{"id":232,"date":"2003-10-27T08:48:36","date_gmt":"2003-10-27T12:48:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tradermike.net\/movethecrowd\/2003\/10\/shaq_kobe_feuding_again\/"},"modified":"2003-10-27T08:48:36","modified_gmt":"2003-10-27T12:48:36","slug":"shaq_kobe_feuding_again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/2003\/10\/27\/shaq_kobe_feuding_again\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaq & Kobe Feuding Again"},"content":{"rendered":"

Looks like the Lakers may be unravelling already. Shaq wasn’t too happy with Kobe’s play the other day and let it be known<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\nO’Neal and Bryant seemed to be interacting comfortably Sunday on the practice floor, sharing the ball freely during an afternoon workout. Then they traded nasty verbal jabs after the session — arguably their harshest comments since L.A.’s second championship season — all stemming from O’Neal’s suggestion Friday night in Las Vegas that Bryant “should probably look to be more of a passer until he gets his legs strong.”<\/p>\n

Bryant, recovering from offseason knee and shoulder surgeries, didn’t welcome the suggestion, saying: “I definitely don’t need advice on how to play my game.”<\/p>\n

Not even advice from O’Neal?<\/p>\n

“Definitely not,” Bryant continued. “I know how to play my guard spot. He can worry about the low post, and I’ll worry about the [perimeter].”<\/p>\n

When apprised of Bryant’s reaction, O’Neal lashed out harder.<\/p>\n

“As we start this new season, we want [expletive] done right,” Shaq said. “If you don’t like it, then you can opt out next year. As long as it’s my team, then I’ll voice my opinion. If you don’t like it, then opt out.”<\/p>\n

That was a reference to Bryant’s plan to exercise an option in his contract at season’s end and test the free-agent market next summer, a stance Bryant has said he won’t change in the wake of his felony sexual assault charge in Colorado.<\/p>\n

Asked to clarify his “my team” remark, O’Neal added: “Everybody knows that. You [media] guys may give it to [Bryant] like you’ve given him everything else his whole lifetime, but this is the Diesel’s ship. So … if you ain’t right [physically], don’t be trying to go out there and get right on our expense. Use the people out there, then when you get right you [can] do what you do.”<\/p>\n

Throughout this first month back to work, however, there have been thinly veiled hints from O’Neal that problems have resurfaced, starting from the veterans’ first day of training camp in Hawaii. Bryant did not fly on the Lakers’ team charter and reported to camp a day late. O’Neal said at the time that “the full team is<\/i> here,” leading some to speculate that he preferred to play this season without the distractions attached to Bryant’s court case.<\/p>\n

Days later, explaining why he was sitting out an exhibition game with a sore left heel, O’Neal said: “I want to be right [in the regular season] for Derek, Karl and Gary.” He was referring to Derek Fisher and new teammates Karl Malone and Gary Payton — and O’Neal ommitted Bryant’s name from the conversation more than once.<\/p>\n

Malone and Payton, by contrast, have publicly supported Bryant as strongly as anyone in Lakers circles. But even Payton has urged Bryant to ease his way back into the team flow, after Bryant fatigued quickly and shot poorly in the second half of the Lakers’ final two exhibition games.<\/p>\n

Said O’Neal: “Just ask Karl and Gary why they came here. One person, not two. One. Period. … I’m not telling [Bryant] how to play his position. I’m telling him how to play team ball.”\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

D’oh! Trouble in paradise. <\/p>\n

I was real surprised the other day to hear Kobe say he was still going to exercise his option. I think he’s in a bit of denial. His stock is not nearly as high as it once was. I think he’d be better off sticking with the Lakers for a couple more years. Anyway, this sure adds a lot more drama to the Laker’s season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Looks like the Lakers may be unravelling already. Shaq wasn’t too happy with Kobe’s play the other day and let it be known: O’Neal and Bryant seemed to be interacting comfortably Sunday on the practice floor, sharing the ball freely during an afternoon workout. Then they traded nasty verbal jabs after the session — arguably… Continue reading Shaq & Kobe Feuding Again<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":234,"url":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/2003\/10\/28\/kobe_swings_back_at_shaq\/","url_meta":{"origin":232,"position":0},"title":"Kobe Swings Back at Shaq…","date":"October 28, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"These sound like straight-up fighting words to me! You have to give Kobe credit for not backing down from Shaq. Here's the transcript of Jim Gray's interview of Kobe: GRAY: What was your reaction to Shaq saying the Lakers are his team, and everybody knows it? BRYANT: It doesn't matter\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":390,"url":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/2004\/09\/09\/shaqs_rapping_again_disses_kobe\/","url_meta":{"origin":232,"position":1},"title":"Shaq’s Rapping Again… Disses Kobe…","date":"September 9, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"I just heard this new rap from Shaq on PTI: Even with wings you never as fly as me ... you remind me of Kobe Bryant trying to be as high as me (somebody in the background says 'Punk!' right here!)... but you can't ... even if you get me\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":392,"url":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/2004\/09\/16\/kobe_bryants_admission_of_consensual_sex_with_a_second_woman\/","url_meta":{"origin":232,"position":2},"title":"Kobe Bryant’s Admission of Consensual Sex with a Second Woman","date":"September 16, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"I just saw this in the EUR. I can't say I'm surprised, but still... damn!!! KOBE'S VIRGINIA WOMAN: 'SI' reports on player's admission of consensual sex with a second woman. \"Sports Illustrated,\" journalist Jeff Benedict has obtained a sealed statement made by Kobe Bryant and recorded by police before he\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":75,"url":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/2003\/07\/13\/kobe_claims_innocence\/","url_meta":{"origin":232,"position":3},"title":"Kobe Claims Innocence","date":"July 13, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are Kobe's first comments about the alleged sexual assualt - Bryant: 'It Will Be Fine': \"When everything comes clean, it will all be fine, you'll see,\" Bryant said during a brief telephone interview. Bryant declined to discuss the case, but said, \"But you guys know me, I shouldn't have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":188,"url":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/2003\/09\/16\/the_boondocks_clowns_kobe_again\/","url_meta":{"origin":232,"position":4},"title":"The Boondocks Clowns Kobe Again","date":"September 16, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Current Events"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":385,"url":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/2004\/09\/01\/prosecutor_to_drop_rape_charge_against_kobe_bryant\/","url_meta":{"origin":232,"position":5},"title":"Prosecutor to Drop Rape Charge Against Kobe Bryant","date":"September 1, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Old girl won't testify in the criminal case, but she wants her $$$ so she's gonna press on with the civil case. That's some bullshit! Prosecutor to Drop Rape Charge Against Kobe Bryant DENVER (Reuters) - Prosecutors in the Kobe Bryant rape case will ask a judge on Wednesday to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}