OFF THE TOP OF MY BALD HEAD
Barry Warner: Sitting down for a Q&A with Shaq
May 22, 2018, 9:07 am
Barry Warner with Shaquille O'Neal. Courtesy photo
Before Game 2, when the Rockets looked like the 65-win team, I visited courtside with an old friend - TNT Analyst Shaquille O’Neal. I covered Shaq over 25 years ago when he was playing for Cole High School in San Antonio. A quick Q&A with the big man:
Q: Shaq, as you reflect on your career, what are you proudest of?
A: That a young kid from San Antonio, Texas, a football state, could go on to the NBA and win not just the rings, but meet so many wonderful people. Most of all, that young kids, our future, can look up to me.
Q: What did you learn from your rookie season in Orlando when the Dream schooled you in the 4-0 sweep for the title?
A: I learned a great lesson. If you want to succeed you must be humbled and fail. Always have to learn. We came against the Rockets after beating the Bulls and got manhandled. Dream had four or five moves that were impossible, even at my size, to defend. He was devastating on the block, then would move away so quickly with the Dream Shake. Dream had four or five moves on each shot.
Q: How about your relationship with Yao Ming?
A: At first, I tried to create a controversy, then my father got very upset. He read my fan mail and reminded me that a 14-year-old kid from Shanghai, China named Yao Ming wrote to me several times. We hang out when I am in China and became great friends. It’s cool how two different people from two different worlds became close.
Q: How great could Yao have been healthy?
A: He would have been incredible and eventually the best center in the world. Yao could shoot from outside with touch and played great defense. Had he been healthy, there is no question the Rockets would have won some championships.
Q: Is this series more like the main course compared to an appetizer?
A: This is the series America has wanted to see right from the start of the season.
Q: Do you realize that you are a crossover? Older people knowing you as the NBA star, while the millennials see you as the fun- loving pitch man on commercials, the rapping and acting career?
A: I’m just here to have fun and make people smile.
On the Rockets
So, Andre Iguodala may be held out of tonight’s Game Four. Big freaking deal.
Your home town heroes in short pants are the Not Ready for Prime-Time Players. Harden continues to dribble, dribble until the shot clock goes down. His teammates continue to make turnovers and not defend.
Coach Mike D’Antoni called them soft after getting hit by the haymaker.
The playoffs make and define legacies The Rockets have spent months living up to their promise that this season would be different: They have won more games, defended more effectively, and played with greater consistency than at any point during Harden’s tenure. But now they are down 2–1 with Tuesday’s Game 4 at Oracle Arena, where Curry and the Warriors are undefeated in the playoffs since 2016.
Three seasons ago, the Beard had 13 turnovers in the series ending loss.
And how can we forget Game 6 here last season when he was a no show, acting like a guy from outer space who never played the game, a 39-point drubbing against the Spurs?
Steph Curry’s return to All-World form occurred in the 41-point Game 3 win with 35 points. After getting his groove back, Curry immediately went back for more, torturing Harden with crossovers before stepping back into another ceiling-scraping 3. He celebrated that one in vintage style, breaking into the type of extended shimmy that has long delighted the Oakland crowd and ticked off hoops purists.
Chirp!
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It should come as no surprise that after a slow start to the season, fans and media are starting to voice concerns about the organization's leadership and direction. The latest evidence of this involved Astros adviser Reggie Jackson and the comments he made on Jon Heyman's podcast, The Show.
Jackson discussed the Astros reported interest in starting pitcher Blake Snell. He said that ultimately, Snell was looking for a deal the Astros weren't comfortable with in terms of money and structure of the contract.
Which is interesting considering the Astros were okay with paying 5-years, $95 million for closer Josh Hader, but not willing to pay Snell 2-years, $62 million. We believe the opt-outs in Snell's contract were a dealbreaker for Houston. And of course the money played a role.
However, the Astros passing on Snell is not the intriguing part of the story. It was Jackson talking about the club's power structure in the front office and how they go about making decisions.
“Being fiscally responsible is what kicked us out of the Snell deal… That's too much for him… Between the 4 or 5 people who make decisions with the Astros, we don't play that game,” said Jackson.
Based on Jackson's comments in the interview, the decision makers are Jim Crane, Dana Brown, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, and Reggie. But not necessarily in that order. He also mentioned that they had conversations with manager Joe Espada and his staff, plus some input from the analytics department.
These comments add to the concerns we've had about the front office since Crane moved on from GM James Click and operated without a general manager for several months. Which led to the disastrous signing of Jose Abreu and to a lesser extent Rafael Montero.
Which begs the question, are the Astros in a better spot now with their front office? Many blame Dana Brown for the state of the starting rotation. While there were some red flags this spring, anticipating injuries to Jose Urquidy, Justin Verlander, and Framber Valdez is asking a lot.
But only bringing in Hader to replace all the innings left behind by Hector Neris, Phil Maton, Kendall Graveman, and Ryne Stanek always felt risky.
Finally, what can the Astros due in the short-term to weather the storm while Framber and JV rehab from injury?
And is Hunter Brown the biggest liability in the rotation?
Be sure to watch the video above for the full in-depth discussion.