"Give credit to Shaquille O'Neal for not going all Jamie Foxx cross-eyed fielding a question about whether he could criticize NBA players.

No problem, he said last week at the news conference announcing he would join TNT's "Inside the NBA," the highly entertaining version of basketball open-mike night.

The Big Analytical - and Shaq does seem to pick up a nickname for every pound he gained while staying out of shape for his six NBA teams - said he easily will sit alongside Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson and take aim at his former colleagues.

"I don't think it will be hard," O'Neal said.

Well, of course not. This question always seems to come up for former athletes crossing over to broadcasting roles."