FanPost

Did Shaq Get Into Odens Head?

I'm posting this as a fan shot because it's just a short random thought I stumbled on this morning. I was looking for a quote I remember from Bill Russell urging Oden to "have fun". In going from article to article I found one from before the draft. It was an NBA.COM article and within it they asked Oden who some of his favorite players were, players he liked and emulated. He absolutely gushed about Shaq. Shaq was the guy he most wanted to emulate and who's game he followed. He sounded very much like any 20 year old basketball fan, but it was clear he was a huge fan of Shaq. My thought was that it seems Oden has been especially down ever since the Phoenix game. Oden didn't play a particularly good game, and Shaq was cold and insultingly dismissive in his post game comments about Oden. Oden is still a young guy, it's got to be hard if you've admired someone and then get the treatment he got from Shaq. I'm sure Oden has multiple pressures on him, but I'm wondering how much Shaq was able to get into Odens head. Purposely calling Oden-Odom was either stupid or a brilliant psychological attack, take your pick. Am I reading too much into everything or is it possible Shaq has added a new arsenal to his game, The Psychological Shaq attack?