Perhaps the hardest thing to do is to verbalize an idea or belief.  First you must describe your thought, and then you must justify it with supporting facts.  Therein lies the validation of your idea and perhaps the transformation from mere opinion to near fact.  My goal from this point forward is to prove with "the facts" that Shaquille O'Neal is the greatest player to ever step foot on the hardwood.

     I guess it's only appropriate to start in from the beginning.  Let's not kid ourselves, when was the last time a player made such an impact in their rookie season?  Has anyone ever made that kind of impact on their team or on the NBA as a whole in their first year?  Michael?  Magic?  Kobe?  (that was a joke).  The truth is that Labron James is the only player who has even come close.  The reason I can say this, and you will hear me use this phrase often, The Shaq Effect.  The Orlando Magic went from the worst record in the entire Eastern Conference, (and second worst in the NBA), without Shaq to missing the playoffs on the short end of a tie breaker with the Indiana Pacers in his first season.  Actually when I look back at that season I'm amazed that the Magic performed as well as they did even with Shaquille O'Neal.

     See the truth (despite what some people think about some of the championship Laker teams) is that until the 04-05 season, Shaq had never been blessed with a great supporting cast.  Most importantly, and I'll address this in more detail later, he has never had the advantage of playing with a great passer.  Could you imagine what his numbers would look like if he had ever played with the likes of Magic, Stockton, Kidd, or Nash?  To further illustrate my point just take a brief look at the starting lineup for the 92-93 Orlando Magic.  Surrounding Shaquille O'Neal you have Nick Anderson, Dennis Scott, Scott Skiles, and Tom Tolbert.  The fact that the Orlando Magic even scratched at the door of the playoffs with that roster is a small miracle.  And that small miracle can easily be attributed to the "Shaq Effect."  I guess before I go any further I should elaborate more on the "Shaq Effect." The "Shaq Effect" is the effect that Shaquille O'Neal has on his individual team members, his team as a whole, even the fans and the city for which he plays.  The "Shaq Effect" is very real and it's very powerful.

     Now what do you suppose happened the very next season?  Do you think the Magic get even better? Of course they did!  They not only made the playoffs but secured the number four seed in the Eastern Conference.  Some have argued that the addition of Anfernee Hardaway had a major impact that year.  For those people I can only say, Anfernee who?  Does that guy still play in the NBA?  I'm being serious, I really don't know.  If he does, he must be in the NBA witness protection program.  More...