“Rudy, you gotta wake up, you gotta wise up and you gotta shut up” - Skip Bayless says Rudy Gobert is barking up the wrong tree after his comments on locking up Shaquille O’Neal
Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert is one of the NBA's most talented defensive centers. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year has been a top shot-blocking threat, leading the league in that category in 2016-17.
Gobert recently said he believes he would be able to stop NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal if the two went toe-to-toe during their careers. The remarks have fans buzzing as O'Neal was one of the most dominant centers in history. While Gobert has been a sensational defender, the NBA has never seen a player who could contatin the freakish power and quickness that Shaq had.
On "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," analyst Skip Bayless had some strong words for Gobert, saying that he wouldn't have a chance to stop O'Neal:
“Rudy, you gotta wake up, you gotta wise up and you gotta shut up.”
Rudy Gobert says he would've "locked" Shaq up:
"Rudy, you are barking up the biggest, wrongest tree. Shaq was the most dominating offensive force in the history of this league." — @RealSkipBayless https://t.co/082mkNdhdr
Basketball fans react to Rudy Gobert commenting on Shaquille O'Neal
The comments between Shaquille O'Neal and Rudy Gobert started when Shaq was asked if he believed the Utah Jazz big man could defend him.
After O'Neal politely responded that he doubted Gobert would be able to keep up with his strength, Gobert said he would "lock him up."
O'Neal was one of the NBA's most physically imposing centers ever. He was listed at 7-foot-1, 324 pounds and used his freakish strength and quickness to overpower defenders with relative ease. Gobert is also 7-foot-1 and posseses an impressive 7-foot-9 wingspan, but he still remains close to 70 pounds lighter than O'Neal.
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Rudy fires back at Shaq in our comments 👀🍿 https://t.co/ReqZZ6Z6WZ
While the exchange could draw plenty of conversation, it remains unlikely that a player of any era would be able to stop O'Neal regularly. While Gobert has the ability to be a strong rim protector, there still has yet to be a player who would be able to slow down the Hall of Famer.
Gobert, who just finished his ninth season, has made the All-Defensive team five times. After finishing third in this season's DPOY vote, he's likely going to receive that honor for a sixth time. He's been an All-Star in each of the past three seasons.
O'Neal, the No. 1 draft pick in 1992, led the NBA in scoring twice and made the All-Defensive team three times in his 19-year career. The four-time champion was an All-Star 15 times. He was an NBA Finals MVP three times and the regular-season MVP once.