ESPN the Magazine?s Tom Friend reports that Lakers owner Jerry Buss has made up his mind that Kobe Bryant should remain with the team at all costs.
And Shaquille O?Neal has just about had enough of his Laker journey.
O?Neal sat down with Friend and their conversation simply served to reaffirm the current dilemma facing the Lakers organization.
A lack of harmony, mismatched roster pieces, and some potentially unsolvable chemistry problems mark the team?s position since being upset in the NBA Finals by the Detroit Pistons. All of this and the retirement of head coach Phil Jackson give the Lakers and their basketball decision-makers some formidable obstacles to overcome.
O?Neal was blunt in expressing his alienation from this Lakers? franchise and it seems that there is only slim hopes now of keeping the powerhouse Kobe-Shaq duo together.
A good deal of Shaq?s frustration stems from the fact that Buss has not made his contract extension a priority, despite the fact that Shaq consistently looked the other way when Kobe dished out harsh criticism or threw up ill-advised shots.
O?Neal said he stayed away from confronting Kobe because he promised Karl Malone and Gary Payton that he wouldn?t exacerbate the feud and turn the situation into a team distraction.
Friend reports that Buss is so sold on keeping Kobe that he may offer the young superstar general manager decision-making authority by allowing him to pick the new coach and perhaps a new center.
Shaq talked like a man on his way out. ?But the good thing about this country we live in, somebody will want this. Someone will want the Diesel. I've got about five, six good years left in me,? he said. ?I'm not even allowed to really take over the game how I want to. So I'm just out there playing on fumes right now.?
Shaq also said he is not interested in starting over with a new coach, and he believes that the Lakers are indeed planning to trade him.
So with the number one overall pick and some big contracts to ship back, one team stands out ? speculation says ? as a good bet to be Shaq?s new team. It?s his old team. Will Shaq be buying a one-way back to Orlando?