Divisional All-Stars: East

This idea came to me via a twitter proposal; what if instead of conference all-star teams, each division put forth a team of their top players to compete tournament-style? I've made them teams of ten with one wild-card player, a young and intriguing guy along for the ride who are mostly rookies but I made a few exceptions for talent or for lack of talent on a certain team within a strong division. If each city/ team had to be represented in the Divisional All-Star team with at least one player, here's what the lineups might look like in the Eastern Conference divisions, and how they might play.

Atlantic Division

C - Tyson Chandler
PF - Kevin Garnett
SF - Carmelo Anthony
SG - Paul Pierce
PG - Deron Williams

Joe Johnson
Brook Lopez
Rajon Rondo
DeMar DeRozan
Rudy Gay
and... Nerlens Noel

With KG and Pierce staying Atlantic, they could have divisional chemistry from the outset. Melo and Pierce are crafty scorers and Melo can slide up to the four-spot if KG heads to the bench. The defensive tandem of Chandler and KG at the rim is as intimidating as we'll see in this tournament and make up for this teams lack of elite perimeter defenders and allow Rondo to cheat in passing lanes. Gay and JJ are great scorers off the bench, DMDR gives depth on the wing, and Brook Lopez provides a scoring alternative to Chandler in the post. If Noel gets healthy it would be interesting to see him up front with one of the other interior defenders, plus who else are you taking from Philly?

SouthEast Division

C - Chris Bosh
PF - LeBron James
SF - Ray Allen
SG - Dwyane Wade
PG - John Wall

Paul Millsap
Al Horford
Kemba Walker
Al Jefferson
Nik Vucevic
and... Victor Oladipo

Remember when this ^ happened? This post-game summit sparked more than a few forum threads titled, "What were LeBron and Wade saying to John Wall?" Could they have been recruiting him to play in Miami? Well in a divisional tournament they'd get their wish. The effectiveness of the pairing depends on whether you think Wall is overrated or underrated, which is pretty much an even split right now. Back in 2006 when the Heat steamrolled the SouthEast behind Shaq and Wade everybody realized what a weak division it was. Now? It's even worse. You would have to start what amounts to the Heat plus Wall and bring a couple of notable big bodies off the bench. You could have made a case for Nene over any of these bigs, but why? Oladipo is a rookie I'm bullish on who could score from the perimeter off the bench. This makes for a strange team, but I'm not counting any team with LeBron out.

Central Division

C - Andrew Bynum
PF - David West
SF - Paul George
SG - Kyrie Irving
PG - Derrick Rose

Luol Deng
Joachim Noah
Josh Smith
Roy Hibbert
OJ Mayo
and... Anthony Bennett

With a healthy Bynum in the middle and Rose running the point, this is the division to beat in the East. Not that they'd necessarily need Bynum but his offensive potential would draw defenders opening up even more space in the mid-range for David West. Plus Bynum with Hibbert and Noah coming off the bench gives this team ridiculous size, shot-blocking and rebounding. Add in the back-court of Rose and Irving with the inside-out defense of George, Deng and Josh Smith and this is a great all-around team. I've placed Kyrie at the off-guard because he's still probably a better shooter than Rose though we don't know what we're necessarily getting out of the post-injury former MVP. Throw Mayo in the back-court just in case they need a slight scoring boost, and so that the Bucks are represented somehow. Bennett fits both inside and outside and can score, plus with this lineup he won't be forced to play any specific position.

Which division do you think would win? Compare these Western Division's with my All-Star selections for the Western Conference's divisional teams by scrolling up or clicking on this link - Western Division All-Stars. Let me know in the comments section below or tweet me @devingray33

Top 10 Dunks of 2012-13

Each of these dunks rattled our souls and broke the time-space continuum. If you weren't near a computer set at the time of the dunk, you surely rushed to one after hearing about it on twitter. For days afterwards you couldn't keep your mind off that dunk; the ferocity, the athleticism, the ability to master gravity. These dunks all interrupted our lives at some point this past year, made us drop everything and just watch, so once again gaze in horror at the sublime slams from a season gone by.

10. Lord Byron

BJ Mullens is kind of an enigma. A white, Russell Brand-looking, seven-footer with athleticism that can shoot from outside and throw down big jams? Apparently during the lockout he went and played prison basketball, just visiting of course. And yet he plays in Charlotte so we've never really seen him. Until now. And what was LaMarcus Aldridge thinking?

9. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on Greg Monroe

This is a beautiful dunk for it's deceptive degree of difficulty. MKG starts his gather with basically no momentum before he explodes upwards off of two feet after just one hard dribble. A great dunk plus it happened in the fourth quarter and helped swing momentum. Two Bobcats dunks so far, I guess that can be their legacy after they become the Hornets again.

8. Jeff Green on Al Jefferson

Jeff sat in his basement at home unable to play. Recovering from heart surgery that may have saved his life as well as his career he itched to be back on the court again. "I want to fly again!" he told his teammates and friends and they gave him pleasant responses; "Ya buddy, you'll get there," "stay strong," "that's the spirit!" but they didn't look him in the eye. They wanted to believe, and Jeff wanted to believe so he started a list. It was titled "Guys to Dunk On."

7. DeMar DeRozan on Timofey Mozgov

Timofey had been having nightmares. He couldn't sleep well and even when awake he had begun to cower when a bird flew overhead or when passers-by attempted a high-five. The doctors said he'd suffered physical and emotional trauma. In order to get "away from it all" the Russian decided to go to Canada where he'd have some time to recollect himself, but then, on a play like any other...

6. Paul George on Birdman

Paul woke up and slid out of the covers into embroidered slippers. After fixing his glasses, and taking his pills, one-by-one he put on his championship rings. He gently eased out of bed and looked out at the coast from the retirement house window. His family was here to visit. When he met them at the lobby he noticed his grandson had a mohawk and he laughed as he remembered the very first moment when he knew he just might be the best player in the NBA.

5. Interlude/ A Toast To Coast-To-Coast

When a player can take the ball and dominate on both ends with defensive and offensive highlight all rolled into one, it's worth a watch. Kevin Durant and Jeremy Evans both impressed with such plays this season. Fourteen steps for KD, ten for Evans but he started from further out. And I don't know if we'll ever see a player look as foolish on both ends as Turiaf looked there.

4. Harrison Barnes on Nikola Pekovic

Rookies aren't supposed to move mountains in their first season. Incoming NBA rooks carry the bags, do the dirty work, say "Yes, Sir!" and quietly put in the hard work before they get a chance to shine. Harrison decided to break the rules one day. And when there was a real mountain in front of him, he made the mountain move. Somewhere, somebody is still Bazemoring right now.

3. "The Half-Windsor"


Blake chased down the offensive player in front of him, expecting some form of Lob City to emerge to his benefit, but this one was going to be different. See, Blake could never really get a handle on Jamal and neither could anybody else on the Clippers. The only one that knew what he was going to do next was... well, nobody knew, not even Jamal himself. Jamal's game is organic and grows from the flow of the game rather than the mechanics of drills and practices. So when he decided to tie knots around the Bucks, it's not something he thought about - it just happened. Over, under, around, and through.

2. LeBron lob poster on Jason Terry

The Jet knew it was going to happen. As soon as he felt the tap of Dwyane Wade knocking the ball loose he recognized his dilemma. Caught between two point guards and a vengeful basketball King desperate not to lose he could run out of the way and avoid the poster or stand there and submit, take it like a man. It may have been destiny from that moment and some say you can't change the future even if you can see it, but whatever Jason did he knew he'd be grounded. A sad reminder of his short time in Boston.

1. DeAndre Jordan lob poster on Brandon Knight 

DeAndre paced the hallway of his house in LA. One of the greatest moments of his career had happened earlier that night and yet he didn't know quite how to feel about it. Sure his teammates loved it, the crowd loved it, and by the morning the world would love it if they didn't already. Still, DeAndre looked at his phone and the message he'd typed out. It said he was sorry, that he didn't mean to, and that he'd make it up to him. He pressed send. Somewhere, Brandon Knight's phone buzzed like it had all night and he ignored it, rolled over, felt the lump on the back of his head, and tried to forget.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Honourable mention - Kobe on Josh Smith, JaVale self-oop vs Rockets, Kawhi on Mike Miller, Griffin on Hawes hand-switch

2013 NBA Mock Draft

It can never be anywhere close to an exact science to form a mock draft and try to predict how each team subjectively views a diverse range of prospects. Some will try to fill a positional need while others will draft the best talent available, but it all depends on who picks before them and sends the dominoes toppling. Recent social media advances have allowed us to glean tips and insider info from those close to "league sources," though more often than not it often forms a cloud of undecipherable information that leads to nothing. Anyways, us NBA "experts" try to figure it all out and inevitably end up getting no more than 10 or 11 of 30 correct, but if I talk the talk and walk the walk, I've got to mock the mock. Here's my best shot.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers - Nerlens Noel (GM likes him, best talent available)
2. Orlando Magic - Ben McLemore (seek wing talent and arguably best talent available)
3. Washington Wizards - Otto Porter (fills SF position, NBA-ready, home bias)
4. Charlotte Bobcats - Anthony Bennett (adds talent, scoring to defensive frontcourt)
5. Phoenix Suns - Victor Oladipo (need a sure pick, solid defense)
6. New Orleans Pelicans - Alex Len (some think top pick, allows Davis to play PF)
7. Sacramento Kings - Trey Burke (PG of future, scoring upside)
8. Detroit Pistons - Shabazz Muhammad (scoring, creating offense, upside)
9. Minnesota Timberwolves - CJ McCollum (backcourt rotation, next Lillard)
10. Portland TrailBlazers - Cody Zeller (solidify frontcourt rotation, NBA-ready)
11. Philadelphia 76ers - Lucas Nogueira (fills gap at C, intriguing prospect)
12. Oklahoma City Thunder - Kelly Olynyk (frontcourt depth, big shooter, stretch floor)
13. Dallas Mavericks - Michael Carter-Williams (backcourt distributor with size)
14. Utah Jazz - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (wing boost to compliment frontcourt depth)
15. Milwaukee Bucks - Sergey Karasev (move up to draft? Russian Olympian, skilled)
16. Boston Celtics - Steven Adams (best big man prospect on the board)
17. Atlanta Hawks - Allen Crabbe (scorer with size and range)
18. Atlanta Hawks - Gorgui Dieng (underrated big man known for D, underrated scorer)
19. Cleveland Cavaliers - Isaiah Canaan (NBA ready and respected, PG depth)
20. Chicago Bulls - Glen Rice Jr (earned way through D-League, wing scoring/depth)
21. Utah Jazz - Jeff Withey (frontcourt insurance and rim protection)
22. Brooklyn Nets - Rudy Gobert (french big brings length and defence)
23. Indiana Pacers - Dennis Schroeder (german PG to back up Hill, distribute and drive)
24. New York Knicks - Tony Mitchell (best raw talent on the board, frontcourt depth)
25. Los Angeles Clippers - Reggie Bullock (backcourt shooting, scoring insurance)
26. Minnesota Timberwolves - Tim Hardaway Jr (scorer with pedigree, replace BRoy)
27. Denver Nuggets - Mason Plumlee (solid skills add frontcourt depth)
28. San Antonio Spurs - Ricky Ledo (unknown prospect for Spurs to mold, lots of talent)
29. Oklahoma City Thunder - Shane Larkin (point guard depth, shooting)
30. Phoenix Suns - Giannis Adetokoubo (highest upside left, still 18, multi-positions)

NBA 2012-13 Preseason Predictions Revisited

This is the time of year when I look back at my predictions and think of how very wrong I was on many things and "I called it!" on many others. The game always surprises me. Without further ado, here is the list of my predicted team records and actual records starting where I went...

The Most Wrong.

TEAM                    Predicted wins           Actual Wins            Variation
Houston Rockets -           27                              45                         +18
Minnesota TWolves -      45                              31                          -14
Boston Celtics -               53                              41                          -12
Phoenix Suns -                35                              25                          -10
Los Angeles Lakers -      54                              45                           -9
Denver Nuggets -            48                              57                           +9
Memphis Grizzlies -        47                              56                          +9
G-State Warriors -           38                              47                           +9
Los Angeles Clippers -    48                              56                          +8
Toronto Raptors -            42                              34                           -8 

At the time of this prediction the Rockets hadn't acquired James Harden yet and the roster seemed to be overwrought with random characters, an overpaid Lin, and no real identity. Somehow, they moneyballed themselves into a legit playoff contender with Harden in tow and were the surprise of the season.

Injuries to Kevin Love and Rajon Rondo derailed teams that were on the edge already, while Phoenix underwhelmed considerably. The Lakers were THE story all season long and fell short of predictions which isn't too crazy when you see how much the Nugs, Griz, Warriors and Clippers exceeded expectations. And the Raptors? sigh...

Medium Predictions.

TEAM                    Predicted wins           Actual Wins            Variation
New York Knicks -          47                              54                         +7
Philadelphia 76ers -         40                              34                         -6
Cleveland Cavaliers -      30                              24                         -6
Brooklyn Nets -               44                              49                         +5
San Antonio Spurs -        53                              58                         +5
Washington Wizards -     33                              29                         -4
Detroit Pistons -              33                              29                         -4
Milwaukee Bucks -         35                              38                         +3
New Orleans Hornets -    24                              27                         +3

The Knicks won more games than expected even though some of their vets spent the season on crutches, as the Nets heated up the rivalry. The Sixers were a tough pick with the unknown health of Andrew Bynum but came out worse for the distraction. Strangely, I picked the Wizards and Pistons to have identical records and it came true! And the Spurs winning 50-some games could have been predicted by a monkey.

Well Predicted, sir.

TEAM                    Predicted wins           Actual Wins            Variation
OKC Thunder -                62                              60                          -2
Utah Jazz -                       45                              43                         -2
Dallas Mavericks -           43                              41                         -2 
Portland Trailblazers -     35                              33                         -2
Charlotte Bobcats -          19                              21                         +2 
Orlando Magic -              18                              20                         +2
Miami Heat -                   65                              66                         +1 
Indiana Pacers -               50                              49                         -1
Atlanta Hawks -              43                              44                         +1 
Sacramento Kings -         29                              28                         -1
Chicago Bulls -                45                              45                         0

When a team comes within two total wins of my preseason prediction, I know I did pretty well. For all the unknowns and ups and downs, I either got really lucky with these or I really know my basketball. Sometimes you need both.

The Thunder traded away Harden and still won 60 games, though it hurt them in the playoffs when they lost Russ and KD had to do it all. But all of that is fairly predictable. Mavs, Jazz, and Blazers missed the playoffs in the tight West as expected. I figured the Magic would win one fewer game than Charlotte for the title of worst team in the league and got that one right! Miami winning mid-60s games was a given, but the Pacers were an underrated team I had pegged as a 50-win squad that didn't show people until the playoffs. The Hawks and Kings were painfully predictable, while the Bulls were probably the biggest pre-season wildcard and I nailed it exactly...

AWARDS

 (prediction in italics, actual in bold)

MVP - LeBron James, LeBron James

Finals MVP - LeBron James (Heat over Lakers in Six), LeBron James (Heat > Spurs 7)

Yeah, I called LeBron having another great year and wrapping up another MVP/title, but who wouldn't have? It was the safe bet (other than the Lakers in the Finals...)

Scoring Champ - Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony

Probably the only guy that could even possibly challenge LeBron for MVP for the next five years, unless they drunkenly give it to Chris Paul, KD was just .littlebit away from taking his fourth consecutive scoring title. Should that have earned Melo one MVP vote? Probs not.

DPOY - Dwight Howard, Marc Gasol

 Some scratched their heads at the selection of Gasol, but he's such a smart team defender and reads plays so well he helped Memphis develop into an elite defensive team without being an incredible rebounder or shotblocker. It's not always about stats and appearances, plus the Dwightmare never seems to end...

Rookie - Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard

Davis played pretty well when he played but wasn't always in the best of health. It was hard for him to get going when he was constantly dinged up, and even if healthy it would have still been Damian Lillard. He made a rookie-record 185 threes and was voted ROY unanimously for only the fourth time in NBA history.

Sixth Man - Jason Terry, JR Smith

As part of the failed retooling in Boston this year I expected Terry, tattoo and all, to make a huge contribution to the last-chance Celts. But he played poorly and wasn't even in the race which came down to Jamal Crawford and JR Smith, none of which I'd want to trust my team with.

Most Improved - East, Jeff Green/ West, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George

When Granger went out it became Paul George's team and he stepped up in a big way that I didn't foresee. Sure Jeff Green showed flashes and seems poised to inherit the Celtics, and Kawhi Leonard can post 19 points, 16 rebounds in a Finals game 7 while giving LeBron fits on defense, but they only started to show this late in the season. I might keep these picks for next year.

Bust Potential - East, Andrew Bynum/ West, Jeremy Lin, Andrew Bynum

I know it's sometimes not okay to pick on the injured guy or call him a bust, but with Bynum it became a circus. It drove Doug Collins out of the coaching business, and tanked a team that gave up Iguodala to get it done. Plus there was the bowling scandal and the ridiculous hair.

Coach - Frank Vogel, George Karl

Vogel's genius wasn't realized until he almost toppled the Heat with the underdog Pacers. Menawhile Karl gets they COY award and promptly gets fired. Coaches in the NBA have such a short lifespan that Spo will be second only to Pop if Doc is indeed leaving for LA. Spo hasn't been coaching for that long...

Highlight OTY - Blake Griffin dunk, DeAndre Jordan dunk

The Ray Allen three to save the Heat's season in Finals Game 6 was the play of the year, but in terms of sheer highlight it was the other half of Lob City that supplied the jam. DeAndre Jordan's dunk on Brandon Knight had power, height and posterization, plus it was off a lob. Sorry Blake, you'll have to do better next year.

All-NBA First Team - Paul, Rondo, James, Durant, Howard 

/ Paul, Bryant, James, Durant, Duncan

All-NBA Second Team - Westbrook, Bryant, Anthony, Griffin, Love 

/ Parker, Westbrook, Anthony, Griffin, Marc

All-NBA Third Team - Parker, Williams, Wade, Bosh, Pau 

/ Harden, Wade, Lee, George, Howard

 The Rondo injury opened up a spot on the first team that Kobe was hero enough to take, while Duncan had a renaissance year that I didn't see coming and made first team as well. Howard's terrible year still netted him a third team selection. Marc Gasol was a surprising addition to the list but he played well enough for it, while Lee's election is questionable. Griffin is overrated on the second team but takes the spot that may have belonged to KLove. Harden deserved more than third team, but not over the other guards on this list.

All-Rookie - Lillard, Beal, Kidd-Gilchrist, Davis, Valanciunas 

/ Lillard, Beal, Barnes, Waiters, Davis

Lillard and Beal anded up where they belonged and Davis earned this spot as well. Big V had a terrific rookie year in Toronto but missed some time with injury and will develop more in the coming years. MKG was decent but Barnes provided a real punch for the playoff-Warriors and Waiters at his best looked like a young DWade.

Seeya Next Season!

The Backboard of Turin

This is my backboard.

My backboard sits at the bottom of the boulevard between driveways, at the bottom of the hill.

Here I've practiced and played freely on the street on this net for nearly my whole life.

And only recently did a friend of mine point out the face looking back at me.

Look again at the pattern formed by the chips in the white backboard and see the left eye and brow of somebody looking at you. Then follow the path of the bridge down the nose to tight lips. Say that line above his head is his classic naval officer's hat. And I swear you can imagine a face on my backboard.

The above image of George Washington shows similar features to the face on the backboard. A similar man of dignity and distinction from the olden days; a pioneer king, is welcome on my backboard. It's up to you to determine the character of the face that you see.

My own "man on the moon," my own Shroud of Turin it's a classic example of Archeiropoieta (icons made without hands). So see what you will or tell me I'm crazy, but have fun.

Dallas Mavericks 2015-16 Jersey Concept

The Dallas Mavericks are searching for inspiration for a new uniform coinciding with a rebranding effort in the 2015-16 season, according to a recent blog post by Mavs owner Mark Cuban.

Armed with paper, pencil, and markers, in classic 360Special style I attempted to design what I view as a radical shift in Mavericks culture that will better unify the brand.

I know the current color scheme is white, blue, dark blue, and black and alternately some green. However if the Mavs want to distinguish themselves and create an ultra-visible and inclusive motif that fans can immediately be a part of, they should embrace cowboy culture and the cowboy image.

Dallas sports fans are familiar with the Cowboys pride from the NFL, but the Maverick image is so fuzzy and undefined. What is a Maverick? How do I be a Maverick? How can potential fans embrace this team culture if they can't easily grasp it?

I believe a team's identity should be easily accessible and relatable to the local narrative. This way fans can embrace the team quickly and passionately. What separates this design is the ablity the team will have to market the cowboy image.

Brown is an underrated color. Only one major North American sports team currently wears brown, the Cleveland Browns of the NFL. No MLB, NHL or NBA teams currently wear brown. If the Mavs can claim brown now as part of their cowboy identity it would strengthen the brand. I mean, they could hand out brown t-shirts and cowboy hats on opening night and the fans would be EATING IT UP.

Blue should remain to offset the brown and represent the vast skies over Texas. The image of the star remains as a bridge between the front and back of the jersey at the bottom of each side under the armpit. I've also elected to revive the retro logo with the M wearing the cowboy hat. It's another relatable image for people to embrace rather than a jagged, abstract horse. The stripes in the piping on the sides of the jersey and shorts create movement. I've also elected to put the player names under the number, though I'd outline the blue name with white on the away jerseys. This frees up space to feature the logo and, again, reinforce the cowboy image.

Anyways, if you hate brown this scheme isn't for you, but it's a potentially great branding opportunity waiting to happen and the jerseys don't look bad either. Let me know your thoughts!

Shaquille O'Neal Profile

Shaquille O'Neal

"SHAQ,"
"Shaq Daddy," "Diesel," "Shaq Fu," "Superman," "The Big Aristotle," 
"MDE (Most Dominant Ever)," LCL (Last Center Left),"
"Wilt Chamberneezy," "The Big Baryshnikov," "Shaquille O'Nealovich,"
"Kazaam," "The Big Deporter," "The Big Galactus,"
"The Big Shaqtus," "Witness Protection," "The Big Shamrock"

 Magic, Lakers, Heat, Suns, Cavaliers, Celtics - 19 seasons- 1207 games 

7’1” – 325 lbs – 23.7 pts – 10.9 reb – 2.5 ast – 2.3 blk – .58 fg%

“Book of Basketball”- Bill Simmons’ Ranking: 11

SLAM #130 and Top 500 Ranking: 4

"Well, it's amazing how time flies. I just gotta say congratulations to the most gifted physical specimen that I've ever seen play this game with size and ability, and just natural talent," said Kobe Bryant at Shaq's jersey retirement in LA.

It was a seemingly heartfelt moment; candid and honest. Just Kobe caught without time to rehearse, and speaking about his greatest teammate and rival.

What he said is true. Undoubtedly so to the fans too young to remember the Olajuwons, Ewings, and Robinsons that dominated before Shaq entered the league.

And he was bigger and badder than the lot of them.

The towering power center bowled over the league for 19 seasons while starring as the most charismatic and recognizable player in a generation.

He played the game with joy and always understood that the game was a game - one that he was damn good at, mind you.

Shaq wasn't obsessed with stats like Chamberlain, and he wasn't obsessed with winning the way Russell was, he struck a rich balance with everything he did and made fans everywhere want to be a part of it.

Hell, everybody had to see him live. I watched him as an aged Celtic beat up on some kid named Joey Dorsey live just to see him with my own eyes. I will tell my grand-kids.

But through it all Shaq coasted. As the consensus best big man in the league and the self-procaimed "Last Centre Left," Shaq dominated would-be competition. Often he looked down on opposing bigs as if they were roast chicken and he was tightening his bib. Dikembe Mutombo was considered the best defender of his generation and look what happened there.

But that was only if he cared. Never driven by an opponent who could challenge him physically, he relied on his biggest assets and didn't develop many new ones. If there was a stake, a motive, a story, a rival, a must-win, Shaq came to play. And in key situations, Shaq brought more quickness and power in a seven-footer than has been seen before or since.

That quickness and agility allowed Diesel to dominate and demolish on the court. Shaq turned beautiful moves into destructive forces of slam that brought not just the rim down, but the whole backboard.

Off-court, Shaq released rap albums, movies including Blue Chips and Shazaam, and TV shows like Shaq VS, all while wearing a mask of himself and playing his lovable character. It was all part of his crux, his act, and if the NBA was the WWE he'd probably be remembered as it's greatest superstar. His poor foul-shooting became part of this act and part of his character, and he accepted this limitation throughout his career.

He never really figured out the free throw secret. Shaq launched cross-eyed bombs off his fingertips in a collision course for the rim that belied his overall grace. Why he couldn't loft them a bit higher or softer, we'll never know. What we do know is that his rookie FT% of .592 was higher than his final season FT% of .557 (he never improved), he once fell from .622 in 2002-03 to .490 the following season (inconsistent), and he finished his career with an average of .527 (typical Shaq).

Teams would employ the hack-a-Shaq defense where they would foul him on purpose and give him a pair of freebies rather than allow the opposing team to set up on offense. The hack-a-Shaq has since been employed on other wanna-be big men, but Shaq was a pioneer.

Simultaneously, and paradoxically, Shaq was the NBA's most efficient scorer from the field ten times in his career, including a stretch between the 97-98 season and the 05-06 season where he led the league in FG% eight out of nine seasons.

He made eight All-NBA First Teams, was named the '00 MVP, three-time Finals MVP ('00-'02), and won four titles (00, 01, 02 Lakers, 06 Heat) while averaging an easy 24-11. Not many players have ever been able to back up a championship guarantee either.

Late in his career, Shaq ring-chased a little while trying to cement his legacy. He moved to Phoenix, Cleveland, and Boston as a rather large shadow of himself, still able to rely on his overwhelming bulk, but without the grace he'd shown at his peak.

Shaq's legacy had already been secured long before those end-of-career moves. Now an analyst and entertainer, the memory of his dominance hasn't faded yet and that's probably why the Lakers chose to honor him sooner than later. On any given night, he was the most gifted physical specimen in the room and if he really wanted to, he could give it to the best of them.

 illustration by author: Devin Gray

Full stats from basketball-reference.com
Top 10 Plays of Shaq's Career

Shaq: Like No Other full DVD

Big Man Bio Series
Bill Russell
Moses Malone
Elvin Hayes
Hakeem Olajuwon