I LOVE SHAQ

[thirstyboots18]

I've always liked Shaq ... there's just something about him ... an innate endearing quality that's difficult not to enjoy. The only time I disliked him was when he played for the Fakers, though that was more of a team thing, (and I was glad when he left). He's multi-talented, intelligent, philanthropic, family-oriented, self-confident but not arrogant, loves kids, and has a great sense of humor.

From the first rumor of the possibility of his coming to Boston I was excited, (along with my Buddy GreenFaith1819), and have always felt that he would be a perfect fit for the "team-first" concept at the heart of this club. I also felt that his talents were not being utilized correctly on the last two teams he was on, and that he had much more left in the tank than people were giving him credit for.

Great acquisition, great fit, great addition to the City of Boston, and an all-around great guy who will end his career dressed in green and with a couple of more rings on his large fingers. I actually didn't think there was a realistic possibility of his coming here, and now that it's happened, it's still a bit hard to believe, (as KG being a Celtic still is). I love the Big Guy, too ... and I think Red is smiling.

TP.

I'm with you, Bahku.  How can anyone NOT love Shaq.  He grabs life with both hands and is not afraid to try Anything...and has an amazing ability to laugh at himself and try anyway, even if what he is trying seems incongruous...

[Roy H.]

I've always liked Shaq, too, although of course I rooted against him while he was with the Lakers.

However, I do think that right now we're seeing the best possible behavior out of Shaq.  He's always struck me as a guy who can easily become a big distraction / disruptor when things aren't going well.

[pearljammer10]

I love how so many people thought the Shaq signing was awful. Loved it then, love it even more than I could imagine now.

[Witch-King]

Shaquille O'Neal was one of my favorite players to watch growing. During the 90's, an era where All-Star centers dominated the league i.e. Horace Grant, Vlade Divac (to some extent), David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and in the late '90s Tim Duncan,,Shaq was by far the most fun to watch for me because of his dominating presence in the paint on both sides of the court, either rebounding, blocking shots or scoring at the basket.

Even though Michael Jordan was probably the most fun player to watch for me as a kid (I'm only 23 years old right now) I'll admit there were times that I actually rooted for Shaquille O'Neal's team the Magic against the Bulls just because I got so sick of watching Jordan win on television all the time. Back then I was by no means a stat-head and the choice to root for the Orlando Magic was always a very unpopular one in my family's household 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mjwyLp6OiM

^(Shaq had a great statline in this game, however the Bulls lost a heart-breaker in overtime because of a turnover by one of Jordan's teammates. This was the first time Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan ever faced each other in the NBA)

It's a shame that the Phoenix Suns couldn't get into the playoffs with Shaquille O'Neal two season ago, but you can never blame something like that on Shaq. The Suns had a better record than the bottom 4 seeds in the Eastern Conference that season:

http://www.nba.com/standings/2008/team_record_comparison/conferenceNew_Std_Cnf.html

...in conclusion, I LOVE SHAQ!

[housecall]

Somewhere in June i will give you my thoughts on both Shaq&JO.

[Fafnir]

I've always liked Shaq, too, although of course I rooted against him while he was with the Lakers.

However, I do think that right now we're seeing the best possible behavior out of Shaq.  He's always struck me as a guy who can easily become a big distraction / disruptor when things aren't going well.

Yeah, fortunately I don't think he'll become one here, at least not this year. Especially if we keep winning like we have been.

The only time he might be a distraction is we we're playing a playoff series, fall behind (in the series), and then he's stuck on the bench for some reason. Even then I think he'll keep quite until the offseason.

[mmbaby]

Shaq deserves to be on a team - like us - who really appreciate him and the legend he's been in the nba.
Though Shaq has worse foot-in-mouth-itis than BBD, he's always entertaining and fun to have around,

[Roy H.]

I love how so many people thought the Shaq signing was awful. Loved it then, love it even more than I could imagine now.

I guess in fairness to those people (and I was never one of them):

1.  Many of them didn't like the original thought of bringing Shaq in on a two year, $12 million deal like he was demanding from Atlanta and other teams; and

2.  They didn't think Shaq would accept a bench role.

The first issue was resolved by Shaq signing a minimum deal, which quieted most of his critics.  Regarding the second concern, our injuries have prevented this from being an issue, although I'm sure it could potentially become a concern if JO and Perk are back.