Shaq and Kobe Reunited? No Chance

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! buries Shaquille O'Neal under a truckload of guilt in a piece on the big fella's lack of respect shown toward Dwight Howard and overall egotism. Of course, there's also a rumor in there -- a rumor that Shaq wants to reunite with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles for one last hurrah.

Get those guffaws out. You'll need room for more when you see Woj's sourced but anonymous answer from the Kobe camp.

There's little chance the Lakers would make a move for Shaq, and no chance Bryant would accept a return to that hell. Shaq's rap last year about Kobe ended any chance at reconciliation. Bryant is three games away from winning his first title without Shaq, and all he'll want to do next season is win another – without him.

I mean, if Shaq truly wants this and believes it to be viable, he has to be the least self-aware person around. All anyone on T.V. can talk about is Kobe's inhuman desire to win a championship without Shaq. And Shaq thinks a man he has insulted time after time will just drop that, an emotion so tight and vital to his current existence? It's hilariously out of touch.

Of course, it could also very well be B.S. We should remember that Phoenix kept Alvin Gentry, a coup for the sprinters on the team. Amar'e Stoudemire will very likely be back (barring a trade), and Shaq just won't be getting as many minutes or touches as he did this season (when he made All-NBA third team). I think it's reasonable for Shaq to believe he'd be in a better position of relevance if he gets traded this summer. L.A. is about the least realistic option possible, but every rumor comes with attention, and beyond his own ego Shaq needs attention so teams like Cleveland will consider trading for him.