Trade demands, no matter how quickly recanted or dismissed, become public knowledge. This isn't to say that the contretemps between Lakers stars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant are insignificant, just that the media scrutiny of celebrities of their magnitude amplifies even the whisper of discontent into a roar. Friction between famous teammates is nothing new. Magic Johnson implied last week that he and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar found it difficult at times to get along when they were the cornerstones of the 1980s L.A. teams, but it didn't keep them from winning five championships. Larry Bird and Kevin McHale sometimes sniped at each other when they were Celtics teammates, but they won three titles.
Guys bump heads.
It's always been like that. The difference is, you used to be able to keep that stuff in the locker room and let it blow over. Not to say that the media need to shoulder all the blame. Similarly, when Bryant reportedly urged another team to make a trade offer for him last month, nothing came of that. Neither player is going to talk himself out of an L.A. uniform, at least not this season.