Kobe Couldn't Do...

I have heard it said on many occasion that Kobe Bryant is the reason for Shaq's divorce and departure from L.A. and that he is immature and selfish. I don't think there is a personality in the NBA that could rival the dogmatic quirks and remarks that belong to one Shaquille O'Neal. The new footage being aired on TMZ does not do anything to dispel my belief that he still resents Kobe and wishes he were a Los Angeles Laker.

Hip hop is all about battles, free styling, self expression. It's one thing to diss another MC, when there is the stage for oneupmanship, how notorious are the Jay Z and NAS battles, which ended with Jay Z's "Takeover" or 50 Cent and Ja Rule, where is Ja these days? It seems it won't be long before we're asking where's Shaq, he obviously didn't do anything in the playoffs this year and has the weak Dallas defense and Dwayne Wade's break out moment to thank for his last championship.

I cannot say that I've come to have any gained respect for Shaq when he says, "Kobe couldn't do without me...Kobe, tell me how my a#@ tastes," but I can say that I appreciate his unabashed way of making any interview interesting and any off moment colorful. Only time will tell who is going to be considered the greater player. I don't think anyone compares Shaq to Wilt Chamberlain or Kareem Abdul Jabbar, but it seems Kobe's name comes up often when discussions of who the best player ever was. Nobody can match Michael Jordan, but Kobe seems to be the only player to have caught a glimpse of his greatness.

Let's see what Phoenix is able to do next year with a new coach, and a new offensive system. The Western conference is only going to get better with Charlotte peaking, the Lakers adding Bynum and Portland getting Odom back. Hopefully Shaq will be the one to allow the sun to rise again in Phoenix, that's funny, when did it ever rise?