As strange as it sounds, I was actually relieved to hear Shaq’s absence was unexcused. When reporters first entered practice, Shaq was nowhere to be found and it seemed as though he might be injured. While skipping practice for no apparent reason is never good, it also beats another center being injured, especially since  there is no history of Shaq skipping practices.

And for any of you who think this is a major deal (I’m still not sure if I think it is), we talkin’ about practice. How the hell can Shaq make his teammates better by practicing?