Kobe Bryant is in Shaquille O'Neal's doghouse and it does not appear that a truce will be offered anytime in the near future.  In an expletive-laced response, O'Neal said he apparently is more important to Bryant than Bryant is to him.

"He (messed) up in Colorado doing what he did, and what's the first name that comes out of his mouth? My name," O'Neal said Thursday. "That should tell you I'm important to this cat.

"A lot of people ask me, 'What do you think about him?' This dude's a clown. He's a... clown. You're out there (messing) up and you're saying, 'He did it.' He did what? You don't even know me. I promise you we never hung out. We were never in any clubs together. He never did nothing with the team. I don't even know this kid. But I knew he was a weirdo."O'Neal said Bryant's recent troubles revealed the man behind the image.

"There's fairy-tale life and there's real life," O'Neal said. "He just showed his colors in real life."

O'Neal, who refers to himself as Diesel, at one time considered himself a mentor to Bryant, who entered the NBA directly from high school.

"But he's a... child.... Just like I told (ESPN), he's the only one buying love right now, the (stuff) he has to do to get out of a jam. Diesel don't do that."

O'Neal went on to talk about how much he is looking forward to playing with Dwayne Wade this season and he acknowledges that his dealings with Penny Hardaway and Bryant were often problematic, but vows that in Miami there will be no such strifes.