[::OFFSEASON OVER. Lock Please.::]

[andoneflip]

Damn wish we could have kept clark

 

[00david00]

me too

 

[cash money 1999]

didnt even know we had josh selby on the summer team

 

[teamlakers909]

We need to pick up CDR and SJax

 

[darthska]

It makes me wonder....do people actually like sit and watch the games? The actual games??? Like 1 gm? 2 gms? 82 gms? The one gm he had an off night???

17 years ive watched..buzzer to buzzer almost every game. Ill never fully understand the hate.

Actually, I do understand it. Hes dropped 50 on YOUR TEAM. But what ill never, ever understand is the lack of acknowledgement. Respect and acknowledge game. Thats all I ask.

you know what? for years I've heard Kobe fans use the words of other NBA greats who sing his praises. "Oh, well Magic said...," "Oh, well MJ said..."

guess what? the last few years have seen ALL KINDS of talent switch teams. and who has come to the Lakers? Dwight Howard who was frustrated with the magic, and is now gone, and an aging Nash.

Oh, and Kaman.

so this whole "Well, NBA players say..." line of reason should be deaded.

Talented NBA players are choosing to play w/ OTHER stars; recognize and acknowledge THAT, because there's a reason.

but this is the Lakers thread, so I'll let it go and let you guys quote me and laugh about how many championships and points he has.

 

[mister friendly]

It makes me wonder....do people actually like sit and watch the games? The actual games??? Like 1 gm? 2 gms? 82 gms? The one gm he had an off night???

17 years ive watched..buzzer to buzzer almost every game. Ill never fully understand the hate.

Actually, I do understand it. Hes dropped 50 on YOUR TEAM. But what ill never, ever understand is the lack of acknowledgement. Respect and acknowledge game. Thats all I ask.

you know what? for years I've heard Kobe fans use the words of other NBA greats who sing his praises. "Oh, well Magic said...," "Oh, well MJ said..."

guess what? the last few years have seen ALL KINDS of talent switch teams. and who has come to the Lakers? Dwight Howard who was frustrated with the magic, and is now gone, and an aging Nash.

Oh, and Kaman.

so this whole "Well, NBA players say..." line of reason should be deaded.

Talented NBA players are choosing to play w/ OTHER stars; recognize and acknowledge THAT, because there's a reason.

but this is the Lakers thread, so I'll let it go and let you guys quote me and laugh about how many championships and points he has.

What talented NBA players are choosing to play with other stars?

 

[pmatic]

Since the team needs a defensive swingman, I'd take a flier on Ronnie Brewer. Last season was basically lost as he had knee surgery before the season. I think he can recover and become a quality defender.

 

[darthska]

[quote name="vindeezy"] [quote name="DarthSka"]you know what? for years I've heard Kobe fans use the words of other NBA greats who sing his praises. "Oh, well Magic said...," "Oh, well MJ said..."

guess what? the last few years have seen ALL KINDS of talent switch teams. and who has come to the Lakers? Dwight Howard who was frustrated with the magic, and is now gone, and an aging Nash.

Oh, and Kaman.

so this whole "Well, NBA players say..." line of reason should be deaded.

Talented NBA players are choosing to play w/ OTHER stars; recognize and acknowledge THAT, because there's a reason.

but this is the Lakers thread, so I'll let it go and let you guys quote me and laugh about how many championships and points he has. [/quote]What talented NBA players are choosing to play with other stars?[/quote]Nah, I'm not falling for that. A question like that prepares for an argument of specifics. No matter who I answer, you'll argue whether that person is talented, or if the team they switched to is a superstar...

... instead of just acknowledging that a bunch of 'pieces' have switched teams, and we are wild overlooked.

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

but vindeezy's argument had nothing to do with any of that. and how does dwight leaving change the fact that kobe is an all time great?

 

[acbboyz84]

I can't believe this dude Ska is not a Kobe fan. How a small group of Lakers fan chose to like Nick Van excel and Cedric Ceballos instead of Kobe is beyond me. Some people should take a look of themselves in the mirror.

 

[Maximus Meridius]

Wonder what you guys will say about Dwight when he beasts the next few seasons because there isn't a player on the Rockets who is more concerned about his total points rather the the team's total wins. It's funny reading your comments... you guys are going to any and every extent to justify that "he's not all that" and "he's not a max guy." Yeah, sure. Lying to yourselves for peace of mind?

Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty ImagesBuilding around Kobe comes with the cost of alienating everyone from Phil Jackson to Dwight Howard.
Dwight Howard and Chris Paul were both free agents this summer and might have joined forces on the Los Angeles Lakers, sources told Chris Broussard.


Put on your Mitch Kupchak hat and picture that.


The idea died quickly, of course. Not because it doesn't make perfect sense. Not because it wouldn't be far better for the Lakers, both in the long term and short term. But because it would have meant cutting Laker icon Kobe Bryant loose, which is complicated for so many reasons, not the least of which is how Lakers fans view Bryant.


Even without Paul, and with Kobe staying, Howard was interested in remaining a Laker, sources tell Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein, -- if Howard could get a clear picture of when Bryant would hand Howard the torch.


You know who the Lakers said would control that decision? According to the sources of Shelburne and Stein: Not Jeanie Buss. Not Jerry Buss. Not Kupchak. Not departed Lakers stalwarts Jerry West, Magic Johnson or Phil Jackson.


Kobe.


The only logical conclusion: Waiting for Kobe to hand over the torch is a sucker's game.


That has been the story thus far. Kobe would be in control of this franchise-turning decision, and most other stuff too. It is at the heart of his profound global on-court appeal. Who doesn't love the idea of a swashbuckling butt-kicker ready to take full command of the battlefield? He is exactly that.


Who's scared to take the big shot? NOT THIS GUY. He shrinks from nothing, leaves nothing to chance, or others.


That has also long been, predictably and increasingly, his undoing. His willingness to take the big shot has been lauded, but in fact there were plenty of good shooters open, ready and ignored.


"I sometimes think Kobe is so addicted to being in control that he would rather shoot the ball when guarded, or even double-teamed, than dish it to an open teammate," Jackson wrote in his 2004 book "The Last Season." "He is saying to himself: How can he trust anyone else? Well, he should learn to trust."


Bryant has personally driven the Lakers to success over the past couple of decades. But his white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel has, paradoxically, also long kept the Lakers from being as good as they might have been. Even as age and injuries have limited his production, Bryant has consumed an increasing share of the Lakers' ever-more-precious under the new CBA cap space. His cost is going up even faster than his salary and has always been tough to quantify, though it is weighty.


How many wins did it cost the Lakers when Bryant deflated teammates such as Andrew Bynum, scared off free agents such as Howard, played an essential part in the departure of Shaquille O'Neal (which likely cost the Lakers a title)? What is the bottom-line cost of long forcing the Lakers to ignore more-likely-to-succeed options to run inefficient Kobe-centric plays?


The Lakers would win or they would lose, but nobody sticks Bryant in the corner.


Jackson has long wrestled with how to talk about Bryant. He has partnered with him, coached him to great success, won rings with him, and lauded him every which way.


And yet Jackson's legacy as one of the greatest coaches in sports history hinges on his ability to get individuals -- including Michael freaking Jordan -- to think team-first.


Jackson has written several books with this underlying theme. His latest and best book, "Eleven Rings," ends with this conclusion: "At some point you have to let go and turn yourself over to the basketball gods. The soul of success is surrendering to what is."


But Bryant never fully bought in. Jackson implies that Bryant's need to control will dog Bryant, and anyone who plays on or coaches the Lakers for as long as Bryant is around.


Jackson has a vision for how it could be better, rooted in his playing days with the Knicks. Jackson quotes his former Knicks coach, Red Holzman: "On a good team there are no superstars. There are great players who show they are great players by being able to play with others as a team."


It's one of a dozen tales in "Eleven Rings" in which Jackson indirectly needles Bryant's approach. Other times he's much more direct:

• "Kobe was building his résumé at the expense of the rest of the team. … Kobe's selfishness and unpredictability gave the other players a sinking feeling that he didn't trust them anymore, which further eroded team harmony."
• "I admired Kobe's intense desire to win, but he still had a lot to learn about teamwork and self-sacrifice. … I questioned whether he'd be able to contain his ego long enough to master the triangle system."
• "Kobe was hell-bent on surpassing Jordan as the greatest player in the game. His obsession with Michael was striking. Not only had he mastered many of Jordan's moves, but he affected many of M.J.'s mannerisms as well. When we played in Chicago that season, I orchestrated a meeting between the two stars, thinking that Michael might help shift Kobe's attitude toward selfish teamwork. After they shook hands, the first words out of Kobe's mouth were 'You know I can kick your *** one-on-one.'"
• "Now I know why the guys don't like playing with you," Jackson brags of telling a young Bryant, adding "You can't be captain if nobody will follow you."

Bryant is getting older now. Slowing down. Hardly any NBA guards have been this good this deep in their careers -- and now he's coming off one of the worst injuries there is, while his salary skyrockets, the luxury tax gets more serious than it has ever been, and the team is more interested than ever in creating cap space. Any reasonable projection of what he can deliver the team is down. Any reasonable projection of what he will cost the team is up, and now evidently includes yet another scared-off All-Star center.


There was a time when Bryant's play was so transcendent that the byproducts of his controlling nature -- missed game-winners by the dozen, O'Neal or Bynum leaving town, might have been worth it. It was the cost of doing business with an MVP shooting guard who delivered five titles. The next and final phase of Bryant's career, however, will either be about giving up some control -- for instance by recruiting and helping to develop the next generation of Laker greats -- or things will get ugly.

5 rings. 7 Finals appearances. Enough said. How many rings did your player/team get?

Kobe is selfish, Kobe is ball hog, Kobe is this, Kobe is that, blah blah blah. But the dude got 5 rings for his team and went to the Finals 7 times.

Nothing you wrote is profound or ground breaking and you're 9 years late dog. You quoted Phil's quotes from a book that was written 9 years ago. Lol

Here's your late pass.

My first time repping ACB.

 

[essential1]

Apparently Nate Robinson has drawn interest from the Lakers

Whether they are still looking at him after Farmar & Young is up in the air.

 

[noblekane]

you know what? for years I've heard Kobe fans use the words of other NBA greats who sing his praises. "Oh, well Magic said...," "Oh, well MJ said..."

guess what? the last few years have seen ALL KINDS of talent switch teams. and who has come to the Lakers? Dwight Howard who was frustrated with the magic, and is now gone, and an aging Nash.

Oh, and Kaman.

so this whole "Well, NBA players say..." line of reason should be deaded.

Talented NBA players are choosing to play w/ OTHER stars; recognize and acknowledge THAT, because there's a reason.

but this is the Lakers thread, so I'll let it go and let you guys quote me and laugh about how many championships and points he has.

you say that as if kobe is in his prime. hell naw nobody wanna come to a sinking ship of an old *** team

 

[noblekane]

Apparently Nate Robinson has drawn interest from the Lakers

Whether they are still looking at him after Farmar & Young is up in the air.

i dunno if i said this already but blake will be number 2 on that depth chart if hes not moved. no way they pay blake all that money to be number 3.

since we have no sf young and kobe can play that position

 

[pmatic]

I have no desire to see Kobe at SF for extended minutes.

 

[acbboyz84]

Nate for less than 1.5 million would be a nice pick up. Him and Nick Young would help with scoring for the back up units. He would thrive under Mike Dantoni system too.

 

[CHAOSE57]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEk1kquCZRQ

 

[gllahone84]

 

[moonman818]

I have no desire to see Kobe at SF for extended minutes.

Seriously... I don't understand why people are tryna put Kobe at the 3, banging with guys that are bigger than him...pause...

If we pick up Stephen Jax and Lamar Odom, I think we will compete for the chip (If healthy).... SRS

 

[thachosen123]

I have no desire to see Kobe at SF for extended minutes.

Seriously... I don't understand why people are tryna put Kobe at the 3, banging with guys that are bigger than him...pause...

If we pick up Stephen Jax and Lamar Odom, I think we will compete for the chip (If healthy).... SRS

Especially with him coming off of the Achilles injury............no bueno

 

[kal-el-8]

I think they can compete.
but we have too many guards.
they need some forwards.

 

[darthska]

we do have too many guards, but I would love to see Kryptonate on the squad.

I didn't realize it until I was forced to watch him play on a nightly basis (I live in Illinois, and obviously he played for CHI last year), but that dude has HEART.

 

[knightngale]

Id rather pay sacre for two years less then a million. Then Dwight 5years a 118,
for what sacre is supposed to do he's a great value, for what Dwight is supposed to do, he's overrated

I don't like or want Howard. I am just saying that Sacre's foot work is even worse.

CDR ball handling is really bad for someone that is a scorer. He lacks speed and really does not get up that much. I can see why he has not been able to stay in the NBA.

 

[kookcle]

I just wonder who the heck in this roster will guard Melo, Lebron and Durant next season :x

 

[cash money 1999]

we could literally be the worse defensive team in the nba