Hard to believe it’s been 16 years since Robert Parish laced up those green Converse sneakers for the Celtics. During that time, the Chief has kept close tabs on his former team, and he smiled brightly after their latest move, the signing of Shaquille O’Neal.
Parish played until he was 43, finishing his career with the championship Bulls in 1996-97, and he can relate to being an aging big man with enough skills to help a team reach the NBA pinnacle.
He feels a bond with O’Neal, who is coming to Boston to help the Celtics compete with the likes of the Heat, Lakers, and Magic. O’Neal has said he’s ready to accept a complementary role, but Parish believes the future Hall of Famer possesses enough skill and presence to make a dramatic difference in Boston’s interior game.
“I was happy about the acquisition of Mr. Shaquille O’Neal, it was a good move because the Celtics are trying to win it now,’’ Parish said last week. “Before the other veterans run out of gas, [Kevin] Garnett, [Paul] Pierce, and [Ray] Allen. So their mission is to try to win it now. I think between those two guys [Shaquille and Jermaine O’Neal] in the middle, the center position is secure.’’
A part of the Celtics’ original Big Three, Parish made the biggest personal sacrifice. He came to Boston in his prime, after four solid years at Golden State. The most shots he averaged in Boston was 15.4 per game in 1981-82. He was content to set picks, rebound, and score occasionally — the role Shaquille O’Neal is hoping to fill.
After 18 seasons and 28,255 points, O’Neal realizes his best days are behind him, but he still has enough left to give the Celtics the bruising rebounder and intimidating force they lacked last season. Kendrick Perkins was a staunch interior defender but not a volume rebounder. O’Neal nabbed close to 7 rebounds per game last season in 23.2 minutes. Perkins averaged 7.6 in 27.4 minutes.
“Shaq can still start for at least 15 teams, maybe 20 teams,’’ Parish said. “I would say that time has caught up with him but he can still be a factor and not to mention defensively. He’s long and has a lot of mass and is going to take up a lot of room and that definitely is where the Celtics’ strong suit is, defensively. I think that’s where he gets it done. I think Shaq will definitely bring a defensive presence along with Garnett. He’s going to cause a lot of havoc defensively and he still can get it done offensively.’’
