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Whatever Happpened To …….Fill In The Blank ……!
By tophat | April 3, 2008
For all the talk of there being superstars within the NBA. I do believe that we’re all too eager adorn many of these players with the accolade and mantle of being a star yet alone a superstar before they’ve even done anything tangible within the league. And though we’ve seen the likes of Iverson, Duncan , Bryant, James , Wade and Shaquille O’Neal achieve unprecedented success within the NBA. It has to be said that though the NBA is ego and star driven more so than any of the other four major high profiled sports here within North America. When many of these alleged stars fall from grace their anonimity becomes all the more glaring.
Jermaine O’Neal of the Indiana Pacers seen here tries to stop Tony Allen of the Boston Celtics during a play. picture couertesy of nbae/getty images/Brian Babbineaux……
Nowhere is this more evident than with the career of the Indiana Pacers’ Jermaine O’Neal. A player who at the height of his fame was thought to be one the premiere players in the game. Having been drafted straight out of high school by the Portland Trailblazers as the 17th pick in the first round of the the 1998 draft. He was played sparingly , spending much of his time warming the bench while the likes of Rasheed Wallace and others on the team were running rampant across the league not just showing their athletic prowess on the court but also running afoul of the law. Less we forget also the league wasn’t always welcoming of their on the field antics either. At times the Blazers’ teams were the epitome of what was good and indeed bad about the NBA.
A determined Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics and Jermaine O’Neal of the Pacers. picture courtesy of ap/photos/ Charles Krupa ……..
And though O’Neal was later traded from the Trailblazers to his present home in Indiana . Where it was felt that his presence on a team , where he could grow and become invaluable to them. He had the potential to fulfill all that was expected of him and more. His presence alongside that of the veteran Reggie Miller it was thought would make the Pacers a perennial force and contender to be reckoned within the Eastern Conference. Initally that was the case and O’Neal was embraced not only by the fans there in Indiana who thought that they had a budding star in their midst and someone who might one day take over the mantle and crown so adroitly bestowed upon and worn by Reggie Miller. In their eyes and that of the Pacers’ hierarchy O’Neal was seen as the natural successor to Miller. And at first glance his teammates were only all to willing to let O’Neal display his skills and be a part of the team. Their thought was here was a person who could lead the franchise for years to come and someone who they could and would come to respect. If only in hindsight they could’ve envisaged that wasn’t to be the case.
Paul Pierce of the Celtics tries to get by Jermaine O’Neal during the game . picture courtesy of ap/photos/Charles Krupa ………
For all of the erstwhile presence of O’Neal on this team he’s become something of a distraction on and off the field of play. It certainly hasn’t helped either that for much of his tenure in Indiana he’s been injury prone. But at the same time his demeanor has become sullen and that of a player who’s narcissistic and not willing to to defer his role once it was thought that he couldn’t provide the leadership that was expected of him. From the once lofty heights that the franchise once held within not only the Central Division but that of the Eastern Conference also. They’ve now fallen on hard times and O’Neal’s game and that of the Pacers has suffered for it. And with Miller no longer on the team to provide that steadying hand of leadership having retired. It was glaringly obvious for all to see that O’Neal wasn’t suited for the role that GM Larry Bird and President of Operations Donnie Walsh had in mind. Two very astute men who it was presumed at least new something about player personnel and basketball operations in general. They knew a lot but obviously not enough about the persona and psyche behind Jermaine O’Neal as a player.
Garnett shows his prowess with his back to the basket whilst O’Neal defends. picture courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Brian Babbineaux….
For the Pacers this season has been a humbling exepriece and a debilitating one for them on all sides. Throughout much of it as per usual O’Neal has was inured having only returned to the court recently. And whilst his presence has been welcomed it’s hard to see he can acquit himself to any great extent. At the trade deadline earlier on in the season it was widely rumoured around the NBA that he might’ve been traded. The presumed destination was that of Los Angeles where it was thought that he’d make a good foil for his friend and fellow high school phenom Kobe Bryant. That trade never came to fruition as the Lakers sought elsewhere for a partner to Kobe.
Sharp shooting Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers does his best to try and evade the advancing Celtics’ defenders. picture courtesy of nbae/getty images/Brian Babbineaux…..
The emergence of Danny Granger as the go to guy for the Pacers can’t have been lost O’Neal whose seen his rise within Indiana now become something of blur and his rapid fall from grace seem much more like a meterorite falling to earth. No apparent signs of a trail but you know something has happened but you can’t be sure as to how and why. Granger has been a revelation for and to the team and the fans have embraced him all too willingly as he’s reciprocated in kind. While O’Neal has seen his role on this team diminish and him having at times deferring to the protoge’. One can only summize as to what might’ve been had their roles been reversed. It’d be O’Neal gaining the plaudits of the fans and Granger being thought of as something of a parasite and malcontent.
Granger and Garnett engage each other beneath the basket during the game in which the Pacers lost 92-77 to the 60 win team of the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are the only team within the league to reached this mark. picture courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Brian Babbineaux …………
Granger has provided the drive and will this team needs and it bodes well for the future of the franchise if they make him the cornerston and lynchpin of the team . Building around him as their foundation would go a long way to bringing back some respectability to the franchise. However with the departure of lonngtime GM Donnie Walsh , whose since accepted a position with the New York Knicks organization. It’s hoped that Larry Bird having found a successor to Walsh will make this a priority and his first course of business. Granger leads the Pacers in all of the major offensive categories and his multi faceted game has improved in leaps and bounds. Were he not on this Pacers’ team it’s hard to say how they’d have fared for much of this season. As it is they sit a mere four games out of a playoff spot at 31-44 , 3rd within the Central Division and 10th in the overall standings. Mathematically though they’re out of the race but they could make it a hard time for those who are seeking to garner a playoff berth.
Granger attempts a three pointer over the the fast advancing Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics during the game at the TD Banknorth Ctr in Boston. picture courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Brian Babbineaux ………..
For O’Neal it may well be end of the road as to his tenure in Indiana as it’s fast becoming more and more likely that’s he’s about to become a dispensable part that’s no longer needed by the franchise. So much promise that was never actually fulfilled. And we wonder why we bestow upon these players such accolades before they achieve anything tangible during the course of their careers ?
tophat ……………..
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April 3rd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
top….That is in depth. O’Neal strikes me as a follower. He had the misfortune of playing for the Blazers with no apparent supervision. Then his bad luck continued by going to Indy just as Reggie was retiring, and falling in with some of Indy’s unsupervised gun firing, lap providing, brawling Pacer teammates.
He’s just playing out the string now. Stuck with a career and a team going nowhere.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:06 pm
mackey
That’s what separates the men from the boys . And it certainly separates O’Neal from the rest of his peers like Bryant, Stoudemire , McGrady ,Bosh and Dwight Howard. Those guys’ll either bring it whilst also leading or they flat out play hard and as far as they’re concerned they gave it their all. The same can’t be said for Jermaine at all. He was always soft and’ll always be known for being that way. He was no doubt hoping that a change of environment would’ve done him good by way of a trade to L A. But that was never going to happen . Jackson and the Lakers wanted a player who had heart. And that’s something that O’Neal doesn’t have one iota of at all .
The only thing of value on the Pacers is Danny Granger. And if they’re to succeed then first and foremost they’ll need a good GM to make the personnel decsions and then build around Granger. Bird hasn’t got the astuteness to make good personnel decisions let alone coach a team. A great basketball mind in terms of playing but not all when it comes to coaching or anything on the business or administrative side. He and Isaiah Thomas are cut from the same cloth as far as that’s concerned . They think too highly of themselves and their abilities as front office executives Much as in the same way Pat Riley does as the Heat’s Chief Executive , President of Player Personnel . And all the other anomaly of titles that’s he’s chosen to give himself. At the end of the day it doesn’t count for much if your team isn’t winning . And at last count neither the Heat or Pacers had a winning record or had done anything of merit. Having won a championship the Heat’s rapid ascension was as equally as fast in itheir decline.
tophat ………..
April 4th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Solid perspective on O’Neal, Tophat. He was once the man, but now has fallen on hard times. It’s a shame too. I believed a move to Los Angeles would do his body good with the warm weather and all, but as you said, it wasn’t meant to be.
Still, it’s hard to give up on such a talented 7-footer, so Larry Bird has a tough decision to make regarding O’Neal’s future with the franchise. If Jermaine can stay healthy he still has some game left, but herein lies the greatest dilemma, if not unknown.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Mean Dovine
I don’t think O’Neal going to L A would be beneficial for the Lakers . And basically the Lakers and now set as a team with the triumvirate of Gasol, Bryant and Bynum. What value O’Neal had has now expired and as a player he’s a spent force . He’s got nothing left in the tank and his physical limitations are there for everyone to see.
One way or another Bird’ll look for a way to get him out of Indiana and it may well mean buying out the remainder of his contract if it’s feasible and financially expedient.
I for one minute don’t believe that he’s comfortable deferring to someone like Granger. And at this juncture Granger is twice the player that O’Neal is and hell of a lot smarter in all elements of the game.
To say that I’m disappointed with the Spurs’ play against the Jazz would be an understatement .
Their effort on both ends of the floor was abysmal to say the least. I’ve haven’t seen this sort of a total lack of effort from this team in a hell of a long while. Any sort of replica of this style of play in the playoffs and they’ll be one and done as far as I’m concerned.
And that’s something I’d never thought I’ve have to say about a Popovich coached Spur’s team .
tophat……..
April 7th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Dead-on on both accounts, Tophat!
April 7th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Mean Dovine
I’m glad you approve of my assessment . I try to be insightful but I’m always being told that I’m being too obtuse with regard to my analysis.
Someone doesn’t like the truth to be told too often.
I’m looking forward to seeing the national championship game tonight. It ought to be really good.
Kansas Jayhawks against the Memphis Tigers . The meeting of two Titans who’ll be going at it like rabid dogs.
tophat ……….