O’Neal States His Problem

Miami Heat center Shaquille O’Neal, warming up the hype for Thursday’s game against the Lakers, threw some more thoughts, words and ideas onto the fire, most of them involving Phil Jackson and, not surprisingly, Kobe Bryant.

“I’m Phil’s agent,” O’Neal said, forgetting for a moment that the actual title belongs to Todd Musburger. “If he does come back to the league, we’re not taking less than $15 million a year. That’s how it works. And the general manager’s spot. For him. If he goes back [to the Lakers], then we’re not taking less than $20 million.”

O’Neal said he would not be surprised if Jackson returns to the Lakers. “If he does come back, I wish him well,” O’Neal told reporters. “I think one problem is always better than two problems. I’ve always been a problem.”

O’Neal also said he thought Jackson and Bryant could work together.

“I think with only one of us causing problems, probably, yeah,” he said.

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Bryant goes back to Philadelphia, Bryant gets booed, Bryant says he doesn’t mind.

It has happened before -- during the 2001 NBA Finals and Bryant’s MVP effort in the 2002 All-Star game in Philadelphia come to mind immediately -- and it happened again Tuesday during introductions before the Lakers played the 76ers.

“I love every moment of it,” Bryant said. “If I played here, they’d love me because I have a certain attitude when I’m out there on that basketball court. I have a chip on my shoulder. If you see me play, I play hard every minute of the game. If I played here, it’d be a different response.”

Bryant gets routinely booed at some arenas, but Philadelphia seems to have a particular fervor for it. Bryant, who played for Lower Merion High, had some fans in the stands but many more detractors.

“I think when we played in the Finals, I talked about ripping out their hearts,” Bryant said. “They didn’t like that. They took it as a challenge, which they should have.

“At the same time, if I played for Philly and I said that, they’d love that. That’s just the attitude that I have that I grew up with here. That’s what I’m supposed to do. That’s my job.... When you step out on the basketball floor, it’s not a game, it’s a war.”