Carmelo Anthony shockingly takes sides in Shaquille O'Neal, Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert feud
09/25/2024 05:23 PM
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert has dealt with his share of criticism from Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal. In August, O’Neal slammed Gobert for cheating the system after he signed a five-year, $205 million contract. On an episode of the 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast, Carmelo Anthony took sides in the feud between the two centers.
“I wish they would (see Shaq),” Anthony said. “With that being said, they don't want to because they don't feel like there's any relevancy between Shaq's game and the game today. So nobody is saying go see Shaq. They're going to say, hey go see T-Mac, like go see this guy, go see Melo, like they ain't like go see Shaq.”
O’Neal has consistently criticized the Timberwolves center for several reasons. A lack of dominance, offensive prowess, and his salary are only tidbits of his frustration. At first, it felt like constructive criticism. For example, O’Neal infamously called out Donovan Mitchell when he was Gobert’s teammate with the Utah Jazz. The exchange was awkward, to say the least.
Although O’Neal has a tough-love approach to players, sometimes his criticism crosses the line. With Mitchell, he did it because that’s what he did to players like Penny Hardaway and Kobe Bryant. Even though this generation is cut from a different cloth, O’Neal’s feelings can feel more like a personal attack.
What is Carmelo Anthony talking about with Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert and Shaquille O’Neal?
Also, not every center can be O’Neal. He is arguably the most dominant, if not, the most dominant center to ever play the position. Regardless of his dominance, his tone can be off-putting and discouraging to many players. Anthony acknowledges both sides.
“Now that's the unfortunate part right, what I'm saying to your point is if they did reach out to him and incorporate him into training and giving back to the game from that standpoint,” Anthony said. “He does give back to the game a lot but from that standpoint these young —— ain't going to want to say, ‘yo Shaq come teach me.’ I wanted Shaq.”
Gobert fired back at Shaq and called his words ‘sad.’ Gobert is a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, three-time NBA All-Star, four-time All-NBA team member, and seven-time All-Defensive Team member. While the feud between O’Neal and Gobert could continue, Anthony has a simple message for the former Los Angeles Lakers big man.
“Yo Shaq, Champ, leave Rudy the f**k alone man,” Anthony said. “Come on bro like stall him out man, stall the guy out, man. You know, Sacré bleu, and all this.”
As the Timberwolves are close to the season opener, the battle between Shaq and Gobert could persist as long as Shaq wants it to.
The post Carmelo Anthony shockingly takes sides in Shaquille O’Neal, Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert feud appeared first on ClutchPoints.
