Perhaps the NBA should institute a new system for evaluating greatness, one that takes into account degree of difficulty. Certainly, that could help end the debate whether the Lakers are better than Michael Jordan's Bulls.

Last year, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant feuded while coach Phil Jackson and Kobe knocked heads. But by April, everyone had kissed and made up -- just in time for the Lakers to go 15-1 through the playoffs and win their second consecutive NBA title.

This season the Lakers are 13-1, prompting speculation about whether they will have the Bulls' record of 72 victories in their sights by spring.

"This will be the team that one year will match that record Phil had (with Jordan and the Bulls) in Chicago. They will break that record," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said yesterday as he prepared his team for a showdown with the Lakers tonight.

As for the degree-of-difficulty factor, here it is: The Lakers are so bored by the lack of competition this season, Shaq has resorted to shameless headline-grabbing.

The latest Shaq bulletin came out yesterday. It was reported in Los Angeles that he is attending classes offered by the L.A. County Sheriff's Department for harbor-patrol duty. Unlike Jordan -- who didn't find baseball or golf satisfying enough -- Shaq is making serious strides toward carving out his life after basketball.