Three months ago, what Laker fans talked about was Shaquille O'Neal, his weight, his knee, his attitude, and his role in the Lakers' four-peat-turned-collapse.

The basketball news in Los Angeles changed quickly and sensationally, however, and O'Neal, rather than banging out sit-ups and having a whole town count along with him, went underground and did them alone.

On Tuesday evening, looking hard and lean in a casual gray suit, O'Neal sat in a sound stage in Hollywood, filming a cameo for "The Ortegas," a Fox show due out in the fall, said he'd lost about 15 pounds and then shrugged.

"If I don't get the ball, though, it won't make any difference at all," he said. "A lot of people talk about me as if I had a weight problem. The only problem I had was waiting for the ball. So, run it through the Diesel. I'm mad and I'm ready to go."

He laughed. When last seen, O'Neal's weight was close to 360 pounds, his body fat was at least 20%. His knee was sore, and his mood sour, but that was in June, and a few things have changed since.

For one, the Lakers aren't all that, well, thin anymore. Karl Malone and Gary Payton have been given their jerseys, what Kobe Bryant used to call "the golden armor," at about the time most players are getting "the golden handshake," and yet the lineup looks younger and fresher.

Mitch Kupchak, the man O'Neal challenged to bring in talent, has a new contract extension, Phil Jackson's is coming soon, and O'Neal is eligible to re-up in October, though there are indications the club might not be so eager to hand over the maximum allowed ? three years and $121 million.