Shaq Retires

[Latrinsorm]

Story. (http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nba/news/story?id=6615886)

Probably a year too late, but don't they all.

.

Statistics:
- Led the NBA in scoring twice. Only centers to do so more often are Neil Johnston (3) and Wilt Chamberlain (7).
- 19th career scoring average, only trailing Wilt and Kareem among centers, and would probably catch Kareem with pace-corrected numbers.
- Also 19th in playoff scoring average, this time only trailing Hakeem and Kareem, and would absolutely catch Kareem with pace-corrected numbers.
- Never led the NBA in rebounding or shot blocking. Finished in the top five 5 and 4 times, respectively.
- .914 career assist to turnover ratio. (For reference, Hakeem's is .834, Kareem's is 1.156, Tim Duncan's is 1.196.)

Advanced metrics:
- Career: 3rd PER, 16th Win Shares / 48 min
- Playoffs: 4th PER, 19th WS/48 playoffs
- One of four players to post multiple years of 30+ PER. LeBron has 2, Shaq and Wilt have 3 a piece, Jordan has 4. (Wilt would in all likelihood have a much higher PER if blocks had been recorded in his era.)

Where do you think he stacks up, all-time? I've got him in the third tier, behind Hakeem, Kareem, Wilt, Russell, about even with David Robinson, Mikan, Duncan.

[Keller]

Would have been the greatest of all time if he had tried.

[DoctorUnne]

At his peak I'd put him behind only Russell and Wilt, but his peak didn't last as long as Kareem's or Hakeem's so overall I'd probably put him #5 behind those guys. Although it's tough to compare stats since the game was so different back then and I'm not old enough to have seen any of those other guys play (accept Hakeem but I was pretty young then too). Definitely above Robinson and Mikan. Isn't Duncan more of a PF?

[Keller]

The NBA will miss him. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6fALt84dt4&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1)

[Drakefang]

He had the ability to take over a game more than Hakeem ever seemed. I never saw Russel or Wilt but from all the talk they seem superior. I did see Kareem and he was on a superior team playing a different style of game. However, I think he was still a better overall talent. Those Laker teams when Shaq won were his teams. They were not Kobe's. The Lakers got rid of him so that they could become Kobe's teams because they saw the longevity in Kobe. When Kareem played, they were more like the Heat now. Almost a big three.

Duncan is more like KG and plays more of a mid-range game, in my opinion. They're too hybrid a type of player. Shaq was a pure center. When Shaq was at his best, no center could guard him down low. He's number four talent/performance wise on my list.

[Latrinsorm]

Would have been the greatest of all time if he had tried.I can't shake this feeling either. I don't think he would have matched Jordan's excellence, but certainly he could have been better than what he was. It's hard to factor that disappointment in with stats.
Isn't Duncan more of a PF?Basketball positions are so poorly defined that I try to avoid those distinctions. If you had Duncan and Shaq on the floor at the same time, Duncan would probably be the PF if you had to declare one. If you had Duncan and Karl Malone on the floor at the same time, Duncan would clearly be the C. I would say that keeping in mind the environment of the NBA in his era, Duncan is at least a PF/C and functionally more of a C than a PF. Hakeem blurs the line too.

[Rinualdo]

No one who shoots 50% from the line can be considered the greatest ever.