I don't get it

[GonzoStyle]

How people miss free throws, I don't fuckin get it.

There's a reason its called a FREE throw, it should be automatic. You're a professional b ball player, fuckin shaq!!!!

I could even understand shaq somewhat since most of his points come in the paint, he's not a 15 foot jump shot guy.

But 5 for 16!!!

[GonzoStyle]

6 - 18

Nicholson is gonna choke himself to death if he keeps on doing the choke sign.

[The Jays]

It's not really free, he has to stand in one place, and make the shot. Some people can only make shots when their bodies are in full motion.

Let him do a lil jig, spin round, and then touch the line and shoot with both legs on the floor. Bam! Maybe thatll work

[GonzoStyle]

Kareem Rush 4 MVP!!!!

[Galt]

I never missed a penalty shot in my non-professional hockey career.

[drusilla]

that is all he should practice. its so fucking stupid. i work with coaches that don't let the team leave til each player hits 5+ in a row

[TheGMANN]

Remember the Anthony Mason one-handed free throw ??

[The Jays]

i cant believe I had to watch the conference finals on cable

[The Sleeper]

I like how he still goes to different free throw coaches after all these years. Dude's been in the league 11 years, if he can't hit them now, he never will.

[The Jays]

the whole hack a shaq thing would stop if he started hitting free throws, just like Barry Bonds would get more at bats if he had actual hitting threats behind him.

[HedCold]

every 3 kareeem rush hits stings, since the pacers drafted fred jones instead of him

[Sir O]

I remember reading somewhere that Shaq had a wrist injury when he was young, and it prevents him from bending it in the proper manner to shoot free throws. Maybe the Lakers should hire Rick Barry to teach him how to shoot underhanded...

[The Jays]

there isnt some sort of corrective surgery he could have done if that was the case? if his wrist grew funny after that injury, after all these years, couldnt he have had the bone that grew misshapen re-shaped, and the muscle and tendons re-attached the proper way?

[drusilla]

I remember reading somewhere that Shaq had a wrist injury when he was young, and it prevents him from bending it in the proper manner to shoot free throws. Maybe the Lakers should hire Rick Barry to teach him how to shoot underhanded...

that is the worst fucking excuse i have ever heard.

as an athletic trainer that appalls me

[Sir O]

Who knows? I don't even remember where I read it it was so long ago, just throwing it out there as a possible reason for his trouble at the line.

In the end though, it's not really a big deal. Some people are just naturally good free throw shooters, some aren't. Wilt Chamerlain is one of the greatest to ever play the game and he barely made more than half his free throws. Ditto Bill Russell. Meanwhile Allan Houston is automatic at the stripe, but years from now he'll just be a footnote in the history books.

[Sir O]

Did a little Googling and found this:

An underhanded suggestion

Shaq must learn to shoot free throws ... or face defeat.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rick Barry
Special To The Examiner
Published on Wednesday, May 5, 2004

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL IS, without debate, the most dominant center in today's NBA. At 7-foot-1 and 340 pounds, his size alone allows him to do things that other centers only dream about. He is a mix of power, athleticism and finesse. But all of this cannot make up for the fact that he is a horrible free-throw shooter.
Did I say horrible? How about horrendous, dreadful, atrocious and appalling, too?

In his 12-year professional career, he has averaged an embarrassing 54 percent from the charity stripe. In his best free-throw shooting season, he managed only 62 percent accuracy, and he has posted numbers under 50 percent in three seasons.

In this year's playoffs, he has managed to shoot just 28 percent from the line, and in Game 1 against San Antonio, he went 3-for-13 for a whopping 23 percent. Every player on my 10-year-old son's basketball team can shoot better than that. Heck, I could randomly select ten people off the street that could probably muster a better percentage.

So what's the deal? I could not live with myself if a particular segment of my game needed so much work. I would spend every hour of every day practicing to make sure I could become proficient in that area. And I would consult all the experts and try everything possible to get better.

Now I know that Shaq has worked with numerous coaches in an effort to improve his free throw shooting. I'm not saying that he hasn't tried. However, whatever the so-called shooting gurus were teaching him, nothing has been successful. Doesn't he owe it to his teammates, his fans and, more importantly, himself to exhaust all possibilities?

In that vein, let me mention that there is one technique that Shaq has not tried. I'm sure by now you know what I am getting at. Yes, Shaquille O'Neal is the perfect candidate for my underhanded free-throw technique. I've read that he had a wrist injury as a youngster that prevents him from fully cocking his wrist in the proper manner to shoot an overhand shot. Doesn't it make sense to try a technique that would eliminate the need to bend his wrist?

I can guarantee that if Shaq devoted one offseason to my underhanded style, I could have him shooting above 70 percent the following season. Further, I would be willing to tutor him for free. Well, not exactly free, just no money up front. I would ask that he pay me an agreed upon amount for every percentage-point increase in his free-throw shooting from the previous season.

I assure you that I am not offering my services for any selfish or self-promoting reason. It just disappoints me to see any player not live up to his potential. That's why I would love nothing more than to have Shaq shoot underhanded. I would like to see him become a more complete player, and improving his percentage at the line is how that can become a reality.

When he goes down in NBA history as one of the best centers to play the game, the last thing he should want is an asterisk by his name that says: But he was also one of the worst free-throw shooters ever. And, imagine if it said that his poor free-throw shooting cost the Lakers a few championships.

If the Lakers hope to beat the Spurs in this series, their only hope is that Tim Duncan shoots worse from the line than Shaq. And since I mentioned Duncan, although he isn't anywhere near as bad as Shaq, he should also consider making a switch in technique at the line. How sad it is to see two of the most talented players ever to step on a basketball court turn into liabilities when they shoot free throws.

Who knows? Maybe after the season is over, my phone will ring and on the other end of the line will be a great center or a great power forward who wants to develop a complete game.


Former Warriors star and Hall of Famer Rick Barry hosts the noon-3 p.m. talk show on KNBR 680.

[The Jays]

What a fucking egotistical prick. Just because he did things different, he feels the need to write an article on how only HE can help Shaq.

[GonzoStyle]

The guys on AM radio, give him a break.

[Arpikarhu]

larry bird said recently that they used to think dennis(i forget the last name, i think johnson) was a lousy shooter cause he shot 44%. now a good shooter shoots 44%. the level of talent in the game has declined sharply in the last 10 years.

[Galt]

They also didn't like DJ because he was a coon with freckles