There Might Not Be Any Turning Back

Thanks for the memories, Lakers.

They began this season knowing a lot of things could go wrong, but these masters of disaster were always surmounting calamities, most of which they had brought on themselves. Even with a trial-of-the-century furor surrounding Kobe Bryant, they thought they’d handle it the way they handled all the other furors.

Coach Phil Jackson, who had planned to retire next summer when he finished his Laker contract, began talking about an extension last spring. Nothing that ensued -- such as Bryant’s arrest -- changed Jackson’s demeanor, which, since his heart procedure last spring, had become as merry as old St. Nick’s.

The Lakers thought trouble would come in the form of uncertainty about Bryant’s availability -- only for a few weeks, they hoped, until a trial date was set -- and a lot of repetitive questions from a huge press corps.

Not that that would be too much of a bother. Jackson actually said the prospect of a media siege might be a “boon,” enhancing team togetherness, tra la.

Everything was fine, or, at least, proceeding according to the usual erratic schedule, until Sunday.

Of course, the exhibition season had been a waste of time, with Bryant sitting out six games and Shaquille O’Neal four. When they finally played in that awesome-looking lineup with Gary Payton and Karl Malone, they went 0-2. After they gave up 107 points to the Clippers, Jackson threw out the possibility that they might “implode.”

Nevertheless, Jackson always works these things out, or always while O’Neal feuded with Bryant, Kobe fought with Jackson, Shaq tangled with Jackson, Shaq reported in progressively worse shape and their finishes in the West dropped from No. 1 to No. 2 to No. 3 to No. 5.

They won three titles in the process before digging a hole they couldn’t climb out of, but they still seemed OK. O’Neal said he had “learned the lessons of humbleness” and reported in shape, and now they had Payton and Malone.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, that O’Neal-Bryant friendship that we’ve been reporting recently now looks more like it was a marriage of convenience, except now it was inconvenient.

O’Neal, who had been cool in his support for Bryant, began zinging him throughout the exhibition season. When Bryant failed to report on time in Hawaii, O’Neal announced, “The full team is here.”

When Kobe didn’t attend an exhibition in San Diego because of a court appearance the next morning, Shaq said he was resting his sore heel because “I want to be right for Derek [Fisher], Karl and Gary.”

Lest the media people around him think he had left Bryant’s name out by accident, Shaq then repeated the list.

Nevertheless, Bryant had always ignored the messages O’Neal sent him through the media and seemed to again, so everything seemed on track.

Then came Sunday, when the lightning flashed, the sky fell and the ground opened up under the Lakers. If their world didn’t come to an end, they’re now on the clock.

Bryant, responding to a prior suggestion by O’Neal that he pass more, said, “I know how to play my guard spot. He can worry about the low post.”

Said O’Neal: “He doesn’t need advice on how to play his position, but he needs advice on how to play team ball,” and added, “If it’s going to be my team, I’ll voice my opinion. If he don’t like it, he can opt out.”

Even with the statements of regret you can expect today -- how about a joint news conference with smiles, hugs and jokes about big brothers and little brothers? -- it will be hard to get this genie back in the bottle.

Bryant has continued to insist he’ll opt out of his contract next summer, but there have been signs recently that this isn’t merely a formality and he now intends to leave.

Bryant, who has problems larger than O’Neal at present, has reportedly been fuming right along at Shaq’s zingers.

O’Neal has heard the speculation about Bryant leaving -- not that he took it as bad news -- which is where that “He can opt out” came from.

In all their bad times, they never clashed like this, but then, everything has changed.

They once worked things out because they needed each other. Now their interests may be diverging. O’Neal has Payton and Malone. Bryant may be entertaining thoughts of a fresh start.

In their time together, Shaq and Kobe became the mightiest tandem the game had ever seen. Boston General Manager Danny Ainge once said it was like Wilt Chamberlain playing with Michael Jordan.

The three titles they won together seemed to get O’Neal and Bryant over the hump, but they just re-crossed that hump at a high rate of speed.

It was fun while it lasted. Well, it was entertaining, anyway.