Laker Fans Still Have Shaq Wait Problem

Here we go again. He shows up this season a little lighter than usual but could drop a few more pounds. Last season, a bad toe kept him out of a lot of games, and his teammates carried him. Now, although he was medically cleared to play more than a week ago, we are still Shaq-less.

He has always dissed his teammates by not following the rules everyone else has to and pampering himself for every little injury to the detriment of the team. And, OK, he hates Kobe, but Kobe tries to lob balls with his left hand when he rips his right shoulder up.

Gary Payton and Karl Malone took huge salary cuts to play in purple and gold, and not without Shaq’s prodding. By playing his mind games with Phil and Jerry Buss and everyone else who doesn’t bow to his every whim, he’s dissing those guys who came here for a title.

So far, they’re more than earning their keep. Can Shaq say the same?

Luci Blasi

Torrance

If Shaquille O’Neal, the self-declared “Most Dominant Ever,” is such a great player, then why doesn’t he play like it? Unlike great players who were mentally tough such as Jordan, Bird, Russell and Isiah Thomas, O’Neal’s “I’ll play when I feel like it” attitude is on a par with Benoit Benjamin’s.

Let’s see if His Highness can pull a back-to-back and once again miscalculate his conditioning and blow another championship for the Lakers.

Joe Lynch

Singapore