything but the NBA’s best center. O’Neal — who has a confounding history of belittling Howard at virtually every opportunity he gets — contends that Andrew Bynum and Brook Lopez are better, truer big men.

Dwight Howard was asked about this yesterday following practice, and the Lakers’ center let it be known that O’Neal needs to move on, and that Howard hopes to be a different (more positive) voice once he retires from the game.

Per the LA Daily News and OC Register:

“I don’t care what Shaq says,” Howard said of the former Lakers center, who also moved from Orlando to Los Angeles amid much teeth gnashing in central Florida. “Shaq played the game. He’s done. He’s gone. It’s time to move on. He hated the fact when he played that the older guys were talking about him and how he played and now he’s doing the exact same thing,” Howard said of O’Neal. “Just let it go. There’s no sense for him to be talking trash to me. He did his thing in the league. He’s one of the most dominant players to ever play the game. Just sit back and relax. You did your thing. Your time is up. So, I don’t really care. He can say whatever he wants to say.”

“I have respect for him and what he did for basketball. That’s it. Like I said, he has already did his thing. He played. When my time is up, there’s going to be somebody else who can do everything I can do and probably do it better. Instead of me talking about him, I’ll do my job to try to help him get to where I’m at. I think that’s what guys who have done it before us should do.”

It’s unlikely that Shaquille O’Neal will do anything but talk even more trash going forward, and the sooner Dwight Howard realizes that (and ignores it), the better off he’ll be.

As for Andrew Bynum and Brook Lopez, they will have plenty of opportunities to prove their worth once the season begins.

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  • http://twitter.com/Jzakoni Verified Account

    And your jut noticing?!

  • LakeShow

    Absolutely do not agree. Dwight can do more defensively than Shaq. Which makes him a better defender. Period.

  • Redd’s ass

    Shaq sucks and he can go have a donut fetish with Charles Barkley. That’s when he sticks his penis through a donut hole and Barkley eats it off and vice versa

  • MichaelD

    In a way agree with shaq, however this a very “classy” response by D-Howard!
    We need more class in the world of sports today! Good luck Dwight!
    ‘

  • shutup

    explain do more? he only grabs 2+ rebounds a game, thats it. Shaq was a better deterrent in the lane imo, and Shaq could contain or at least match a good offensive player, Dwight cannot. Period?

  • LakeShow

    Who is it that Dwight can’t contain or match offensively?
    Shaq clogged the lane better than Howard due to his size. Howard is more capable of guarding on the perimeter and off of pick and rolls/pops, while still clogging the lane very, very, well.

  • Redd

    Kind’ve misleading, he was just saying Shaq’s time in the league is over & he should cheer on the new guys. The title makes it out as though he was trying to go hard at him. TMZ.

  • http://twitter.com/Gripman Terry Adams

    ” HANDLE THE BUSINESS OR THE BUSINESS WILL HANDLE YOU SON “

  • http://www.facebook.com/Bishop.SeanMagicJuan Sean MagicJuan

    Lol at Shaq helping “Kobe win some Championships”.

  • shutup

    Dwight gets abused on pick and rolls just like Shaq did. Dwight got handled by Pau in the finals, the only person to outmatch Shaq head-to-head was Olajuwan, and Shaq still put up monster numbers. Dwight cannot guard the better post players, Zach Randolph, Al Jefferson, Bynum and Pau all give Dwight major problems and the majority of the time they put up better offensive numbers in their head to head matchups. Who has Dwight guarded on the perimeter? Give me stats or give up, there is no room for conjecture, Dwight is in no way a better basketball player than Shaq the most I’ll concede is that they are equals on the defensive end and thats only after admitting Shaq focused more on offense the further his career went on. Shaq’s rookie year matches up with any of Dwight’s years thus far.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Does anyone else see the irony of Shaq being salty at Dwight for using the Superman nickname… when Superman is a goddamn DC Comic that’s existed before either of them were born? Before their fathers were born? There’s nothing original about naming yourself after somebody else’s cartoon character, especially when that character is one of the most popular superheroes ever. You can’t have something stolen from you that isn’t yours in the first place. What a baby.

  • haslem

    Lopez does not have more moves than prime Shaq. Go back and watch the tapes.

  • haslem

    Shaq averaged 38 points and 16 rebounds per game in the first finals he ‘helped’ Kobe win

  • Yi-Cheng Chen

    Those who says they don’t care, they actually cares.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    Shaq had more moves that worked. Not more moves in general. Atleast, not in the post.

  • Yesse

    I hate to say it, but he is right. I don’t undestand where Shaq gets to envy for Dwight.

  • flight7

    best nba centers:
    1. Dwight Howard
    2. Andrew Bogut
    3. Andrew Bynum
    4. Brook Lopez

  • danpowers

    1howard 2bynum 3hibbert 4lopez 5bogut would make more sense

  • omphalos

    Did anybody else pick up on the implication that Dwight is doing everything Shaq did and doing it better? “When my time is up, there’s going to be someone who can do everything I can do and probably do it better. Instead of me talking about him, I’ll do my job and try to help him get to where I’m at.” I know it’s subtle, but Dwight intentionally or unintentionally implied that he’s just as good as Shaq at the very least, and at worst that Shaq is jealous of him.

  • mont

    KG and TD are not centers lol

  • Drig

    If Bogut can stay healthy, he’s the 3rd best C in the L.

  • Drig

    Does consistency on a game to game basis matter?? If not, you might have a point. If it does, get outta here! And Shaq was not a good PnR defender. He was a good paint enforcer when he was locked in but he wasn’t as versatile as Dwight was/is. Shaq is overall the better player by a SIGNIFICANT margin but Dwight has him beat over the course of a season on D.

  • danpowers

    not if lopez learns how to rebound

  • shutup

    HUH? I said Dwight gets abused on the PNR just like Shaq (which means I think Shaq got abused on the PNR too, btw) I’m talking about avgs comparing not only game to game season to season and cumulative totals. Comparing Shaq’s first 8 years to Dwight’s; Shaq’s numbers defensively are better or equal to Dwights. Shaqs trb per game avg by his 8th year was12.2 Dwights is 13.0 Shaq’s blocks per game by his 8th year was 2.6 Dwight’s avg is 2.2. Take in to account that imo Shaq was better at clogging the lane and defending elite bigmen of his era and that is why I believe Shaq is better on defense than Dwight.

  • Humility B. Man

    When u look up into shaquille o’neal’s nose, u will see an empty skull. Scream in it and it will echo very loudly. Just like when u scream in a cave,it will echo loudly because it has nothing inside,empty, a hollow cavity. This guy is nothing but negative comments, from hakeem to yao. He should be called “the big insecure”.

  • http://twitter.com/ItsChevBoy Chevy

    poor brook lopez

  • http://www.facebook.com/kennethfrancisjr Kenneth Francis Jr.

    All I know is that Dwight Howard damn near jumped from the free throw line with a cape on and threw the ball in while he was flying!! CASE closed. HE ACTUALLY HAS THE BUILD TO BE SUPERMAN.Get over it..You are the deisel or the big aristotle ect.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgzyesC3DFk&feature=related

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    They’re big men. Big men aren’t just centers. They’re also power forwards.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    The cape and phone booth weren’t as important as him dunking on a 12 foot goal easily or jumping extremely high into the air and throwing the ball into the basket. With or without the props, he put on a show both years. Whether you like the props or not, it was creative and no one can deny that.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    Throw your stats away. None of it matters. This is very simple. Shaq’s feelings are hurt. He’s a grown man whining about a guy who’s now the best center in basketball and who also likes Superman. This isn’t about comparing the two. Shaq was dominant. All good. No one denies it. But he needs to leave Dwight alone because he’s making himself look like a fool every time he takes unnecessary shots at Dwight.

  • danpowers

    shaq almost seemed to touch the top of the fuckin backboard at some of his ingame dunks. he will always be superman while howard is just the light version of it. he (dwight) is a great center and fun to watch anyway

  • danpowers

    nothing but negative comments 3 finals mvps and 4 championship ring while being the most dominant big man the league has ever seen. but sure, he often talks trash and isnt really the brightest human being on our planet

  • aicomeback

    true but you would never confuse shaq or dwight as power forwards

  • Dutch Rich
  • http://twitter.com/Sweetness1624 Sweetness

    LOL Shaq love him but dang hater haha

  • shutup

    I disagree, Shaq isn’t comparing himself to Dwight, other people are, and if it’s disrespectful to compare Dwight to say Brook Lopez than it’s equally disrespectful to compare Shaq and Dwight, Brook is closer to being Dwight than Dwight is to being Shaq. Oh and jumping into a conversation without reading prior posts is well a little bit foolish. I responded to people saying Dwight is Shaq’s superior on the defensive end with stats; I utilized the stats to prove otherwise. Nothing Dwight does is going to change Shaq’s legacy, but Shaq is is superior in almost every facet of the game thus he is more qualified than 99% of the world’s population to criticize Dwight. Only a foolish man would jump to the conclusion it’s jealousy, maybe just maybe Shaq is frustrated at the fact that Dwight is one of the most fundamentally lacking players to ever be considered the greatest at his respective position and it probably ( i say probably because I don’t contend that I know what motivates another man)upsets Shaq more that this is his predecessor to the greatest center in the NBA throne that Shaq held for so long.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    If one wanted to compare Dwight to Shaq they could say that Dwight is a better defender. So no, it’s not equally disrespectful to compare Brook to Dwight as it is to compare Dwight to Shaq. Brook isn’t closer to being Dwight as Dwight is to being Shaq because he isn’t close to being the best center in basketball. Dwight is the best center in the league right now as Shaq was during his time in LA. It is foolish to talk about stats when it’s not needed. This isn’t about their games. The point is that Shaq is being childish. That’s really it. If only a foolish man would consider it jealousy then a whole lot of people are foolish to you. Shaq wasn’t that great with the fundamentals himself if you watched him play. His greatest asset was his power. Shaq is frustrated because Dwight likes Superman and nicknamed himself just like Shaq nicknamed himself. After a fictional character. It’s pretty easy to see it. Who else has even thought about saying that Brook Lopez is a better center than Dwight? There’s a reason for it. Shaq is petty and is still holding a grudge over something that’s really not that serious. This isn’t criticism which is why no one who has played or coached has agreed with him and no one is backing him up on it. Everyone knows he’s wrong and Barkley corrected him as soon as he said it.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    Also, if one wanted to say that Dwight is the better defender (which he is), they could make a great case. Who guards the pick and roll better? Dwight. Who can guard smaller players better? Dwight. What did Shaq do better than Dwight does defensively? Name one thing.

  • http://twitter.com/natures1stgreen JaM

    This couldn’t be further from the truth. Shaq was a far better passer and had no less than 4 dominant moves in the post. Dwight has one and he just developed it last year. Watch some old Shaq tapes, before he put on all the weight.. he used to shoot jumpshots. When’s the FIRST time you actually saw Dwight Howard square up for a jumpshot? He doesn’t.

    And to say that KG and Duncan (the best post players in the league since Hakeem) were more skilled than Shaq is saying what exactly? Of course they are, they’re great. But that doesn’t mean that Shaq wasn’t highly skilled. Dwight isn’t at all. But he is still an extremely effective and efficient basketball player.

  • Telcontar

    thats just straight dum

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    Saying that KG and Duncan were more skilled than Shaq is saying the truth. You said Howard is the most dominant but not the most skilled which is the same as Shaq was. That was the point. Gasol is more skilled than Dwight. KG and Duncan were more skilled than Shaq. No difference there. If you really believe that Dwight isn’t skilled at all, you need to maybe watch him play once or twice. You don’t score 20 points a game without skill. He isn’t dunking the ball 10 times a game for those 20 points. Rebounding is also a skill. You don’t lead the league in rebounding without skill.

  • Fat Lever

    This message has been approved by Omar Credle. Shaq lacks the minerals and vitamins/irons and the niacin.

  • LakeShow

    Naw i’ll concede they are equals defensively and I prefer Dwight’s defense, but it might not be effectively “better.”

  • shutup

    I could respect that, I think most people prefer Dwight because he looks like he’s doing so much more on the defensive end and Shaq’s numbers were overshadowed by his offensive game.

  • shutup

    Mikan was “drafted” to the Lakers or acquired through a lottery would be more accurate, he did have a choice to were he ended up. Anyway immigrated wouldn’t be the correct term, migrated is would have sufficed, the Lakers werent some foreign nation….oh, nevermind.

  • shutup

    Or Shaq open hand slapping him to the ground like he did Greg Ostertag.

  • shutup

    Clog the lane, avg more blocks per game over more seasons, deter people from coming into the lane, and lastly but most importantly stop the opposing teams big man. Dwight for all his defensive accolades is really a subpar one-on-one post defender. Look back at what Pau did to him in the Finals, or the fits that Bynum, Randolph, Jefferson and Horford give him. Not to mention that Shaq’s offense is also part of his defense, the opposing big man doesnt get to rest on the other end of the court and he can’t leave Shaq, in fact all the double teams that it takes to stop Shaq effects the whole opposing teams defense, Dwight on the other hand not so much.

  • shutup

    Do you have any stats to back up the Dwight is the better defender? I have stats that show Shaq is as good of a defender, or actually better than Dwight defensively, in their first 8 seasons respectively. The only thing Dwight will give you is like 2 trb and by the end of his career I’m pretty sure the number will be a lot closer or maybe even drop below Shaq’s (21 year) career numbers. Oh and as far as Shaq/Dwight/Brook comparisons, how would you like it? we can compare their 4th year respectively and Shaq blows Dwight out the water in almost every category, and Brook and Dwight have eerily similar numbers, except for a notable rebounding difference (around 5+for Dwight), or we can compare career totals, or we can compare career totals and try to calculate/ speculate what Brook/Dwight will manage to do if their career last at least 3/4 the length of Shaq’s career.

  • NBEh

    someone should mention to both of these centers that superman is now a supremely gay icon after the last movie that “came out”

  • Slick

    DH didn’t steal the nickname, he was dubbed with it by fans and media

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