Back in the good old days, before my own domestic situation went all Jason/Joumana, me & the sig. witnessed a particularly craptacular episode of MTV’s “Cribs”, in which Shaquille O’Neal led viewers on a guided tour of his palatial estate.
Even by the program’s usual standards, Shaq’s pad established new marks for bad taste. Liberace clawed his way out of the coffin just to have a peak (after which point, he hung himself in Shaq’s Superman-themed XXL shower).
RealEstalker has the scoop on said mansion being up for grabs (link courtesy Henry “Better Homes & Gardens” Abbott of True Hoop), pithily commenting,
Mister Shaq’s Mediterranean manse was built in 1992 and sits near the northwest tip of the island. Your Mama has no beef with the location or architecture of the house, but we are not impressed with the interior appointments. The kitchen manages to look both bland and unfriendly. And children, you know there is nothing right about the choice to paint the kitchen walls flesh color. Ever.
We are also not comfortable with the living room furniture. No doubt the Mrs. Shaquille’s decorator charged her a small fortune for the sofas, sideboards and settees, but to Your Mama, this stuff looks like it was purchased at some furniture outlet High Point, North Carolina. We have no issue with Mr. Shaquille, his wife, or their family. We blame the decorator. After seeing how the decorator has blasphemed and insulted the house, Your Mama now understands why the O’Neals have being trying to unload this place practically since the day they moved in.
Once Chris Webber’s buyout with the Sixers is completed, the New York Post’s Peter Vescey writes “ll be shocked if he doesn’t wind up a Knick for at least the remainder of the season.” But even Poison Pete cannot claim to have forecast Stevie Franchise being reunited with Larry Brown.
Everybody and his rollers recognized Francis didn’t qualify as a lid to the Knicks’ pot. Everybody, that is, except Isiah Thomas, and by the looks of things, Brown too, which I queasily admit is news to me.
A seamless segue to the perfectly peculiar part of this latest development: According to the same source, stage two of Francis’ buyout conversation, coordinated by agent Jeff Fried, is dialogue with Brown about his client joining the 76ers after he clears waivers.
Say it ain’t so! For months I’ve maintained “Play the game the right way” Brown never would’ve endorsed such procurement, much less initiated it. Has Billy King seconded this motion? If so, does that mean he’s back under the influence of Brown and no longer in charge? If not, is the Sixers president aware of the talk? That’s just what David Stern needs, another team management matter to arbitrate.