Let's hear it for Phil Jackson, because we haven't heard anything from Phil Jackson in the way of a resolution.

	Phil Jackson might have his hands full with Shaq and Kobe this year.

No public mediation.

No spinning about how a little venting every now and then is a good thing.

No signs of attempted diplomacy.

Doesn't even want them in the same room right now, he says.

Perfect, we say.

Look. Among the many false rumors/incorrect assumptions taking flight these days -- Kobe Bryant is immature (wrong; 30-year-olds should have his dedication and commitment to preparation and improvement), Shaquille O'Neal has trouble getting along with co-stars because he also feuded with Penny Hardaway (wrong; that was barely worth mentioning as a factor in the Big Casanova's decision to break hearts and leave Orlando), Vince McMahon is on the phone and, boy, does he have a great idea (wrong; that was four days ago) -- one thing is certain. They are not open for reconciliation right now.

O'Neal is too busy being angry and hurt. Bryant is too busy not caring what people think. You've seen times during games when a team will be on the wrong side of a big scoring run and the coach won't call timeout because he wants them to find a way to fight through it? That's what this is. OK, so it's the future course of an entire cornerstone franchise at stake and not a game (details, details), but you get the idea.

Try bringing an olive branch into a meeting now, and someone ends up having it for lunch against his will. Any white flag would be more cosmetic than absolute because the wounds have become too deep, creating a long-term problem for the Lakers and anyone who has spent the last two-plus years foolishly passing this conflict off as media-generated hype instead of actual. It's not like the dozens of times a year in every sport when teammates have a locker room fight. Too deep. Too personal.

More than that, too strong of personalities involved. Neither is going to give in.

	Will Shaq have to find teammates other than Kobe to celebrate with in the future?

The only way it can be resolved, once and for all, is for them to come to the realization of the importance of compromise, not be told of it. It will not happen this season. It might never happen. But the only chance will have to come from within. Not from their coach.

Maybe it will take this season crumbling down around the Lakers for O'Neal and Bryant to re-dedicate themselves. The embarrassment of a first-round playoff to initiate some serious soul searching. It's happened with this organization in the past, and countless others.

That might also prompt Chernobyl II, but so what? Whatever it takes to get it resolved. If they must be split up, then at least let it happen after a month of thinking in the offseason, without the heat of the moment. But for now, the answer to "Which one gets traded?" is simple.

Neither.

(Seriously, what do you think it's going to take to pry the beloved Kobe from the Lakers? The Vancouver Grizzlies?)

Let them fight it out to the death, so to speak. Let the season go down the drain if that's what it takes. It's a worthwhile investment. Let the two principles decide themselves how they can, or will, get along. Maybe they take turns having it be My Team. A week-on, week-off thing. Whatever. Just work it out.

"This is juvenile stuff," is how Jackson described it last week. "It's like sandbox stuff -- 'You've got my truck and I want it back,' you know? Or 'I'm going to throw sand in your face.'

"This is silly. Let's get on and be men about our business and appreciate the talent we have here and play ball together. That's all I'm trying to do. In the process, I just have to take the order over and say, 'It's my job to sit in judgment over you guys and that will be what I do.' This is my responsibility now."

Uh oh.

More yoga.

Jackson's exasperation was obvious, but maybe so was his strategy. Who can say for sure since his is a mystical world, but it seems like holding up players to public ridicule (Scottie Pippen wasn't hurt with 1.8 seconds left, he bailed on the team; Isaiah Rider was late to practice, the coach admitted even though no one had asked and no one would have known; and so on) has a proud tradition with Big Chief Triangle. Let's see where embarrassment gets them.

"The storm is no different than it was in any of the years I've been here," said forward Rick Fox, in his fourth season in Los Angeles and not seeming to miss the 2000-01 calm of his old team, the Celtics. "We've just found ways at different times to work it out -- last year to the tune of a championship, the year before to the tune of being swept (from the playoffs). What I like to focus on is the fact Phil's been able to make this work, his ability to coach this team and any problems that arise with it."

Phil sure did last season -- getting Bryant to defer to O'Neal was a greater factor in the title than anything in the Triple Post playbook, setting a proper mood that made Shaq feel like he had a running mate and not a challenger to his throne. At least from what we can remember of those events a thousand years ago. Jackson was new and had the credibility that only rings could deliver and a commanding presence because of his physical stature and even the unique qualification of having coached Michael Jordan, which had to appeal to Bryant. The championship just brought it all to fruition.

And then the offseason changed it all. Kobe is so good that it's hard to imagine him making huge strides every summer, but that's exactly what happens, whether with his defense or his perimeter game or another facet. He got better again during July, August and September. The time had come to make his move, indelicately or otherwise, and he didn't care who knew it. When the plan is to be regarded as the best player ever, riding shotgun on your own team tends to get in the way.

He would defer to no man again. (We can't help but think that to go back and look at tapes of interviews during the 2000 playoffs, they will show Bryant biting his lip -- hard -- to get through O'Neal's little brother/sidekick comments). So what happened next was inevitable: Kobe surged again, opponents started talking about him as the biggest talent in the game, he still had his wild moments with poor shots, and O'Neal became frustrated about the offense, though the reality is probably that it was the platform for the real emotional issue. Wounded pride.

That's why everything is hanging in the balance now, two superstars, the best in the game at their positions, playing chicken. The coach may not call a timeout, either.

Scott Howard-Cooper covers the NBA for the Sacramento Bee and is a new regular contributor to ESPN.com.