Jerry Stackhouse Hits Like a Girl
Shaq is the bigger man. In more ways than one.
After taking a ridiculous hard foul from Stackhouse in Game 4, Shaq refrained from complaining to the media or the refs, who did not throw Stackhouse out of the game as they obviously should have. Instead, Shaq simply said that it was an old school hard foul, that people have come after him like that his whole career, and that his daughter tackles him harder than Jerry did. Typical Shaq...he will never show an opponent that they got to him. Damp is soft, Vlade was a flop machine, and Stackhose hits like a girl.
The league has pulled Stackhouse from Game 5. For some reason, this is controversial. I don't know if Mark Cuban saw the same collision I did, but Stackhouse didn't even make a nominal effort to pretend like he was going for the ball. He literally folded his arms and went shoulder first into Shaq as he was in the air to either lay the ball up or dunk it. It was as flagrant as a foul can get.
A lot of people might say "But he's so big! He can take more punishment than other people can. If you want to stop him from getting the shot off, you have to foul him hard." That's nonsense. The rules are the rules, they apply to everyone, and there is nothing in the NBA rules that says you get to level a guy if he's twice your size. They are the same rules for every player. If Shaq had laid into Stackhouse like that, Stackhouse would have woken up in a hospital bed a week later, and Shaq would have been suspended for the rest of the series.
That's not to say that Shaq doesn't get his share of love from the refs. Sometimes Shaq camps in the paint for so long, he should get a tent and a propane stove. However, the fact that Shaq is large doesn't mean that other players have the right to try to clobber him. If you can't stop Shaq from getting his shot off with a normal, going-for-the-ball foul, then he deserves to get the shot off. Aside from that, he is also entitled to the same protection of his personal health and well being from officials as every other player. Shaq isn't as young as he used to be, and despite Shaq's propensity for brushing things off, Stack's tackle could have done some real damage to the elder giant.
Shaq's size is part of his talent. It shouldn't be held against him. The rules are what they are, and they shouldn't be bent just because one player happens to be really, really good. Should James Posey be able to play on stilts because it's not fair that Dirk is so much taller than him?
Speaking of Posey, that guy is amazing at drawing charges. Posey drops more charges than a Colorado prosecutor. He's not much of an offensive player, but he can D up with the best of them.
I was feeling a little nervous about my "Heat in 6" call, but now I'm standing by it. Heat in 6. Okay, maybe 7.
After taking a ridiculous hard foul from Stackhouse in Game 4, Shaq refrained from complaining to the media or the refs, who did not throw Stackhouse out of the game as they obviously should have. Instead, Shaq simply said that it was an old school hard foul, that people have come after him like that his whole career, and that his daughter tackles him harder than Jerry did. Typical Shaq...he will never show an opponent that they got to him. Damp is soft, Vlade was a flop machine, and Stackhose hits like a girl.
The league has pulled Stackhouse from Game 5. For some reason, this is controversial. I don't know if Mark Cuban saw the same collision I did, but Stackhouse didn't even make a nominal effort to pretend like he was going for the ball. He literally folded his arms and went shoulder first into Shaq as he was in the air to either lay the ball up or dunk it. It was as flagrant as a foul can get.
A lot of people might say "But he's so big! He can take more punishment than other people can. If you want to stop him from getting the shot off, you have to foul him hard." That's nonsense. The rules are the rules, they apply to everyone, and there is nothing in the NBA rules that says you get to level a guy if he's twice your size. They are the same rules for every player. If Shaq had laid into Stackhouse like that, Stackhouse would have woken up in a hospital bed a week later, and Shaq would have been suspended for the rest of the series.
That's not to say that Shaq doesn't get his share of love from the refs. Sometimes Shaq camps in the paint for so long, he should get a tent and a propane stove. However, the fact that Shaq is large doesn't mean that other players have the right to try to clobber him. If you can't stop Shaq from getting his shot off with a normal, going-for-the-ball foul, then he deserves to get the shot off. Aside from that, he is also entitled to the same protection of his personal health and well being from officials as every other player. Shaq isn't as young as he used to be, and despite Shaq's propensity for brushing things off, Stack's tackle could have done some real damage to the elder giant.
Shaq's size is part of his talent. It shouldn't be held against him. The rules are what they are, and they shouldn't be bent just because one player happens to be really, really good. Should James Posey be able to play on stilts because it's not fair that Dirk is so much taller than him?
Speaking of Posey, that guy is amazing at drawing charges. Posey drops more charges than a Colorado prosecutor. He's not much of an offensive player, but he can D up with the best of them.
I was feeling a little nervous about my "Heat in 6" call, but now I'm standing by it. Heat in 6. Okay, maybe 7.
posted by AdmiralLando at 10:19 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home