Shaq Wearing Out His Welcome

And the saga continues.

Since his reuniting with Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant at the All-Star game in February, Shaquille O’Neal has found a new target to criticize and insult, Dwight Howard.

That’s right. The Big Diesel vs. Superman

For the past year Howard has had to deal with hearing his idol say some of the most ridiculous things. His biggest insult was how he accused Howard of being an, ‘imposter’, claiming the NBA’s new un-guardable center steals his moves.  

Shaq’s most recent foul, a picture on his tweeter page. It is a picture that attacks Howard and Orlando Magic head coach, Stan Van Gundy.  

Shaq went to a picture-spoofing website where you can take pictures, have them merged together, and then produce a baby photo based on the merging of the pictures. Needless to say, a Van Gundy and Howard baby is, well, scary.

But, moving away from this image, why is that O’Neal, a player whose legacy seems to just be falling apart, like Brett Favre, as his playing career continues to move closer to its end.

For all of his humor, his charisma, his strength, his accomplishments and dominance, is all being erased by this continuing lack of respect he shows for the game’s current stars.

And it his beef isn’t just with the present and future of the NBA. He has problems with his past.

In last year’s rap where he told Kobe that he couldn’t win a title without him, he also spoke poorly about NBA and Laker Legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Hey, Shaq, were 37 years old right? When Kareem was 37 he averaged 22 points and eight rebounds on a Laker championship team. What happened to the Suns this year?

O’Neal is in the final year of his contract with the Suns. Shaq did have a good season and was a co-MVP with former teammate Bryant at the All-Star game.

Will Shaq get traded away to a championship caliber team by the Suns? Will the Suns rebound and compete next season? There is speculation that O’Neal wants to reunite and have another tour with the Lakers. I think Bryant squashed any chances of that after the All-Star game.

Will Shaq ever grow up and be the legend that he and the NBA have made him?

Only time will tell.