D-Wade Calls Out Shaq, Riley Unhappy

The Heat have been nothing short of a mess this year. Not to say that they don’t have plenty of time to turn things around this year — they do — but they’ve still been a mess, and I always love to criticize demented franchises when they’re down. The Heat of course, are no exception. Team leader Dwyane Wade returned to action this week and wasted no time taking Shaq to the woodshed:

“Probably this year more so than any year I have been more vocal with Shaq, talking to him and trying to motivate him,” Wade said Thursday before the Heat left for a game at Boston tonight. “But the main thing is Shaq has got to be self-motivated. He has got to be willing and ready to do it.”
…
“Even though he is not getting the ball as much as he wants, we need him to help lead this team in other ways, whether it’s rebounding the ball or passing the ball the way he knows how to pass,” Wade said.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before … Shaq being lazy. Hmm. Never would’ve thought it was possible. Meanwhile, Mr. Slick appreciates Wade’s leadership, but doesn’t like him going public with the problem, preferring to keep matters in-house. Naturally. Bottom line: Shaq is nowhere near the player he used to be and is probably lacking the motivation he once had. Still, it’s a long season, and they have plenty of time to get it together. NOT! They’re toast.

(Chest Bump to Matt Watson at NBA FanHouse)