Only if Happiness Prevailed

As the 2009 NBA All-star came and went, we had a chance to see how two great players could co-exist and bring each other to a level that could never have been reached individually.

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal brought the house down and garnered a co-MVP award. As they hoisted the trophy I had a glimpse of what could have been. Having the two share multiple NBA Championships and most likely Finals MVP awards, only if things didn't turn out the way it did.

This shows you how greed for money, power, and, for the ultimate prize of all, NBA Superstardom that only a few have ever achieved. Both egos were two big and it seemed that one could only prevail. It turned out that Kobe was the one that was left standing in LA and the Big Diesel was the odd man out. The move to Miami allowed Shaq to grab another ring for his finger and pad his bank account with even more zeros. Bryant was left in Laker land to bask in the sun and of course the great spotlight that only comes with big market NBA cities. Bryant has not tasted a victory in the NBA Finals but has come close.

Just imagine if Bryant and Shaq stayed together. I know, this is a topic that is over blown, over written, and basically over everything. But please, just take a second to reflect on what could have been. Shaq and Kobe, still Lakers, grabbing boards, throwin down dunks, and making fadeaways only Jordan could have made. As a Lake Show fan and supporter, I wonder what could have been.

Only if both Kobe and Shaq thought about the light at the end of the tunnel instead of their own personal endeavors maybe, just maybe, that All-Star MVP award could have been the Larry O'Brien Trohpy.

Is that something that would make you happy?