Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t too impressed that Derrick Rose won the MVP, she believed that LeBron James deserved it more that season.
Shaquille O’Neal is undoubtedly a force of nature. There was a time when he dominated the league so strongly that defenders feared even his name.
But that moment was nearly two decades ago. He won his only regular season MVP in 2000. Although Shaq won another championship with the Heat in 2006, by then he was just a shadow of his former self.
Since his retirement, Shaq has taken it upon himself to entertain NBA fans with “hot shots” of him.
With his stardom and his epic career behind him, shots of him are generally well received.
However, Shaq in his book made a pretty amazing statement about Derrick Rose winning MVP.
Shaquille O’Neal claimed that Derrick Rose did not deserve the 2011 award
At Shaq Uncut, Diesel viciously questioned Derrick Rose earning an MVP. He argued that Rose did not do anything unique. His style of play and his impact, while brilliant, were not worthy of the Most Valuable Player award. He hinted that LeBron James deserved the award.
Shaq: “I may be biased, but I’ve seen Mike, Dominique, Magic, Bird, David Robinson, Ewing. They brought something unique. Derrick Rose? Great player, but help me with something I don’t expect.”
Did LeBron really deserve the award over Rose?
In 2010-11, Derrick Rose became a worldwide phenomenon. His performance that season made him one of the best players in Chicago Bulls history.
He led the team without Joakim Noah (Noah played just 48 games) to 62 regular season wins. The Bulls had the best record not only in the Eastern Conference but in the entire league. For him to do that with kind of squads around was really amazing.
On the other hand, LeBron James was also on a roll. It was his first season with the new Miami Heat team. He and Dwyane Wade led the team to the NBA Finals.
Even in the regular season, LeBron had more games with at least 30 points than Rose. He was not far behind in assists and even had more rebounds.
However, statistics are not the determining aspect of an MVP. The decision is based on multiple criteria. Maybe Shaq is right, after all, he is a generational talent. But one thing cannot be denied, Derrick Rose was a beast in his MVP season.
