Miami – Ask people around the NBA, and even Shaquille O’Neal himself, and they will tell you no player has been more dominant in recent years.
But that was then. Now, at age 34, the Miami Heat center is statistically declining. On Sunday, he was dominated by his possible successor as the league’s best big man, Houston’s Yao Ming.
The Nuggets, however, aren’t quite ready to stop bowing to the big man who helped lead Miami to the NBA title a season ago, not with a matchup tonight against O’Neal.
“Miami doesn’t win a championship without Shaq. He’s a hard guy to cover,” Nuggets coach George Karl said.
Added Nuggets center Marcus Camby: “Until Shaq bows out of the league, he’s still the man.”
Rockets guard Tracy McGrady supports his teammate, saying Yao is the NBA’s best center. On Sunday, Yao backed that statement with 34 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Rockets to a 94-72 win over the Heat, for whom O’Neal had 15 points and 10 rebounds. For the season, O’Neal is averaging career lows in points (14.0), rebounds (7.5) and minutes (30), though it’s a small sampling, four games. (O’Neal missed two games with a knee injury.)
The important number, however, is four, the number of rings O’Neal has representing NBA titles. Yao has zero. Karl said Yao needs to lead his team to a title before any consideration is given that he has passed O’Neal.
“I’m never going to say Shaq should pass the torch until somebody wins a championship because of their center,” Karl said.
Said Camby, “Yao has been doing it this year, but Shaq has been doing it consistently for years.”
O’Neal never averaged fewer than than 26 points or 10.5 rebounds in a season from 1994 through the 2003-04 season. A season ago he fell to 20 points, and 9.2 rebounds, career lows in both.
Even so, 43 percent of NBA general managers in a preseason leaguewide poll voted him as the player that “forces opposing coaches to make the most adjustments.”
But Miami is not making O’Neal the offensive option he once was. Dwyane Wade (25.2) leads the team in scoring, followed by O’Neal, Antoine Walker (13.8), and Udonis Haslem 12.7. Haslem also leads the team in rebounds (9.7).
“They don’t go to him as much,” Karl said. “But his presence is very powerful.”
O’Neal’s combination of size, strength and nastiness still strikes fear into an opponent. There is always a mystery about what the 7-foot-1 center’s true weight is, but it’s probably well north of 300 pounds.
“Shaq outweighs me by about 150 pounds,” said Camby, 6-11, 230. “He still is the most dominant player on the planet.”
Seattle coach Bob Hill, who coached O’Neal as an assistant with Orlando, said: “You’ve got to try treating him really nice. Because if you (make him mad), I’m telling you …”
There has been talk in recent seasons that O’Neal paces himself in the regular season so he’s ready for the playoffs. He hasn’t fought that notion, which might explain his slow start this season. Camby added that O’Neal knows it’s Wade’s team now.
For those who doubt the three- time NBA Finals MVP, the “Big Diesel” has some words of caution.
“I’ve been around a long time,” O’Neal said. “I know when to turn the key and rev the diesel engine. I don’t burn my gas too early. That’s why diesel gas burns the longest and is the most expensive.”
Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-954-1098 or mspears@denverpost.com.
