Phil Jackson is zen enough to masterfully discuss the situation with the new Los Angeles Lakers. But was he right?!
A day after Big Aristotle, Shaquille O’Neal, “called out” Dwight Howard, the Zen Master broke down the games of the former and current Los Angeles star centers during an ESPN radio interview on Friday.
The former Los Angeles Lakers coach didn’t exactly choose one big man over the other in the recent conversation, but said “there is a lot to what (O’Neal) says” when the recent retiree from the Boston Celtics characterized Howard as a “pick-and-roll” player with a more limited offensive game than more traditional back-to-the-basket centers such as Andrew Bynum and Brook Lopez.
Jackson, who appeared on the Waddle and Silvy Show on ESPN 1000 in Chicago, said, “Brook (Lopez) and Andrew (Bynum) are guys who have good touches. They’re good scoring players and they have good offensive games.” “Dwight is a guy that has that amazing athletic ability but the overall game — rebounding, defending, blocking shots, running the court — this is a guy that runs with the wolves, so to speak. He can get up and down that court as quick as any of the guards and forwards because of his athletic ability.” Phil continued to offer his analysis by offering a positive spin to counter Shaq’s obvious disdain for the new Lakers center, saying, “Dwight’s learning the post game and I think he has improved over the last couple years with his left hand. It looks like he’s shooting the ball a lot better. He used to be a guy that you felt like you had to keep out of the lane. If you could do that, he was going to be limited in his scoring. Now, he’s developing some of the offensive game.”
While O’Neal has clearly shrugged off any similarities between himself and Howard — is the future NBA Hall of Famer right in ranking #12 below Brook Lopez and Andrew Bynum for best center in the league status?
Props: USA Today