I am sure that even though Kobe Bryant joined the Los Angeles Lakers right out of high school, he did learn to spell. And obviously, Shaquille O’Neal, being a college graduate and all, can put letters in the right order to make legible and legitimate words.

So, why is it that these two can’t learn that there is no “”I”” in “”team?””

The ongoing feud between the two Laker superstars, which is now being splashed across California newspapers’ sports pages, is childish. Can’t they realize that they need each other, and that without one another, they won’t win a championship?

Each wants to be the focal point of the squad, and both have a very good argument. They both are, without question, superb athletes, and two of the most prominent players in the NBA.

Shaquille is the dominant big man in the league. He is like no other since the days of Kareem and Wilt. He can control a game all by himself. I have always thought that, against one of the poorer teams in the league (e.g. the Clippers), Shaq could lay down 100 points. He is the big everything.

Kobe, at the ripe age of 22, is becoming an unstoppable force in his own right. His explosiveness to the hoop is matched by few. He can make a shot from anywhere on the court. He is not Michael Jordan, not yet at least, but I see no problem with people comparing the legend and the kid and predicting that Kobe will be just as good.

The thing is, without being on the same team, both men would only be good. The Lakers right now are very good. Now picture the Lakers without one or the other.

Shaq leaves and some average center fills up the hole left vacant. Kobe would have the run of the team. He would lead the league in scoring, often knocking down 40 or 50 points. It would be the Kobe show, 24 hours a day.

And the Lakers would win 45 games and bow out in the first round of the playoffs.

Picture the Lakers without Bryant. Teams would double- and triple-team Shaq even more often than they do now. Hell, I would force Horace Grant to try and beat me. They too would win 45 games and be home watching the later playoff rounds on their gigantic television screens.

All great championship teams needed more than one superstar. Jordan needed Pippen, Bird needed Parish and McHale, Magic needed Kareem, and now Kobe needs Shaq. Because as any player, manager or GM worth his salt would tell you, one player does not a championship team make.

If all they want is personal gains, then they should be on other teams. If they want to go down in history as one of the greatest duos in history, each with a handful of championship rings, then they need to learn their roles and get along.

The fact of the matter is that the team is Shaq’s. He should be the focus, with Kobe complimenting him from the outside and with penetration. Does this limit Kobe? Somewhat yes, but it does not limit their potential as the league’s best pair. Hell, Kobe is six years younger than Shaq. Wait eight years, and the offense can be all Kobe’s.

Theoretically, the Lakers have the potential for a 10-year dynasty, which would bring glory and championships aplenty to a southland void of much to cheer about.

Something that disturbs me is how the media is blowing this whole thing up. This is not the first time superstars have had problems. The media is only making it worse. Media people, let the organization be and things will work themselves out. After this column, that is.