I wrote a piece about Shaq’s performance against the Bobcats for SLAM Online.

“I think we’ve always had chemistry,” Rondo said about his on-court relationship with Shaq. “He was just open tonight. It seemed like he was open every time I went to the hole. Either Kwame [Brown] or Nazr [Mohammed]stepped up, and you can’t miss him.”

On days like this, when Shaq plays like an All-Star, does it lighten Rondo’s load?

“It doesn’t have an effect on me,” Rondo said, “but it has an effect on my team. We have a dominant presence who’s going to get us in the bonus early. He’s drawing fouls, he’s making his free-throws – it’s just a good flow for us. When we slow the pace down and throw it in the post to Shaq, it slows the tempo down. We usually play up-tempo, but when he has it going we just go through him.”

Shaq doesn’t get it going every night, not like he used to. Remember, he’s old as hell. But on the nights when Shaq’s legs feel bouncy, the nights when that salad and fish diet from Sudbury Farms pays off, the nights when Kwame Brown and Nazr Mohammed provide a little too much help on Rajon Rondo, Shaq offers glimpses into his storied past.

Read the whole piece here.

Also, if anyone cares about the Bobcats’ coaching change, I wrote a column about that too. The Bobcats’ verdict? Paul Silas’ offensive system provides freedom that Larry Brown’s didn’t. (SLAM)

“Coach Brown was more of a coach who wants you to run the offense, run it all the way through, slow the ball down, execute,” shared DJ Augustin. “Coach Silas wants you to push, run, and shoot the first open shot. That’s how we’ve been playing lately, and I think we’ve done a great job of doing that.”

Does the additional freedom help you, DJ?

“I think it helps everybody, because we’re able to use our talents and our skills now. I think it’s helping the whole team.”