Getting past the "huh?" factor, Shaquille O'Neal's move to Phoenix and subsequent return to the Western Conference might be a little difficult to stomach, especially for those casual basketball fans who only tune in when the Suns are playing because they're "fun to watch."

With O'Neal in place, that's going out the window, surely to be tempered by a little plodding. If you enjoy teams that subscribe to the run-and-gun philosophy, this hasn't been your week. With Shaq on board, "seven seconds or less" takes on a new meaning, now pertaining to his goal of crossing half-court in that length of time, while Chris Webber is set to slow things down some in Golden State, where Don Nelson has already proclaimed him a starter.

Still, this O'Neal deal does have its own built-in intrigue to offset any on-court blandness. Here are five things to help you get over the death of the Suns as you know them.

1. The Kobe factor: Bryant hasn't smiled like he did during Pau Gasol's L.A. debut since gobbling up some gelato during his childhood back in Italy. "There is a God," Bryant said, dreaming of the prospect of a combination of Gasol and Andrew Bynum watching his back.

Bryant will lean on clichés when discussing O'Neal's arrival in Phoenix, but privately, he has to be chuckling to himself at the prospect of a deteriorating Shaq coming back to try and deny him a Finals appearance the next few seasons. The feud might be over now that the two acknowledge one another's presence and even greet each other with man hugs, but there's no doubt it would make it all the sweeter for Bryant to go through the 7-footer everyone said he couldn't win without and personally deny him a ring for the thumb.

2. The Bynum factor: Think Shaq isn't a little concerned that there's a 20-year-old out in L.A. who people are propping up as the next great big man? The two have only gone up against each other on an NBA court once in three years, during Bynum's rookie season, when they dunked on one another and exchanged elbows. Think the Kobe-Raja Bell feud was something? Can you imagine a playoff series featuring Bynum and O'Neal going at one another for seven games with Phil Jackson calling the shots from the sideline?

3. The Duncan factor: O'Neal and Duncan are widely considered the top big men of the last 15 years or so, both owning four rings. It's only right that the chase for the fifth should be a fair fight, something Shaq wouldn't have had the luxury of had he stayed in cash-strapped Miami. In Phoenix, O'Neal might be able to personally prevent Duncan from surpassing him these next few years, adding flavor to a Spurs-Suns rivalry that already has plenty of bite.

4. The Oden factor: It doesn't come into play this season, but presuming O'Neal stays put through the length of his deal, he'll see a lot more of Portland No. 1 pick Greg Oden than he would've while stuck on South Beach. That should be fun to reflect on 20 years from now, kind of like we do with O’Neal now over his meetings with Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon.

5. The Dampier factor: After mocking Dallas center Erick Dampier back in 2005 and helping deny his Mavericks a ring in 2006, it will be fun to see if Shaq can get back in shape in time to get one over on him again. Better yet, it might be even more fun if O'Neal's regression continues and Big Damp finds a way to get back at him.

They say you can always return to where you came from, but that doesn't mean you won't have to deal with ghosts from your past. O'Neal is about to find that out first-hand.