Ed O

In the NY Post today Peter Vecsey ripped into Jermaine O'Neal.

Some bits:

Wow. Vecsey no-likee.

Jermaine seems more likely than ever to be headed to SA at this point... especially if he tries to dictate terms in terms of player movement to Donnie Walsh.

Ed O.

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"In the end, it all comes down to talent. You can talk all you want about intangibles, I just don't know what that means. Talent makes winners, not intangibles. Can nice guys win? Sure, nice guys can win -- if they're nice guys with a lot of talent. Nice guys with a little talent finish fourth, and nice guys with no talent finish last."

-- Sandy Koufax

HOWIE

Duncan and O'neal in the front court for SA. Very Interesting!

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ABM

Question is, (should Vecsey be halfway correct), would SA want a player of this ilk?

mook

I think Jerm would be a great fit alongside Duncan. when it comes to leading a team to wins, Jermaine isn't very, well, germaine. But after Elton Brand he's the best fit available to create a new Twin Towers.

his ego was annoying when he was here in Portland (I remember he once said he saw himself as the next Karl Malone, while averaging less than 7 minutes a game.) but frankly the Spurs could use a little more attitude, and even he is probably not delusional enough to think he could replace Tim Duncan as the #1 option.

Duncan is a Center. Pure and simple. He has very limited outside range, outstanding interior defense and offense. the most versatile low post game in the league, and is an outstanding shot blocker. He may not like guarding Vlade or Shaq, but he is what he is, a Center.

The Spurs have all kinds of choices, and regardless of whatever Vecsey says, Jerm could be a great fit in SA.

BEEZ

Remember also you have to take Vescey comments with a grain of salt. Also he hasnt like Jermaine since his 1st season in Indiana because Oneal didnt want to be interviewed by him.

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I have no clue!

Speed

I told you all that Jermaine O'Neal was a loser but many laughed at me. Don't look at Jermaine's individual stats. They don't tell the whole story. That guy is a bum, and if you actually watched the Pacers after the All Star break, and actually watched them in the playoffs, you would see that Jermaine O'Neal is not a star player. He was completely worthless to a team that needed him to be the center of a team that should have reached at LEAST the second round this year.

Tommyboy

Jermaine is a stud.

the problem with Indiana is Isiah Thomas is a clueless idiot head coach, Ron Artest is a punk team wrecking idiot that SHOULD be traded, hell he even went after one of the Indy executives and challenged him to a fight, and the Pacers in general are very immature.


If Jermaine went to San Antonio, they will win the next 7 or 8 titles in a row. They will be the Boston Celtics.



I'd much rather have Jermaine than Rasheed right now, that's for sure.

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"That is one of the best blocks I have ever seen in this league," coach Maurice Cheeks said. "At the end of the game, with the game on the line . . . and (Hunter) cocked that ball . . . but he was de-nied. And I mean de-nied."
Added Damon Stoudamire: "That was one of the best blocks I have ever seen, because it was a dunk, and he almost caught it with two hands. I have never seen a guy block shots like this. His athleticism is scary."

REFERENCE: THEO "THE RATTLER" RATLIFF

dkap

Jermaine has had a super inflated opinion of himself for some time now, although the same could certainly be said of Vecsey. Remember the "year of the resurrection" tattoo or whatever he called it? Jermaine seemed to think that simply wanting to do well would make everything fall into place for him, but the discipline wasn't evident. To his credit, he's definitely taken advantage of the increased opportunity in Indiana and has even mostly overcome the stigma of being a guy getting major garbage stats who's easily shut down by quality opponents, but he's still a guy running around on gimpy ankles who wants everything his way even though the team may not benefit from it...

Count me as one who has never second guessed the Davis-O'Neal trade. Made sense at the time (Jermaine certainly wasn't ready to step up and confront Shaq following the 2000 playoffs), and Dale is still a better fit for this team than Jermaine would be, offensive firepower (which you can never have too much of) aside.

Dan

dkap

They've already got that ability without Jermaine... Not that any team is likely to pull off the Boston-esque feat in this day and age -- if Shaq, Kobe, and Phil wore down under that load, unlikely anyone else is capable of more than doubling them up -- but S.A. has the tools and youth to already be in the position of a long-term title contendor.

Remember, adding more and more stars isn't the way to go, as proven right here in Portland. Adding Jermaine takes away from Duncan's shots and the improvement of Ginobli and Parker. That's 3 legitimate offensive threats right there, which is just about perfect in the NBA. Jermaine would be replacing David Robinson, who is hardly an offensive presence anymore. I think there's a good reason why Robinson's diminished offensive role led to a more potent attack...

Dan

Schilly

Ok well there is a problem...it is just Shaq Kobe and Phil. That's what prevented them form going further, they needed more legit starters with those guy's to maintain the roll.

San Antonio is already a proven winner, they have one title, and will likely win another this season. They have classy players and are young. Portland assempbled great talent then said go out and win. San Antonio is already winning, but now can add more talent. Plus SA has a 2 time MVP in Duncan.

There is a bit of a difference.

dkap

But adding another star changes the chemistry of what is a fairly proven formula in S.A., and there's no guarantee that's a good thing. Time will tell (possibly)...

I'm not sure I would fully agree with that. It's that threesome that made them the powerhouse they were the past 3 years. That's what has made them tick, not what has presented them from going further... Had it not been for their supporting cast completely crumbling this year, it may well have been no different. They don't need legitimate starters to plug into that system, just competent and steady role players. Too many cooks in the kitchen doesn't cut it in the NBA...

Dan

Dan

woah...someone check Tommyboys power bill..me thinks he's growing some herbs.

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A Buddhist walks up to a hot dog vendor and says "Make me one with everything".

when will the loss of life end?

The world respects the power of our example, not an example of our power.

I'd like to say I made this, but I didn't

antibody

Too bad Portland couldn't pull of a major coup and snag Jermaine and get rid of Wallace and Stoudamire. I would love to see the frontline of Jermaine and Z-Bo for years to come.

Tommyboy

jermaine o'neal had 105 rebounds in their series vs Boston.


you can say whatever you want about his attitude, his offensive abilities, his gimpy ankles...whatever

the dude boards and he's young, and he's only going to get bigger and stronger. And furthermore, he's hungry.


unlike someone we all know on our team.


I think he could slide into David Robinsons spot just fine. The 1980s version of the Celtics and Lakers, two of the greatest teams ever, both had multiple great big men. There's no chemistry issues by subtracting a retiring hall of famer and adding in a young stud with similar skills.

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"That is one of the best blocks I have ever seen in this league," coach Maurice Cheeks said. "At the end of the game, with the game on the line . . . and (Hunter) cocked that ball . . . but he was de-nied. And I mean de-nied."
Added Damon Stoudamire: "That was one of the best blocks I have ever seen, because it was a dunk, and he almost caught it with two hands. I have never seen a guy block shots like this. His athleticism is scary."

REFERENCE: THEO "THE RATTLER" RATLIFF

antibody

Could you imagine having two young frontline players in Z-Bo and Jermaine who actually like to rebound and post-up? I could only dream of such a thing.