Steve Aschburner, one of my all-time favorite NBA writers, chided Shaq for Shaq’s comments regarding Mo Williams. (Read the original comments HERE) (NBA.com)

Convenient, isn’t it, how O’Neal can switch so fluidly in his pronouns. When things go wrong, it’s all “they,” “he” and “me.” When he can strain to stay linked to current difference-maker like James, this former difference-maker breaks out the “we.”

Look, Shaq’s candor in general is great, and he gets the entertainment component of pro sports better than any athlete of his generation (maybe overgets it, given his distracting side ventures). But at 38, with a veteran’s minimum contract, having played for more franchises that didn’t win titles with him than those that did, he needs to adjust. O’Neal is at the Robert Parish-in-Chicago, Glenn Robinson-in-San Antonio, John Salley-in-L.A. stage of his impact and career. He needs to sound like it.

Come to think of it, maybe Shaq’s diminishing stature makes it easier for him to find targets his own size after all.

Look, I’ll be the first to admit it: Shaq can be a bit of a jerk sometimes. Our faithful reader James believes Shaq’s rudeness reveals itself because Shaq refuses to be fake, but being “real” isn’t an excuse for being a jackass. As my third-grade teacher once told me when I wrote “BOOBLESS” on my calculator (press 5-5-3-7-8-0-0-8, then turn it upside down) to describe my female classmates, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Not exactly a motto Shaq has lived by over the years.

Then I read that Delonte West called Shaq “an amazing person, someone I can’t even begin to describe,” and I re-read Rick Reilly’s feature on Shaq from 2000. Reilly gushed about O’Neal’s graciousness, thanked him for his generosity and lawfulness, and wrote this about O’Neal’s father: “It’s true: Good men raise good men.”

I just have to accept the fact that it’s not easy to describe Shaq’s character. And me? I’m not even going to try.

Five. That’s how many players the Celtics had under contract at the beginning of this offseason, including the soon-to-retire Rasheed Wallace. So make that four.

Zero. That’s how much cap space the Celtics had to spend, unless they wanted to renounce the rights to Ray Allen and/or Paul Pierce. Fat chance of that happening.

Eleven. That’s how many players Danny Ainge signed, and many of them quality pros. Just another summer at the office for Ainge, another offseason spent making wine out of water.
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We see Shaq as a larger than life persona. Shaq Attaq, the Big Diesel, The Big Aristotle. We laugh when he asks Kobe how his ass tastes and we wonder when he’s going to take another shot at a former teammate.

What we don’t see is Shaq’s other side, a more sensitive side, a side that led Delonte West to call Shaq “an amazing person” during an interview last season. (NBA.com, h/t ESPN Boston)

West is taking a low public profile this season, refusing all interviews. But when he learned the topic was Shaq, there were some strong thoughts West wanted to share, that he needed to share.

“This is about Shaq?” he asked.

About Shaq, yes.

“Well then, you need to know something. He’s like a big brother for me right now, as far as everything that’s going on in my life. Just seeing how he handles things is an inspiration to me. This is someone who has been around the world. He gives me advice every day. He’ll lay down and die for you, and that’s my type of guy. He’s an amazing person, someone I can’t even begin to describe. A big influence in my life.”

I’ve never thought about Shaq like this before. I’ve never seen him as the type of guy who will “lay down and die for you.” Most of the time, I flip-flop between thinking he’s hilarious and thinking he’s an asshole. It’s funny when he takes a shot at Mo Williams or Chris Quinn, but when you think about it, that ain’t cool.

Now, after reading that Delonte basically called Shaq an angel, I don’t even know what to think any more. Is Shaq the big funny man who can be a bit of an asshole, or is he “an amazing person, someone I can’t even begin to describe”?

Who knows? What I do know is that it will be good for Delonte that Shaq is in Beantown. When you have bipolar disorder, it can’t be a bad thing to have a close support group of old friends.

I’m shocked – shocked! – that Shaq took a shot at Mo Williams yesterday. I’m not so stunned that he took a shot at Mo as I am that he waited until yesterday. The over/under on Shaq firing an unceremonious shot at one of his former teammates was a week after signing somewhere else. It took him a full month. If I were a betting man, I would have lost a fair amount of money. (Wait, I AM a betting man? I DID lose a fair amount of money? Here comes the computer toss…)

Anyway, here’s what Shaq had to say about his former teammate. (New Orleans Times Picayune)

O’Neal said what sold him on the Celtics is the unselfish play of the veteran group.

“I like that they play together and nobody really worries about shots, ” O’Neal said. “When I was with Cleveland, guys who couldn’t even play were worried about shots. Why was Mo (Williams) taking 15 shots, and I’m only taking four? If LeBron takes 20 shots, that’s cool.

“So I said, let me get with a good team for the last two years. I don’t mind people calling me a journeyman. I’ve been programmed to move around every three years.”

As for Mo, still stuck in Lebron-less Cleveland? Mo’ losses, mo’ problems. But mo’ shots, too.

Click the jump for Shaq quotes about himself and the Celtics.

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Shaq continues to say all the right things. He’s in Boston because he wants to win. He doesn’t mind being a complementary player. He has no more ego. He’s willing to do whatever Doc Rivers asks of him. He wants to sacrifice his game because he wants at least one more championship, and maybe two.

Then why the hell did he consider signing with the Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Hornets? (New Orleans Times Picayune)

Before the Celtics made their offer, O’Neal was interested in joining the Atlanta Hawks. But the Hawks weren’t willing to extend him a contract in the $8 million range that O’Neal wanted.

O’Neal said Friday he was interested in joining the New Orleans Hornets, and discussions took place when Jeff Bower was the general manager.

“It didn’t work out, ” O’Neal said.

I’m no genius or anything, but if I was simply trying to win another championship I wouldn’t be demanding $8 million from the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks are a good team, but they aren’t contenders. What they DID offer Shaq, though, was an opportunity to get paid and play a lot of minutes. I’m sure that’s why Shaq was interested in going to the ATL.

And the Hornets? The Hornets??? If winning was really the only thing on his mind, Shaq would have laughed in Jeff Bower’s face when the two spoke. But Shaq was actually interested.

Look, I’m not saying that Shaq will be a problem. I’m not saying he still has an ego. I’m not saying that he’ll act up and destroy team chemistry. I’m not saying Doc should fear a Sprewell or even a Manny Ramirez. I actually don’t think Shaq will be or do any of those things. From a chemistry standpoint, Shaq wasn’t a problem at all last season in Cleveland.

Just don’t think Boston was Shaq’s number one choice all along. It wasn’t. It was his fallback plan when he realized he couldn’t earn the money and minutes he wanted elsewhere.

Shaq Vs bridesmaids. Check out the dork in the background.

It’s a lot easier to crash a wedding if you’re Shaquille O’Neal than it is if you’re Owen Wilson or Vince Vaughn. You don’t need to claim to be the CEO of a Vermont maple-syrup conglomerate, or a traveling family band, you just walk through the banquet door at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston, and you’re immediately accepted. (NESN.com)

On Friday, Aug. 27, that’s just what happened as Shaq wandered into the wedding ceremony of Kristen and Wes Schifone at the Four Seasons in downtown Boston, much to the delight of the newly-weds. Shaq didn’t show off his epic moves on the dance floor, nor did he spit out some serious rhymes with the band, but it was a memorable visit to say the least.

“Considering it was someone of his stature, he was a total gentleman and just acted like one of the guys,” the groom said from his Hawaiian honeymoon. “He accepted everyone’s photo request and even remembered our names the next day and asked that we come down for a photo shoot with him for the [Boston] Globe.”

Shaq: “We lost a lot of good men out there.”

Bridesmaid: “Playing for the Celtics?

Shaq: “Yes, with the Celtics you lose good men to trades and unruly fans. Look I don’t want to talk about it. I’m sorry.”

Click the jump for more pictures.

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