Don't worry. Shaq's got it all figured out, even if Bryant were to miss significant time because of his sexual assault case in Colorado.
''Right now we have four Hall of Famers, more than any other team,'' O'Neal said as the Lakers, with Bryant sitting out, opened their exhibition schedule with a 107-89 win over Golden State on Tuesday night. ''If something bad happens, we'll have three Hall of Famers, more than any other team. We'll be fine, no matter what happens.''
O'Neal has been the picture of cool at training camp, sitting back and watching the media circus that unfolded around Bryant, and vowing that the Lakers will be able to blend four egos together.
He even discounted a report that coach Phil Jackson would consider asking Michael Jordan to join the Lakers if Bryant were to be absent for a long time.
O'Neal said he couldn't imagine Jordan, who recently retired for the third time, joining this group.
''Not at all. Now we have a perfect team.'' he said. ''There's no such word as 'perfecter' or 'perfectist.' You try to get better, and perfect is always messed up.''
O'Neal, a master of stream-of-consciousness ramblings, compared the Lakers to a fancy car that's tricked-out enough.
''Nice car with nice wheels on it, it's perfect. If you try to put bigger wheels and try to make it a convertible, then you mess it up.'' he said. ''We don't need that. We're straight. We're good.''
Jackson said the Jordan story was ''just a tease'' for a Chicago newspaper.
''Kobe's good. For all practical purposes, Kobe's going to play the season,'' Jackson said.
So far, the Lakers have said the right things about how they're going to be unselfish, how they're going to blend four stars with eye-popping statistics as they try to rebound from losing to eventual NBA champion San Antonio in the Western Conference semifinals.
In 18 seasons with the Utah Jazz, Malone scored 36,374 points to climb to second on the all-time list, 2,013 points behind former Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. O'Neal, a 10-time All-Star, has a 27.6-point career average, third only to Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. He led the NBA in scoring in 1999-2000 and helped the Lakers to three straight championships from 2000-02.
Malone was league MVP twice; O'Neal once.
Payton, whose motor mouth and attitude have endeared him to his teammates and coach, has been an All-Star and named to the All-Defensive first team nine times each. He's seventh all-time in both assists and steals. Bryant, 25, has already played seven seasons and is a five-time All-Star.
Last year, Bryant led the Lakers at 30 points per game and O'Neal was second with 27.5. Malone averaged 20.6 for the Jazz and Payton was at 20.4 as he split the season between Seattle and Milwaukee.
So how's it going to work?
''The way you split the shots up is you don't worry about it,'' O'Neal said. ''We're just going to move the ball. We all have permission to shoot. Whoever's hot, or whoever gets hot first, is going to take all the shots.''
O'Neal and Payton have said the players won't worry about scoring averages.
''They know and understand that when I get the ball in my area, I'm going to do what I do,'' the 7-foot-1, 340-pound O'Neal said. ''And when I get doubled and look for Karl, he's going to do what he does. And Gary on the pick-and-roll, he's going to do what he does.
''Gary already came out and said, 'I never have to score. I just have to get everybody else the ball.' When you have a mean, feisty point guard, it makes you want to do the right thing.''
Payton still considers this O'Neal and Bryant's team.
''Everybody thinks it's going to be a problem, but you just wait and see, when we play basketball, we won't have problems,'' Payton said.
Are the Lakers favorites to win a fourth title in five years?
''We can't say that,'' Payton said. ''We look good on paper, but we've got to go out on that floor and produce.''
Bryant sat out Tuesday night's game to rest his surgically repaired right knee. He was scheduled to fly to Colorado on Wednesday for a court appearance on Thursday.
http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusspt/ap10-08-153235.asp?spt=nba
''Right now we have four Hall of Famers, more than any other team,'' O'Neal said as the Lakers, with Bryant sitting out, opened their exhibition schedule with a 107-89 win over Golden State on Tuesday night. ''If something bad happens, we'll have three Hall of Famers, more than any other team. We'll be fine, no matter what happens.''
O'Neal has been the picture of cool at training camp, sitting back and watching the media circus that unfolded around Bryant, and vowing that the Lakers will be able to blend four egos together.
He even discounted a report that coach Phil Jackson would consider asking Michael Jordan to join the Lakers if Bryant were to be absent for a long time.
O'Neal said he couldn't imagine Jordan, who recently retired for the third time, joining this group.
''Not at all. Now we have a perfect team.'' he said. ''There's no such word as 'perfecter' or 'perfectist.' You try to get better, and perfect is always messed up.''
O'Neal, a master of stream-of-consciousness ramblings, compared the Lakers to a fancy car that's tricked-out enough.
''Nice car with nice wheels on it, it's perfect. If you try to put bigger wheels and try to make it a convertible, then you mess it up.'' he said. ''We don't need that. We're straight. We're good.''
Jackson said the Jordan story was ''just a tease'' for a Chicago newspaper.
''Kobe's good. For all practical purposes, Kobe's going to play the season,'' Jackson said.
So far, the Lakers have said the right things about how they're going to be unselfish, how they're going to blend four stars with eye-popping statistics as they try to rebound from losing to eventual NBA champion San Antonio in the Western Conference semifinals.
In 18 seasons with the Utah Jazz, Malone scored 36,374 points to climb to second on the all-time list, 2,013 points behind former Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. O'Neal, a 10-time All-Star, has a 27.6-point career average, third only to Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. He led the NBA in scoring in 1999-2000 and helped the Lakers to three straight championships from 2000-02.
Malone was league MVP twice; O'Neal once.
Payton, whose motor mouth and attitude have endeared him to his teammates and coach, has been an All-Star and named to the All-Defensive first team nine times each. He's seventh all-time in both assists and steals. Bryant, 25, has already played seven seasons and is a five-time All-Star.
Last year, Bryant led the Lakers at 30 points per game and O'Neal was second with 27.5. Malone averaged 20.6 for the Jazz and Payton was at 20.4 as he split the season between Seattle and Milwaukee.
So how's it going to work?
''The way you split the shots up is you don't worry about it,'' O'Neal said. ''We're just going to move the ball. We all have permission to shoot. Whoever's hot, or whoever gets hot first, is going to take all the shots.''
O'Neal and Payton have said the players won't worry about scoring averages.
''They know and understand that when I get the ball in my area, I'm going to do what I do,'' the 7-foot-1, 340-pound O'Neal said. ''And when I get doubled and look for Karl, he's going to do what he does. And Gary on the pick-and-roll, he's going to do what he does.
''Gary already came out and said, 'I never have to score. I just have to get everybody else the ball.' When you have a mean, feisty point guard, it makes you want to do the right thing.''
Payton still considers this O'Neal and Bryant's team.
''Everybody thinks it's going to be a problem, but you just wait and see, when we play basketball, we won't have problems,'' Payton said.
Are the Lakers favorites to win a fourth title in five years?
''We can't say that,'' Payton said. ''We look good on paper, but we've got to go out on that floor and produce.''
Bryant sat out Tuesday night's game to rest his surgically repaired right knee. He was scheduled to fly to Colorado on Wednesday for a court appearance on Thursday.
http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusspt/ap10-08-153235.asp?spt=nba
