Candace Parker and Shaquille O’Neal had a debate about how well DeMar DeRozan would have fit into 90s era basketball a few days ago.
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Shaq is a typical old head – always talking smack about how soft today’s NBA is. This approach flies well with the OG Inside crew alongside Chuck, Ernie, and Kenny. But it isn’t easy to keep this demeanor without criticism when he’s on the sets with D-Wade and Candace Parker.
The duo had put Shaq to toast in a discussion about how to defend pick-and-rolls not long back. This shut the Lakers legend up for good, at least for a few weeks. But he couldn’t help himself in a discussion about DeMar DeRozan.
The Spurs’ power forward – yes, DeRozan has reinvented himself as a 4 in the modern game – has been a great player under coach Pop. They seem to have found the perfect way to use his mid-range game to the best.
San Antonio are currently 8th in the Western Conference, primed for a berth in the play-in tournament. It’s going to be a bloodbath in the West once again, and the Spurs have proved that they belong in the playoff conversation.
Candace Parker and Shaquille O’Neal debate how good DeMar DeRozan would be in the 90s
Parker is normally on point with her takes on players, but she ventured into a bit of hyperbolic territory in a discussion about DeMar DeRozan. Parker unequivocally stated that DeRozan would have been an all-time great if he’d played in the 90s.
Shaquille O’Neal could have made a lot of arguments better than the toughness argument he eventually ended up making. It is his schtick, and is in an irritating one usually, and he didn’t need to go there.
Parker seems to be massively underplaying the talent in the 90s, and she also made a bad comparison. She likened DeRozan to Mitch Richmond, but the Warriors legend was an elite 3-point shooter which DeMar never has been.
Segments like this make critics and fans often wish more serious analysis to take place. Any good critic could have dissected Parker’s ‘prisoner of the moment’-style take easily.
