O'Neal's relationship with the Heat, in fact, had deteriorated in the months that followed the team's 2006 NBA championship.
For example, while O'Neal chose to belittle Ricky Davis with his latest comments,
O'Neal pushed for the team to deal forward Antoine Walker, with Davis arriving from Minnesota in that exchange.
Amid Walker's conditioning battles with Riley, O'Neal went as far as to refer to Walker as \"Ruben Studdard,\" the stocky American Idol champion.
Such remarks extended to the top of the team's talent ladder, with O'Neal privately referring to Dwyane Wade as \"Wonder Boy,\" rekindling memories of the ugly departures O'Neal had from Penny Hardaway with the Magic and Kobe Bryant with the Lakers.
O'Neal also had spent years belittling former Lakers teammate Eddie Jones, who the Heat allowed to depart this past offseason.
www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/basketball/h...ar27,0,3588775.story
Aha!! So it wasn't Riley who traded Walker just 'cause of that ridiculous bodyfat reason....it was FAT-AZZ SHAQ who had Walker deported to Minny just because. man...and after everything Walker did for him, too. Especially carrying his sorry fat butt in the '06 finals where he wasn't doing jack and had to be the 2nd Scorer to Wade in order to help save the Heat's title hopes.