This week, Shaq and Coach Stan Van Gundy of the Orlando Magic traded heated words after the Phoenix Suns played the Magic. In what was quickly dubbed as the "Battle of the Supermans," Shaq and up and coming star Dwight Howard traded blows Tuesday night. Howard's team pulled out the win but Shaq, who is turning 37 on Mar. 6, held his own against the 21 year old in his fourth year out of high school. Shaq matched Howard's 21 point, 8 rebound, and 1 block effort with a 19 point, 11 rebound, and 2 block effort of his own. The controversy, according to Coach Stan Van Gundy, came with 4 minutes to go in the third quarter, when Shaq flopped, in an attempt to get the foul called on Howard, and Howard dunked on Shaq. After exchanging words with Shaq on the court, Coach Van Gundy proceeded to express his dissatisfaction with Shaq in his postgame press conference.
"I was shocked... and very disappointed," Van Gundy said with a straight face. "Let's stand up and play like men, and I think our guy did that tonight."
Shaq responded the next day by saying, "One thing I really despise is a frontrunner," O'Neal said Wednesday before the Suns' game in Miami. "I know for a fact he's a master of panic and when it gets time for his team to go into the postseason and do certain things, he will let them down because of his panic. I've been there before. I've played for him." He went on to call his former coach a nobody.
Coach Van Gundy responded today by apologizing for hurting Shaq's feelings. Hopefully, that will be the end of the drama between the two for the rest of the season. It seems everyone these days are taking shots at Shaquille.
After the team suspended him for Tuesday's loss, 100-95, against the Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets Forward Carmelo Anthony will be returning to the starting lineup tonight against the Portland Trailblazers. Anthony was suspended after Sunday's game against the Indiana Pacers because he refused to come out of the game when Nuggets Head Coach George Karl tried to send in a sub for him in the third quarter. Karl, although unhappy with the suspension, justified the decision by stating that Carmelo "crossed the line between passion and professionalism." Anthony disagreed with the suspension but agreed that he would put the entire situation behind him and learn from it.
Anthony's beef with the suspension makes sense as he had just started to heat up, hitting back to back shots. Karl needs to loosen his reigns on his superstar captain. In no way was Carmelo disrespectful nor did he put any of his teammates down, he simply felt he had the hot hand and wanted to keep the Nuggets in the game. Anthony's peers, Chris Paul, LeBron James, and Dwayne Wade would have been allowed to share their opinions with their coach and possibly make the decision if they wanted to stay in the game. The Nuggets went on to lose the game to the Pacers 100-94.
Teams across the league took another step in their preparation for the playoffs by signing players off waivers. The San Antonio Spurs signed Power Forward Drew Gooden, who should fit well in their system as he's a very good rebounder and defender. The Cleveland Cavaliers added Power Forward Joe Smith to their roster, hoping to gain another big man to include in their rotation after Ben Wallace was injured last week. The Miami Heat signed Point Guard Luther Head, surrounding Dwayne Wade with another 3-point shooter. The Phoenix Suns, in an attempt to make it into the playoffs and fill Amar'e Stoudemire's void, also made a key acquisition signing veteran Power Forward Stromile Swift, who should fit in very well with the uptempo style. It will be interesting to see which team benefits the most from the new signings and which teams stay the same or suffer.
That's it for this installment! Make sure to pay close attention to which teams are making moves in the rankings and possible matchups for the playoffs.
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