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Feud Adds to a Wild Opening

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That was the Premiere Week that (shudder) was.

It was a rough one here, what with the fires, strikes and the re-emergence of the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal feud, in whatever order you want to put them.

As we’re reminded daily, when fantasy collides with reality, a lot of people have trouble choosing. Last week when Fred Roggin told his radio sports talk audience about his wife and children evacuating their Porter Ranch home, a listener sent in an e-mail asking him to get back to Shaq and Kobe.

Down the dial, another listener told Joe McDonnell and Doug Krikorian that if Bryant opted out and left, he hoped Bryant would be found guilty.

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The good news for the NBA is hype and dysfunction resulted in headlines and bumper TV ratings for the Laker opener and LeBron James’ debut.

Not that the NBA is so fond of one of those stories. Obliged to acknowledge that the Lakers are part of his league, Commissioner David Stern noted, “I want to say, ‘Kids, cut it out.’ ”

The Lakers were a nervous breakdown on wheels. Once a comedy act that revolved around O’Neal, they now centered on Bryant, a young man under tremendous pressure who was having trouble keeping it together and often couldn’t.

The old Bryant had infinite poise. This one started lashing out in all directions last week, even at a writer who did a story he didn’t like about his Nike deal last spring, when such stories were still considered relevant.

Before, Shaq made himself look small by complaining to the press about Kobe, and Kobe made himself look like the grown-up by shrugging it off. Now, with Bryant trying to put his life back together, returning to the Lakers meant so much that he was willing to endure daily questioning by reporters to do it. When O’Neal started zinging him, one of the few remaining struts in Bryant’s life began vibrating.

Then came last week’s volcanic blowoff. Bryant told confidants he just couldn’t hold it in any longer.

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But right or wrong, Bryant couldn’t level such a personal barrage and go on as before.

Of course, O’Neal’s suggestion that Bryant pass more was valid too. It was Shaq’s prior jibes at his troubled teammate that were out of line.

Nor were Bryant’s subsequent comments acceptable. He owed O’Neal an apology but none was tendered. Bryant didn’t recant or explain anything. It was, “He said what he said, I said what I said and we’re going to move on.”

Not that this will be hard to put behind them, but O’Neal gets upset if he’s not praised enough.

Despite his magnanimous comments in which he blamed everything on the press (now there’s something, at last, they can all agree on), let’s assume he won’t soon forget being called a fat, malingering, callous, jealous child.

Some people say O’Neal and Bryant hated each other all along, but that’s not true. They were OK from the spring night in San Antonio in 2001 when Kobe showed he was as good as he thought he was and Shaq called him “my idol.”

Had it been otherwise, it would have been easy to tell. Bryant may have been able to hide his feelings, but O’Neal never has.

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The Lakers’ troubles aren’t just about a season or a team, but a life. People who knew and loved Bryant are now terrified for him, for more reasons than his legal case.

Despite all the speculation, no one has a clue how this will play out. With no attractive alternatives on the board, it depends on Bryant’s state of mind next summer.

If staying still feels awkward, leaving will entail a pay cut, unless he wants to go to Utah.

The Clipper option would be dumb. Not just because of the $4-million cut he would have to take, even if they dump Quentin Richardson, Keyon Dooling and their No. 1 pick. It would mean four games a season against Shaq and his superior supporting cast.

Of course, it would also be the intracity rivalry to end all intracity rivalries.

Many teams wouldn’t sign or trade for Bryant before his trial, which might not be over by the start of the free-agent signing period in July.

For now, and perhaps until Bryant’s contract runs out in 2005 when more teams have cap room, or maybe for even longer, Bryant and O’Neal are stuck with each other. They’ll have to settle for keeping quiet and trying to win more titles together, which would change everything.

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Laker players now say they have an obligation to Karl Malone and Gary Payton, who didn’t take short pay to come here to watch the NBA version of “Lord of the Flies.”

Malone and Payton are finding out they only thought they had already seen it all.

“We discuss everything,” Payton said after the first shots were fired. “That’s what me and Karl are here for. We’re supposed to keep the peace and that’s what we did. We discussed everything and we squashed it....

“You guys make it bigger than what it is,” he said, referring to reporters and the O’Neal-Bryant exchange. “I mean, we had basketball practice today. We were laughing with each other and everything. We wouldn’t have even thought about it if we hadn’t seen ‘SportsCenter.’ I didn’t even hear about this [stuff] until ‘Sports-Center’ came on.”

Of course, even greater surprises awaited him on that night’s “SportsCenter.”

So you couldn’t say everyone has followed through on his obligation to Malone and Payton. But they say they will from now on.

No, really.

Faces and Figures

The LeBron era, Day 5: ESPN’s Steve Levy actually called it that, but hype notwithstanding, that was some start for James. After a tentative preseason, Coach Paul Silas said he hoped James would average double figures with four or five assists in the first half of the season. Then James averaged 23 points, 9.0 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 2.5 steals and shot 54% in his first two games, ranking in the league’s top 12 in five categories. Even more impressive, he did it on the road against good teams, withstanding the furor around his debut in Sacramento, then coming back strong the next night in Phoenix. Everyone knew he’d be good, but not this good this soon.... Perfect chutzpah is: The one and only Nick Van Exel, grousing about being traded to the Warriors, complained that Maverick owner Mark Cuban treated him callously. “When you first get there, they say this and that and you’re under the impression that this guy may end up being a friend,” Van Exel said. “And then to not get a phone call and you find out you are dealt, that’s the part of the business I really don’t like. That’s telling me as a person that you really don’t have any respect for me. Like our little thing that we went through for a year and a half really meant nothing.... That’s all players ask, a friendly phone call.” Of course, Van Exel didn’t call back when Warrior General Manager Garry St. Jean tried to welcome him. “I haven’t returned a phone call since I’ve been in the league,” he said, “whether it’s Mark Cuban or Jerry West.”

More from Greg Ostertag’s attempt to become the new Jazz leader: Smarting from Coach Jerry Sloan’s decision to name Matt Harpring captain, Ostertag stomped out of the opener, assuming Jarron Collins was coming in for him rather than another player. With four players on the floor, Ostertag stalked up the tunnel, obliging Sloan to run after him, shouting loud enough for 1,000 or so fans to hear, “Where the [heck] are you going?” ... Stop me before I speak again: Detroit’s Larry Brown, seemingly bent on getting himself tarred and feathered when he goes back to Philadelphia, said he “can’t coach [unprintables] any more, I guess,” infuriating Allen Iverson and other 76ers. “He said that with an S at the end,” said Eric Snow, whose career Brown rejuvenated. “That means all of us.” ... Hornet owner George Shinn says he worried about making friends after moving from Charlotte, “but we’ve met some of the finest people that I have ever met in my life right here in New Orleans. We got friends and people who are absolutely first class. Everybody has just been wonderful. I go to restaurants and go to places to shop and I’m recognized and people say the nicest things. You know, the last year or two in Charlotte, I was dodging bullets and it was not fun.” Of course, if he leaves town with their team, no matter how classy they are, New Orleans people might get upset too.

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Chicago Vice President Steve Schanwald, after the Bulls’ annual open scrimmage turned out to be the same night the Cubs, who had won their first playoff series since 1908, opened against the Marlins: “Since it has been 95 years, I guess you could say that it wasn’t exactly something we had contemplated.”

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

MARK HEISLER’S NBA RANKINGS AND COMMENTS:

*--* No. Team (Rec.) Comment (last week’s rank) 1 LAKERS (2-0) Doomsday scenarios fade. Don Nelson says they’d rule, with or without Bryant. (3) 2 SACRAMENTO (2-1) Even without Webber and their old depth, Kings still pass opponents dizzy. (2) 3 SAN ANTONIO (2-1) Spurs thought Nesterovic could match Robinson’s 9-8. Rasho now at 5-5. (1) 4 NEW ORLEANS (3-0) Future is now, or better be because next season, Hornets are moving West. (12) 5 NEW JERSEY (2-1) Not exactly the old Zo: Mourning isn’t starting, can go only 25 minutes. (8) 6 HOUSTON (1-1) Starting game’s biggest front line with 7-0 Kelvin Cato alongside 7-5 Yao. (14) 7 MINNESOTA (2-1) Oops: Szczerbiak and Hudson are out and Olowokandi just started playing. (5) 8 DALLAS (2-1) Too bad this isn’t baseball: Top five scorers averaged 101 last season. (4) 9 INDIANA (2-1) Thanks for nothing: Carlisle wins Pacer debut in Detroit, where he was fired.(10) 10 BOSTON (2-1) Last link to greatness passes: Now Celtics wear white sneakers at home. (15) 11 DETROIT (2-1) Good luck: Larry Brown starts season with Elden Campbell at center. (11) 12 PHOENIX (1-2) Insiders wonder whether small Suns should have traded Tsakilidis, Outlaw. (13) 13 TORONTO (2-1) Somebody who says his name is Vince Carter gets 65 in first two. (26) 14 PORTLAND (1-1) Guy who has to do it for Trail Blazers is new starting power forward, Randolph. (6) 15 CHICAGO (1-2) Future glimpsed anew as Curry, Chandler combine for 35-26 against Hawks. (22) 16 SEATTLE (2-0) Bad news: Allen has knee ‘scoped. Good news: SuperSonics opened vs. Clippers. (19) 17 PHILADELPHIA (1-2) Glenn Robinson had to sit out so we haven’t seen what 76ers have yet. (7) 18 ORLANDO (1-2) Magic already misses Darrell Armstrong, the local fave Doc Rivers ran off. (16) 19 NEW YORK (0-2) McDyess isn’t ready nor are they: Knicks blow big fourth-quarter lead in opener. (21) 20 WASHINGTON (1-2) Wait ‘til this year: owner Pollin says atmosphere was wrong with Jordan. (20) 21 CLEVELAND (0-3) James’ prep jersey goes in Hall of Fame. Cavaliers will wait a week to induct LeBron. (29) 22 DENVER (2-1) Rockets show you can put a big guard on Anthony, who’s only 6-6 1/4, 233. (28) 23 MEMPHIS (1-1) Retiring Dickerson’s money comes off cap. Grizzlies will be $12 million under in ’05. (24) 24 ATLANTA (0-3) Bargain basement: Hawks sold for $250 million with NHL Thrashers AND new arena. (23) 25 MILWAUKEE (2-1) T.J. Ford, who’s as big as your 13-year-old, gets 11 rebounds in his pro debut. (18) 26 GOLDEN STATE (1-1) Starters Van Exel, Murphy, Richardson out and Warriors weren’t great with them. (17) 27 UTAH (1-1) Someone named Carlos Arroyo got 18, 13 assists in debut as next Stockton. (9) 28 CLIPPERS (0-2) Just Donald’s luck: Guy he just gave $82 million gets hurt in first game. (27) 29 MIAMI (0-2) Scored 75, 75, 81 under Stan Van Gundy. Looks like he kept Riley’s offense. (25)

*--*

GAME OF THE WEEK

LAKERS AT SAN ANTONIO

* When -- Thursday. * Time -- 6:30 p.m. PST * TV -- TNT

* Story line -- We’ll pass on that James-Anthony shootout Wednesday (LeBron’s third nationally televised game) for this rematch of old foes. The Lakers have gotten a lot stronger since the Spurs terminated them last spring. We don’t know about the Spurs.

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