I first heard about Shaquille O'Neal in middle school. Back then, he was more of a playground rumor than a superstar. The first kid to learn about him tried to tell the rest of us.

7'1"? Impossible.

375 pounds? Nah.

Size 23 shoe? Are you sure that's not his jersey number?

Clearly, he was telling tales. There was some giggling, name calling, and a serious demotion in the lunch seating hierarchy. Nobody could be that big.

Within a few days, we found out there was a Shaq who was that big. Our friend was allowed to rejoin us on the blacktop for games of knockout, and we all agreed that this new NBA super-beast would probably score 100 points per game, on average.

He may have never reached the century mark, but Shaq was larger than life. As we grew up watching hoops, he evolved into a true NBA legend and a central figure in Lakers history. It was a sad day when he left for Miami, but the lovable, cuddly giant (c'mon, he did Kazaam!) insisted to Los Angeles that this would always be his home (well, one of them) and that he loved our fair city.

But now O'Neal returns to the West in a very different role. An impending trade for Shawn Marion (and Marcus Banks) could have the Shaq Daddy in a Suns jersey by the weekend. Phoenix, as a city, has a lot of similarities to Los Angeles. On the hard court, they're different -- and their fans hate each other. The rivalry isn't as historic as Boston. The loathing may not run as deep as it did with the Kings six years ago. The bitterness? Stronger than a bad dose of Pinkberry's new coffee flavor.

The Suns knocked the Lakers out of the first round of the playoffs the past two years and they did it with a high-flying scheme build around tempo and speed. While acquiring Shaq may be frustrating for Laker fans, it may be more frustrating for Phoenix fans.

The problem is that they've acquired Shaq Diesel for a system that runs on jet fuel. Shawn Marion was a good fit. He was nicknamed the Matrix, for crying out loud. He could hang with the pace and everything worked well. So well, the Suns actually had the best record in the West (Shaq's Heat, by the way, are the worst in the NBA).

Shaq was never fast and, despite being nicknamed the Big Baryshnikov, not incredibly agile. Now, at the age of 35 and struggling with injuries, at best he'll slow down the pace of Steve Nash's offense. At worst, he'll watch from the bench while Phoenix reflects fondly on Marion.

Why on earth would the Suns mess with a good thing? Pau Gasol. As soon as the Lakers acquired a second 7-footer, the management team in the desert started feeling big-man envy. Their tallest? A pair of 6'10" centers (Amare Stoudemire and Sean Marks). They made this move to damn a surging Lake Show.

It's not as if moving Marion was difficult. He made it clear that he wanted to leave. Ironically, he wanted to go to the Lakers just a couple months ago. Now, he'll go anywhere that he won't have to play third fiddle. The only marque name he'll join in Miami is Dwayne Wade.

Laker fans have to be relieved it all worked out this way. Even though they're staring up at Phoenix in the standings, it's clear that LA is again the team to beat out West.

AP photo by David Zalubowski.