Re: Miami Heat 2005-06
Niinpä niin.
BERARDINO: Shaking off 300 pounds of rust will take some time
Published January 25, 2007
INDIANAPOLIS · He's ba-aaaack.
Uh, check that. Used a few too many "A's" there. Got a little carried away.
Shaquille O'Neal returned to the Heat lineup Wednesday night after a 37-game absence. He even did some good things in what devolved into a 96-94 overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse.
But there was very little about his reappearance that was even remotely ominous for future Heat opponents.
"Real rusty," was Shaq's honest self-assessment. "I was still kind of tentative."
Oh, it's a good sign he was able to come off the bench and play 14 minutes behind Alonzo Mourning. There will be no Heat repeat without significant playoff contributions from the man who so loathes the regular season.
And it's great to have the world's biggest kid back smiling, cracking jokes and reminding teammates this is a game they play for a living. Before entering with 4:49 left in the first quarter, he even shook hands with an elderly Pacers employee at the scorer's table.
It's also nice of Shaq to start giving the Heat a return on its $243,902.43 per-game investment. We're talking $9 million in salary during that lengthy absence.
But after 77 days to rest and rehab his surgically repaired left knee, it's going to take time for him to regain his timing and rhythm, not to mention his balance.
Jermaine O'Neal sent him sprawling to the deck with a blocked shot in the first half. Troy Murphy sent him stumbling with a clean strip under the basket. Jeff Foster caused a simple entry pass from James Posey to float over Shaq's outstretched hand.
And somebody named Ike Diogu blew past him on the baseline, forcing Shaq into a reaching foul. At that awkward moment, Shaq looked like he'd have trouble guarding Ike Turner, much less Diogu.
Too often this Diesel appeared to be running on ethanol.
That's not to say there weren't some uplifting moments as well. Shaq did grab five rebounds, two of which led to his only field goals on a five-point night. He also blocked a shot and altered a few others.
He ran the floor fairly well, got position on the low blocks and set some strong screens.
But if you were expecting an immediate return to dominance from one of the NBA's all-time greats, it wasn't happening on this night. It might not happen for several more weeks, if not months.
You just don't go from zero to 60 in a blink when you weigh three bills and change. You just don't make up for 21/2 months on the sidelines on a single night, not at age 34.
No one has to explain this to O'Neal. That's one reason he wanted to make absolutely sure he was ready before returning.
"I just have to take my time," O'Neal said. "The rust will wear off, and I will get more minutes, and I'll get my rhythm back with the guys."
The fact he sat for the last 151/2 minutes, including overtime, should tell you he's still not there.
Teammate Jason Kapono said you "can't expect too much out of him" after such a long layoff, but he also expressed hope the improvement curve would be steep.
The humor curve certainly was. O'Neal was in a playful pregame mood in the locker room.
He showed off the two Mandarin phrases he learned from former Heat teammate Wang Zhi-Zhi -- "Hello" and "How are you?" -- for a Chinese reporter.
Fumbling with his socks, he joked he'd missed so much time he'd forgotten how to perform that simple task. And he dramatically sought out Mourning for some good-natured ribbing.
"Just what I envisioned when I came to Miami," O'Neal said with a grin. "Backing up my man Zo."
Then the two warriors embraced as Shaq gave Mourning a highly unwanted peck on the cheek.
Welcome back, Shaq, even if it's with just one "A."
Mike Berardino can be reached at mberardino@sun-sentinel.com.