Phil is out and Shaq demands a trade

[dirno2000]

By mutual agreement, Phil Jackson will not return as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, ESPN has learned.
Jackson has an opportunity to remain with the organization in another position and will decide in the
upcoming days. The Lakers are expected to make an official announcement sometime tonight.
Also Friday, Kobe Bryant opted out of his contract. He will become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
Jackson left the Lakers' practice facility Friday smiling, although it was for the final time as the team's coach.

Jackson's five-year, $30 million contract expires at the end of the month. His stepping down as coach was discussed at his meeting with Lakers owner Jerry Buss later Friday.

Asked beforehand whether he was looking forward to meeting with his boss, Jackson smiled and replied: "Oh, yeah."

The prevailing sentiment had been that Jackson coached his last game with the Lakers on Tuesday night when they lost to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals.

"The No. 1 priority for us right now is to resolve the coaching situation," general manager Mitch Kupchak said Thursday. "We would hope to have that addressed in a short period of time."

Asked how Friday would end, Jackson replied: "The sun goes down and I'll be at the Greek Theatre watching Garrison Keillor," referring to a public radio show he planned to attend.

Jackson and Kupchak participated in season-exit interviews with Bryant, Derek Fisher, Gary Payton, Slava Medvedenko and Jamal Sampson before Jackson left the training facility.

Lakers spokesman John Black said Shaquille O'Neal canceled his exit interview through his agent, Perry Rogers. It's believed O'Neal was upset by some of Kupchak's comments a day earlier, when the GM left the door open to a possible trade involving O'Neal if the player demanded it.
Jackson coached the Lakers to championships in his first three seasons with them, giving him nine, which tied former Boston coach Red Auerbach for the most in NBA history.

In 14 seasons as a head coach, Jackson is 832-316 for a .725 winning percentage -- best in NBA history. His 175 playoff wins are the most ever, and his .717 postseason winning percentage is also tops.

Jackson, 58, coached the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls to championships in 1992-94 and 1996-98. Jackson then took a year off before becoming coach of the Lakers. His teams in Chicago and Los Angeles had a 9-0 record in the NBA Finals before this year.
Jackson had been discussing a contract extension, but the Lakers ended talks in February until after the season. Jackson's agent, Todd Musberger, was with the coach Friday.
Musberger said earlier in the week that Jackson "has never said that he has no interest in coming back."

Jackson said after the Lakers' 100-87 loss to the Pistons on Tuesday night that there was "a pretty slim chance" he'll coach the team next season.

While Kupchak said Thursday that dealing with Jackson's situation was the Lakers' No. 1 priority, he also made it clear that signing Bryant was a top priority.

Bryant didn't comment Friday except to shake hands with a couple reporters.
"Have a good summer. Thanks for everything," he said before leaving.

[MavKikiNYC]

Given Jackson's history of pursuing coaching positions on teams with the best players, Flip Saunders and Greg Poppovich have to be looking over their shoulders a bit.

[Max Power]

The current theory that I support is that Shaq will demand a trade to Dallas so he can get his 3 year, $120M extension. Only Cuban would play him that much. I also think Phil will take a year off and slide over to the Mavs if Nellie fails to win it all next year.

[ocelot_ark]

I really, REALLY don't want Shaq or Phil in Dallas. I'd rather earn our championship.

[Rhylan]

The proverbial poo has hit the proverbial fan in La-La Land!

I'm lovin it!!!

I agree with MP, though.. if Dallas did end up with Shaq, look for Nellie to get his chance to try and back up his talk about how he'd run his team, "finally having a real center," and if he fails, in comes Phil from Montana.

BUT... Shaq could just be grandstanding here. I wouldn't blame him if he was. .. chances are still low that the Mavs will have any centers next year, much less this one. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[grndmstr_c]

Pop doesn't need to be looking over his shoulder at anyone. I'd take him over Phil as head coach of my team anyday.

Flip Saunders on the other hand...

[Nash13]

The current theory that I support is that Shaq will demand a trade to Dallas so he can get his 3 year, $120M extension.

Cuban would receive a lot of crap from fans if he were to do that. If Shaq wants a contract extension, he'd be better off going to Atlanta or Orlando.

And as far as core players, i wouldn't give up anything besides Walker and Jamison. Shaq's not worth much more.

[Murphy3]

Why would he catch alot of crap? I don't understand your line of reasoning.

[jayC]

Jamison and Walker for shaq right. He is still the most dominant force in the game. And carried a bunch of spare minus kobe to a title. First of all you have to be realistic for what it would cost. Probably more along the lines of Dirk and Nash. As far as an extention if he brought us a title who cares if he recieved the extention.

[Nash13]

Murph, with the way Shaq played in the playoffs Vs. Houston/San Antonio/Minnesota, his health, his age, you would you give him 120mil over 3 yrs?

jayC, if you think we have to give up Dirk and Nash, is it really worth it? As far as you last comment, Dallas is looking at giving him 30mil a year until he retires, and i don't think he'll be good enough over the next few years to earn that.

[FishForLunch]

Shaq Quote

I've got about five, six good years left in me. Because the stuff that I'm doing, I still got a whole lot of stuff in me. I'm not even allowed to really take over the game how I want to.

[MavsFanFinley]

If I was Portland, I'd get on the phone and make an offer of Abdul-Rahim/Ratliff/Outlaw for Shaq.

[kg_veteran]

Originally posted by: jayC
Jamison and Walker for shaq right. He is still the most dominant force in the game. And carried a bunch of spare minus kobe to a title. First of all you have to be realistic for what it would cost. Probably more along the lines of Dirk and Nash. As far as an extention if he brought us a title who cares if he recieved the extention.

You're pretty close. I think Dirk and Walker or the TE would be enough.

Would you do that?

[Dirkenstien]

Originally posted by: kg_veteran

You're pretty close. I think Dirk and Walker or the TE would be enough.

Would you do that?

There has to be some way we can trade for the Big man without letting go of Dirk...however, if thats the only way we can get him then Dirk and Walker or the TE is definitely worth considering. Who would we put at the 4? what would our lineup look like when its all said and done?

[bcrav4]

Here are our trading chips:

Walker,
Howard,
a 6 million dollar TE (we get Charlotte to draft Fortson),
TAW,
#51 pick 2004,
1st round pick 2006,
and/or 3 million Cash.

**Keep in mind that Cuban wants Shaq and that Shaq mentioned Dallas as one of his possible trading destinations.***

[Mavs Rule]

Is Shaq going back to Orlando? Consider this article. I hope Cuban can intervene with a better offer that doesn't include Dirk.

Friday, June 18, 2004


By Tom Friend
ESPN the Magazine

Jerry Buss is going to break up the Lakers or the state of Colorado is going to break up 'em up, but, either way, say your goodbyes.


Because the exits are coming in droves. Phil Jackson is already gone, and, the truth is, Shaquille O'Neal wants to join him.


It looks like Buss, the Lakers' owner, has made his choice: Kobe stays, the other Hall of Famers go. In other words, he is not averse to trading Shaq and is willing to build his franchise around a narcissist who's on trial for rape, doesn't make his teammates better and is in denial over all of it.


Buss apparently will stop at nothing to keep Kobe off the open market, and I've been told that means he will offer Bryant partial ownership down the road. In the short term, he'll at least offer Kobe a quasi-general manager job, meaning Kobe can help pick the new coach, and, ostensibly, Shaq's replacement.


Shaq knew this was coming, has known it for months, because he's refused to take the pay cut Buss wants him to take, the pay cut Kevin Garnett bent over backwards and took in Minnesota. Shaq says the Laker organization asked him to recruit Karl Malone last summer, asked him to recruit Gary Payton, and that it was understood they'd take care of him down the road. But they're not taking care of him, and, I'm not surprised that today he's just demanded a trade. He told me in late April he was resigned to the fact that it was time to go.


"Well, I've seen it before," he said as we sat alone in the team's El Segundo training complex. "I've seen it before. It happens with the Ewings and the Dominiques. But give me enough respect and enough courtesy and let me know. And I'll make it easier for everybody.


"But just don't tell me one thing and do another. Because you insult my intelligence like that. Just tell me. I ain't tripping. But the good thing about this country we live in, somebody will want this. Someone will want the Diesel. I've got about five, six good years left in me. Because the stuff that I'm doing, I still got a whole lot of stuff in me. I'm not even allowed to really take over the game how I want to. So I'm just out there playing on fumes right now."



Shaq says the Lakers vowed to get him 'whatever you need' after recruiting Malone and Payton.
O'Neal has a lot of beefs with the franchise. They are, in no particular order:


Buss hasn't made his contract extension a priority.
"People act like they care, but they don't really care about you," he said in our interview. "Because if they cared about you like they said they did, then stuff would be in place. And that's the only problem I have with business. I'm so honest and stern that if you don't want me here, just let me know. I'll do my time, and we can make up a story together, and it can be easy. But don't say, 'Hey, if you do this [recruit Malone], and you do this [recruit Payton], I'll get you whatever you need, baby. And then when I do that and it comes time and here you are messing around and jiggling around.


"My thing is, if you're not going to pay me that, let me go. I've been in the game 12 years, I've been lucky enough to get three extensions in one lifetime, which is unheard of. So I'm not really complaining. But let me know. And don't try to match my numbers up against somebody else's numbers [Garnett's].


"I'm not a dummy. I understand they want to go younger, [Kobe's] only 25, 26. I'm not tripping over that. But let me know, just let me know. I don't have a problem, just let me know. Give me that respect and give me that courtesy. Let me know."


They should appreciate the fact that he didn't rip Kobe's head off this year.
Think about it. Bryant called Shaq "fat" before the season. He said that Shaq begs out of games with mysterious injuries and that if he leaves the franchise, it'll be because of the big fella.


Shaq, somehow, never retaliated. When Kobe was late for meetings all year and late for practices, Shaq never said anything. When Kobe had his own mysterious injury [the sliced finger], Shaq never said anything. When Kobe wouldn't shoot that day in Sacramento, Shaq never said anything.


And the reason is, he'd promised Malone and Payton back in November he'd stay off of Kobe's case.


"[The rift] didn't flare up again, because I promised Karl and Gary and all my other teammates," Shaq said. "I was advised to be the bigger man. To be corporate. Because he's already going through a delicate situation [in Eagle, Colo.] and I don't want to add to it. So I said, 'Just be the bigger man.' I'm big. I'm corporate.


"See, even though I'm Shaq, I still have people over me. People over me who I respect and when they speak, there's no questions asked. A lot of people called me. The owner of the Staples Center called me and said, 'You did the right thing.' I always have corporate meetings, and they said, 'You did the right thing. You're good, Shaq. Appreciate that.'


"See, with me and Karl and Gary and a lot of other guys, you can say something and it doesn't matter how you say it. They don't take it the wrong way. For example, I can say, 'Come on, Devean, mother------, play hard.' I can say that to Karl. But a sensitive guy will take that very sensitively."


Like Kobe?


"Like Kobe."


Kobe's style of play drives him batty.
No question, he admires Kobe's skills, but everything Shaq's stepfather said in San Antonio -- that Kobe essentially plays with blinders on -- Shaq agrees with.


"John Wooden told me when I was 18, 19 years old, the sign of a great player is not how many points you score, but how you make your other guys play with you," Shaq said. "That's a great player. A lot of these guys now think if you score points and if you do all that sh-- around the basket, you're a great player. And that's not true basketball, and that's not the type of basketball I know how to play. If you've got a guy open, hit him. I may miss a guy once or twice, but I'm not gonna miss you three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 times.


"I could score 40 every night. If I shot the mother------ all the time. But you've got to keep Rick Fox involved, because you're gonna need Rick. You've got to keep D-Fish [Derek Fisher] warm. You've got to keep all these guys warm."


Phil and his beloved triangle shouldn't be the scapegoats.
Obviously, Shaq enjoyed that Phil ran the offense through him, but he also knows where the Lakers were before Jackson showed up: nowhere.


"So, to bring somebody else in would be to start all over, and I don't have time to start all over," he said in our interview. "And I don't really need to start all over, because the formula's written, we know what we've got to do."


Shaq also thought Kobe was inappropriate when he said he didn't like Phil "as a person" this year.


"Me being a professional, that wouldn't happen with me, because I was raised under discipline," he said. "Of course, you'll have your disagreements and all that. But if I didn't like the man like that, I wouldn't make it a national thing. Like I said, I'm loyal. Because I could never get over the hump, and Phil's the man that brought me over. Period. He's the best at what he does. Track record proves it. He has 9 [titles], going on 10."


But what Shaq says doesn't matter anymore, which is why he blew off his exit meeting Friday with general manager Mitch Kupchak. He's convinced the Lakers are already planning to trade him ... the same way Wilt was traded once, the same way Kareem was traded once.


Orlando is the place that has the first overall pick to dangle, the place that has tons more No. 1s stockpiled to give up, the place Shaq still owns a home in.

And Orlando is the only place that makes sense. Orlando is the place that has the first overall pick to dangle, and a ton of other No. 1 picks to add to the package. Orlando is the place that has huge contracts to send back to make the deal work, like Grant Hill's and Juwan Howard's. Orlando is the place Shaq still owns a home, and if Shaq comes, trust me, Tracy McGrady will rescind his trade request. This is the trade that Shaq wants.


And trust me, he's thought about life after Kobe ... thought about it a lot. Thought about all the scenarios.


Like the scenario of him staying and Kobe going to the Clippers.


"It wouldn't be a real rivalry," he said. "It'll be a media rivalry. Won't be a real rivalry. You have to do something and be something before you can become a rival. Like, Napoleon wouldn't have had a rival with a guy that had one sheep and one cow and no army. You know? I don't care how much they say, 'Hey, this guy with one sheep and one cow and his brother that's 50 years old, he's a cold cat. And he's gonna take out Napoleon and that whole army by himself.' So Kobe on the Clippers, that wouldn't be no rivalry. It'd just be, hey, he used to play here and now he's duh duh duh. It'll just be hype. Hype for a night."


Or the scenario of Kobe going not to another team ... but to jail.


Or the scenario of them playing against each other in next year's Finals.


"If we split up and I don't win, then everybody'll say, 'Well, if Shaq had Kobe, he would've won.' And if he don't win, it'll be, 'Well, if Kobe had Shaq, he could've won.' That's what everybody will be saying next year ...


"Well, I like my chances better."

[Nash13]

Mavs Rule, i think it depends on which direction the Lakers want to go. If they trade Shaq for the 1st pick/Hill/Howard, they are obviously in a rebuilding mode. But if they trade him for Walker/Jamison/Bradley/future pick, you can still compete if you resign Kobe.

Fisher
Kobe
Jamison
Walker
Bradley

That's not half bad. IMO, that's not better than Dallas or probably San Antonio, but better than everybody else.

[ddh33]

Man, it's hard not to like Shaq. I mean, I hate it when my teams play against him because it's just not fair, but the guy does have the right attitude about a lot of things.

I really hope the Lakers get what they deserve when they bvuild around Kobe...

On a possible trade, I can't see how Orlando helps the Lakers that much. Sure, Emeka would help. Juwan might too. But does anyone want to pay Grant Hill. Cuban would have (although a Orlando writer told me otherwise), but Buss isn't Cuban. I just don't see it...

[dude1394]

Originally posted by: bcrav4
Here are our trading chips:

Walker,
Howard,
a 6 million dollar TE (we get Charlotte to draft Fortson),
TAW,
#51 pick 2004,
1st round pick 2006,
and/or 3 million Cash.

**Keep in mind that Cuban wants Shaq and that Shaq mentioned Dallas as one of his possible trading destinations.***

I'd add jamison,howard, queasy to that list as well. In fact the rest of the team minus the big three.

[EricaLubarsky]

Shaq is one of those guys I hate, but after playing his best post-season in years, I kinda want him. He's old. He's a jackass. He's overpaid. His ego cannot be contained within AAC, but if we could keep Nash and Nowitzki then why not grab an aging star who is on the downward slide? Sounds like he could come cheaper than even Dampier.

I dont know what makes me giddier: the meltdown in LA or the chance to pick up some players at this season's firesale.

[EricaLubarsky]

So what keeps Charlotte from picking up Kobe Bryant and crapping all over Walker right now?

[kg_veteran]

Originally posted by: EricaLubarsky
So what keeps Charlotte from picking up Kobe Bryant and crapping all over Walker right now?

They can't pick up Kobe. He's unrestricted.

They CAN pick up Walker. I'm not sure how that would affect Dallas' ability to trade for Shaq.

[EricaLubarsky]

maybe I dont know my expansion draft picks. So Nash can't be drafted either, right? He has to be signed?

They CAN pick up Walker. I'm not sure how that would affect Dallas' ability to trade for Shaq.

I can't see how Walker getting picked up could hurt. It actually seems to help because I dont see many teams actually wanting him for his on-court play. If Charlotte picks him up, then the next team we trade with (ORl or LAL) will see the savings immediately and would not have to wait a season to save.

[kg_veteran]

Re: Nash, unrestricted free agents are not eligible to be protected nor are they eligible to be selected by the Bobcats. Expansion draft rules

Re: Walker, if LA wants to reduce payroll, you're right. If they want talent, though, it reduces the amount we have available to offer.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally posted by: kg_veteran
Re: Nash, unrestricted free agents are not eligible to be protected nor are they eligible to be selected by the Bobcats. Expansion draft rules

Re: Walker, if LA wants to reduce payroll, you're right. If they want talent, though, it reduces the amount we have available to offer.

This is already being discussed in all three of the basketball related forums, but I could see LA taking Jamison and a small amount of fodder as well as the TE for Shaq. LA wants talent but they also don't want to get 3-5 players that they dont want out of the deal. If it was the difference between Jamison/Howard and money for FAs or a good player and a bunch of spares, then I think they would have some reason to take our deal.

[MavKikiNYC]

Death of a dynasty

O'Neal upset by direction, won't be the 'scapegoat'


By Howard Beck
Staff Writer


EL SEGUNDO -- Shaquille O'Neal, the cornerstone of three championship teams and the most dominant big man in the NBA, wants to be traded, and the Lakers intend to honor his request.
A team source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said O'Neal made the trade demand late Thursday through his agent, Perry Rogers. The same source said the Lakers intend to pursue a deal immediately.

In a telephone interview Friday morning, a somber O'Neal said he "never" called it a demand, but he made his desires absolutely clear.

"The direction they're going, if they're going to continue going in the wrong direction, I don't want to be a part of this," O'Neal said. "So I want you guys to write that if any GM out there wants a hard-working big man who wants to win championships, call Mitch Kupchak, because he will entertain offers."

Kupchak, the Lakers' general manager, said Thursday that he could not rule out trading O'Neal. While Kupchak was referring then to a hypothetical demand -- which had not yet been delivered -- O'Neal was insulted and infuriated by the comments.

"I don't think this is about me at this point, because Mitch said he would entertain offers," O'Neal said. "Everybody knows I love L.A. ... That's just Mitch using me as a scapegoat. But don't believe it."

Kupchak declined to comment Friday. Rogers is out of the country and was unavailable for comment.

O'Neal's business manager, Mike Parris, said no demands have been made, but summed up his client's agenda this way: "He wants to go to a place where they're interested in building a team to win, and they're not interested in individuals. If the Lakers' intent isn't to build a team, then it might be time to part ways."

A day earlier, Kupchak refused to rule out trading O'Neal but said, "That would not be a good day in this club's history. ... Players do have that option (to demand a trade), and we'll see what happens."

Within the organization, O'Neal's stance is viewed as anger over stalled contract negotiations. The team and O'Neal have been unable to agree to terms on an extension. O'Neal was seeking the maximum allowable -- about $77 million over two years.

The team, concerned with O'Neal's age (32) and declining production, wanted him to take a significant pay cut.

According to a team source, the contract extension offer is no longer on the table. However, the team had intended to keep O'Neal through the final two years of his contract until now.

During the course of Friday's 10-minute interview, O'Neal cited everything but money. He never mentioned Kobe Bryant either, but he hinted frequently at discord within the team and the effect of Bryant's desire to reshape it.

The Lakers parted ways with coach Phil Jackson on Friday, the first step in a purge designed to keep Bryant happy and in Los Angeles. Bryant has exercised an option to become a free agent July 1.

Owner Jerry Buss has not spoken publicly, but those familiar with his thinking say he plans to do everything necessary to re-sign Bryant. That shift in power seemed foremost on O'Neal's mind.

"I told you guys when I first got here, I'm all about winning championships," O'Neal said. "The organization now is different. It seems they're trying to pit one guy against another. ... I don't want to be part of that. Right now, they're not talking the team concept."

"When I was brought in by Jerry West, it was always a team concept," O'Neal said. "This isn't about respect or extensions. ... My last six or seven years I'm going to be in the league, I want to be on a great team."

It is regarded as a given by sources close to both stars that neither one wanted to play with the other. Indeed, while Bryant's disapproval of Jackson was the primary factor in the coach's dismissal, his greatest source of frustration is O'Neal, team sources said.

Even as they won three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002, O'Neal and Bryant sparred constantly, both in private and through the media.

It was Jackson's steady hand that kept the team from imploding through years of infighting. It was Jackson's willingness to rein in Bryant's sometimes-wild play that endeared him to O'Neal and alienated him from Bryant.

Over the past few years, O'Neal has repeatedly pledged his loyalty to Jackson, saying he would not play for another coach. And he was disturbed when it became clear that Jackson would not be invited back.

"It affects me a lot," O'Neal said. "Phil's a guy that's taken me to the next level. To let our leader go means something's not right."

He added, "I think the fans deserve better. This should be about the team."

Trading O'Neal will be difficult.

Under the extension he signed in 2000, O'Neal is due $29.5 million next season and $32.4 million in 2005-06. To move him to another team over the salary cap, the Lakers would have to take back players whose combined salaries are close to O'Neal's for next season.

Further complicating matters is that O'Neal can opt out of his contract next summer, which means a team trading for him could lose O'Neal after just one season. His new employer would also have to consider O'Neal's contract extension demands. As of July 1, he'll be eligible for a three-year deal worth more than $100 million.

Derek Fisher, a teammate of both Bryant and O'Neal since they all arrived in the summer of 1996, said a trade of the league's best center and three-time Finals MVP was hard to envision.

"Getting it done without Shaq seems to be extremely difficult. I think Orlando found that out the hard way," Fisher said, referring to O'Neal's defection in 1996. "And hopefully the Lakers won't have to find that out, in terms of not having a team with Shaq on it."

[bcrav4]

Wouldn't the full Trade Exception save LA about $26 million b/c of the luxury tax??? That is almost equal to Shaq's salary...and Shaq actually costs the owner $60 million b/c of the luxury tax!!

[dude1394]

You know I've heard about the luxury tax for about 4 years now but..........No luxury tax. Hmmmm.......

[Poindexter Einstein]

DUDE... you must not be reading enough. The tax hit last year (02-03) with full fury and is expected again. Last year teams paid a total of over $300M in tax (which was about 20% of total salaries and benefits). Average spending teams paid marginal rates in excess of 400%. That is why teams are aggressively dumping salary.

For technical analysis details ... http://www.uncg.edu/bae/people/rosenbaum/luxurytax1.pdf and also http://www.uncg.edu/bae/people/rosenbaum/luxtax.html

[jayC]

Saturday, June 19, 2004


By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

When the Lakers deliver news, it often comes in thunderbolts.




Magic Johnson stunned the world with his HIV announcement in 1991. Jerry West acquired Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant within weeks of each other back in '96. Gary Payton and Karl Malone sat side-by-side for an introductory press conference at Staples Center last July, and Kobe Bryant responded to rape charges at his own press conference the next day.


It happened again Friday. The Lakers happened again.


Phil Jackson and owner Jerry Buss parted company. Kobe Bryant formally opted out of his contract to become a free agent. And Shaquille O'Neal trumped both lightning strikes by demanding to be traded.


For a glimpse of what happens next -- after the freakiest Friday in franchise history -- here's a Q & A to get you started.


Does the shake-up guarantee Kobe will stay?



Without question, the Lakers' chances of retaining Bryant have been enhanced considerably.


Question is, at what cost?


Legitimately worried that Bryant would leave the Lakers for the Clippers in free agency, Buss is attempting to appease Kobe's every wish -- starting with a new coach and, therefore, and a new offense. Publicly stating in mid-season his intentions to build around Bryant and then cutting ties with Jackson three days after the season ended were persuasive first steps.


With reservations about giving O'Neal big money again at 32, and believing that Bryant has the best long-term future of the Lakers' four future Hall of Famers (and Jackson) -- assuming Kobe is saved from his legal troubles in Colorado -- Buss is determined to hang onto his most popular employee. Just as Philadelphia doubts it can afford to trade Allen Iverson, even if it makes basketball sense, because of the money Iverson generates as a crowd-pleaser, L.A.'s boss will do anything to avoid losing Bryant.


That said, if Jackson and O'Neal are both exiled by the time next season starts, Bryant is going to have to live up to all those Michael Jordan comparisons to avoid the blame and shame Buss is already getting for breaking up a dynasty.


Is Shaq really going to be traded?



Team sources told ESPN.com that Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak will indeed attempt to honor O'Neal's request for a trade. Shaq has been convinced for months that the Lakers were planning to explore trading him anyway.


The reason? Shaq and Kobe consume so much of the salary cap by themselves that L.A. doesn't have the flexibility to pump the roster with the youth it so badly needs after back-to-back playoff eliminations. Buss has already made his preference for Kobe over Shaq quite clear. Re-signing Bryant to play for another coach and then trading Shaq could give the Lakers a new look.


Although it's believed the Lakers' first choice is keeping together the two most feared names in the game, this wasn't some negotiating-ploy trade demand. This is the real thing. Without his beloved coach and unable to get the contract extension he seeks, Shaq is fuming. He really wants out and Buss wants to see what he can get for him.


What are some trade possibilities, then?



The Lakers would naturally prefer to deal Shaq to an Eastern Conference club, but Shaq's favorite team out there -- Orlando -- doesn't have the pieces necessary to entice the Lakers, even with the No. 1 overall pick coming in next week's draft. Tracy McGrady is the most attractive commodity Orlando can pitch, but a McGrady-Kobe partnership doesn't exactly sound workable. If Shaq wants to go back to the team he walked out on in the of summer 1996, at least one more team would have to be involved in the deal, presumably to take McGrady while sending quality youth on to L.A.


The irony here is that the Lakers have to look at ensemble teams in the Detroit mold if they're serious about moving Shaq. They need three or four quality players in return, and not simply because it will take that many contracts to match Shaq's nearly $28 million salary next season. The Lakers' roster is that thin. Even if Bryant stays, he's going to need a clutch of new teammates to keep the Lakers among the elite.


Since Detroit won't be in a rush to break up a championship squad with ring-winning chemistry, expect to hear Indiana mentioned as a possible destination, given the Pacers' abundance of blossoming talent. It seems far more likely, though, that Indiana would try to acquire McGrady to pair him with Jermaine O'Neal as opposed to jumping into the Shaq Sweepstakes.


Thus you can also expect a few West clubs to make pitches, ignoring the Lakers' preference for sending Shaq across the conference divide -- starting with Dallas owner Mark Cuban, who would likely trade anyone on his roster outside of Dirk Nowitzki. Memphis' Jerry West will be interested as well, given his history with O'Neal and a roster filled with precisely the sort of up-and-comers that would intrigue Kupchak. Phoenix is another interesting possibility; Kupchak figures to go after the same twosome -- Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion -- Orlando has sought in McGrady talks.


Who replaces Phil Jackson?



Byron Scott and Doc Rivers would have been candidates had they elected to wait and see how the Lakers' roller-coaster season played out. But neither felt he could afford to wait when lucrative job offers presented themselves early, Boston for Rivers and New Orleans for Scott.


So ...


Rudy Tomjanovich makes sense on multiple fronts, as a coach beloved by almost everyone who has ever played for him and as one of only six coaches since 1987 to win the championship. The others in that exclusive club: Jackson, Chuck Daly, Gregg Popovich, Pat Riley and, as of Tuesday night, Larry Brown.


Tomjanovich, though, said earlier in the season that he wanted to sit out at least one more season as he continues his recovery from bladder cancer. It remains to be seen if the chance to land one of the most prestigious coaching jobs in sports will prompt Rudy Tee to alter that timetable. Of course, if Tomjanovich is the Lakers' choice, it's believed he'll try whatever he can do to keep Shaq and Kobe together.


One of the more interesting in-house possibilities to be suggested in recent days is Brian Shaw. Although Shaw lacks coaching experience, he does have the respect of every prominent Laker, from Bryant to O'Neal to Gary Payton. Bryant's and Payton's shared aversion to the triangle offense figures to hurt the chances of longtime Jackson assistant Jim Cleamons, and residue from Kurt Rambis' first stint as Lakers coach won't help his campaign.


Will we see Phil coaching again in the NBA?



Everyone close to Jackson thinks so -- at least after he takes a year off to recharge. Should Shaq really be dealt, count on the big man lobbying his new employer to bring Phil in at the first opportunity.


Jackson has always wanted to coach the Knicks, but it's difficult to envision Isiah Thomas -- who has his own coaching aspirations -- making room on the Madison Square Garden marquee for a name as big as the Zen master's. Yet there will be no shortage of opportunities for Jackson when he wants to unretire -- and, again, expect the Mavericks' Cuban to head the list of suitors.


What does all this mean for Payton and Malone?



Payton's agent, Aaron Goodwin, told ESPN's David Aldridge that Jackson's departure makes the Glove's return next season more likely. Payton has until Wednesday to exercise a player option for nearly $5.5 million, amid questions of whether he'll be able to command that much money anywhere else.


It's not yet known how Malone will respond to Phil's departure, although it is well known that Mailman enjoyed his time with Jackson. Malone also relished his standing as the rare Laker to be considered a confidante to both Kobe and Shaq. On top of his health concerns, all this tension could be another factor that drives Malone to retirement.


Will Kobe and Shaq regret breaking up if a split happens?



No question. If this potentially dynastic duo is disassembled, it could be forever before we see the league's two best players on the same team.


Then the real question, down the line, would be: Who will regret it more?


Shaq?


Kobe?


Or Buss?


Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here. Also, click here to send a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.

[MavKikiNYC]

I used to laugh when people said that if Nellie had Shaq, he wouldn't use him right--as if O'Neal would ever be available.

I used to laugh when people talked about whether Phil Jackson would be a good coach for the Mavericks--as if Jackson would ever attempt to coach a team that didn't have the talent stacked heavily in his favor.

I don't necessarily like either of the moves for the Mavericks, even less so long-term, but the possibiities are interesting nonetheless.