http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1824691

In addressing reporters Thursday, Kupchak said the team intends to do whatever it can to keep Bryant. Having opted out of his current contract, Bryant could sign a seven-year deal worth around $140 million with the Lakers.



O'Neal canceled his scheduled exit interview Friday, apparently upset at remarks made by Kupchak, who left the door open to trading the star center if he demanded it while saying Bryant would never be traded.


ESPN.com's Marc Stein has learned that the Lakers' big man, who can opt out of his contract after next season, has demanded a trade.

12/24/2002 Posted - 04/28/2004 : 11:15:09
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Originally posted by Panos:


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Originally posted by Bobby:

After this championship run Shaq will have nothing to look forward to unless he is heading east. Shaq would be the most dominating force in the easy east. What the heck, if he takes NY championship his MVP cannot be denied, and he will be considered the greatest center ever....yup, MVPs & championships in both conferences....WOW!
We always knew Ewing's replacement had to be equal or better for NY to go championship. Why settle for less, anything else is a compromise. Can you imagine a team stating to go championship as a season goal?...I almost forgot, the cliche is rebuilding



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You are delusional. Getting Shaq would NOT win us a championship. The best it would do would get us to the conference finals. LA, with a MUCH better supporting cast than anything we would be able
to offer Shaq did NOT win the championship last year. What makes
you think a team of FW, Shandum, TT, Sweetney and Shaq (notice
no second all-star?!) could come out of the East, let alone win
the championship?

P.S. - the above is predicated on the fact that I believe H2O is
done. And even if he's not, he's no Kobe.



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just the thought that we have anything the lakers want to trade for shaq is delusional. shaq is untouchable. they won't let him go especially with the cloud looming over the future of kobe, payton and malone. shaq is also slowing down. don't get me wrong. he is still hands down the best center in the league but for how long? a year or two? yao is having a good series and going tooth and nail with shaq. when was the last time a center did that against shaq? he has many injury issues to contend with. i don't know. there seems to be a lot of great players available ( ai, mcgrady, kobe, carter, etc.) but all of them have baggage that i don't know we should fool with whether it is health issues or chemistry issues. we should just hope new jersey knocks detroit out of the playoffs and get rasheed or else sign swift or camby. but we have to keep marbury, a point guard with his caliber is rare.

Do have any shaq takers now ?

Martin, I don't know about you, IMO Knicks and their fans should not have to wait 30+ years for a championship.... especially when your talking about the Mecca. And now that Phil Jackson is available the only thing left to do is Diesel and Phil to NY.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?id=1824721

Obviously, Shaq enjoyed that Phil ran the offense through him, but he also knows where the Lakers were before Jackson showed up: nowhere.
"So, to bring somebody else in would be to start all over, and I don't have time to start all over," he said in our interview. "And I don't really need to start all over, because the formula's written --we know what we've got to do."

Besides, The record should show Phil Jackson's 10th championship as a New York Knick

thsts the point if we traded for shaq, i would asume it would involve marbury, both thomases maybe even a sweetney. so now we have a team ofbackups with shaq at C. we dont win nothing.

i've heard rumors of indiana, but it onvolved j oneal going back to la. sorry but i would take jermain over shaq AT THIS POINT IN THEIR CAREERS any day.

the other rumor i read was dallas the might have enough depth to pull a trade and still have the tallent to win. i just dont see many teams deep enough to make a trade for shaq and still compete.

shaq is slowly getting into the "overrated" catagory. he is dominant, but he is getting old, slow and just plain breaking down.

i still believe his trade value is being determined by his past not his present.

2 year extension at $60 million

how do you pay the rest of the team?