Shaquille O'Neal is taking every possible precaution to ensure that his relationship with Miami’s rising star Dwayne Wade does not turn out like his relationship with superstar Laker Kobe Bryant, taking time out to take the Heat guard out to dinner the moment he arrived at his new destination out East.

O’Neal advised Wade not to take his word for it, telling him to ask others about his reputation so he could form his own opinion. Wade did, and according to the Palm Beach Post he liked what he heard.

"I said, 'OK, now that we have that established that stuff that happened between me and him we can't ever let that happen between me and you,' " O'Neal said. "I said, 'I don't care whose team it is - your team, my team - it doesn't matter to me.' "

So far Wade and his teammates like what they see from O'Neal.

"He's as advertised," Wade said. "You see him being goofy and you see him being serious when he has to be. But he's a real down-to-earth person."

His new team mates are adjusting to life with the man mountain as well, taking aboard advice on how to be successful with him in the lineup.

When second-year forward Jerome Beasley was coming downcourt and jacking up jumpers, O'Neal offered a tip.

"I said, 'B, let me touch the ball first. When they double-team me, then you shoot,' " O'Neal said.

Similar words were offered to swingman Rasual Butler when he came downcourt, dribbled between his legs and shot.

"I said, 'Rasual, you don't need to do all that stuff,' " O'Neal said. " 'Get me the ball and I'll get you your jumpers.' They used to have to do it by themselves. Now they don't have to do it by themselves."

While O’Neal will undoubtedly be creating open shots for his new team mates, no one appears to be happier to have him in Miami than his ex-Laker teammate Eddie Jones.

"It's fun," Jones said. "It's been like old times. That's all we talk about. When I'm running off the screen and make a pass to him to the basket he's like, 'Boy, I used to love that.'”

"It's just like old times, enjoying the game and making the game a little easier. You don't have to be fighting two defenders or forcing up a shot. You can just play the game."

Via Palm Beach Post

Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers

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