56-26 LAKERS - The Mighty Purple & Gold!

[davepeck]

wow.. and to think i was pissed to have a late softball game tonight.. blessing in disguise..

[Wolfman]

Seriously, there\'s losing and then there\'s losing like a horse\'s ass.  I mean, Kobe guarantees victory and they don\'t even try to back him up.  Surely this was the most pathetic effort in NBA finals history by any team.  That goes for this game and the whole series.  If I were a Laker fan I wouldn\'t want any of these shmucks on my team next year.  But oh well, like I said, Lakers losing one, no biggie, one look at the StaplesCenter rafters makes it all go away.

[ChrisPitch]

Pathetic showing of course, but cleary the Lakers were out of Detroit\'s league. Nonetheless, I\'m always happy to be overly-positive with the Lakers. Their three-peat still demands such as long as the core remains. I meant it all. I really thought the Lakers were going to win and I think they\'ll win it next year. Bring back Shaq, Phil and Kobe and add a supporting cast. Lets go Lakers!

Pitch

[leith]

Originally posted by Wolfman
Seriously, there\'s losing and then there\'s losing like a horse\'s ass.  I mean, Kobe guarantees victory and they don\'t even try to back him up.  Surely this was the most pathetic effort in NBA finals history by any team.  That goes for this game and the whole series.  If I were a Laker fan I wouldn\'t want any of these shmucks on my team next year.  But oh well, like I said, Lakers losing one, no biggie, one look at the StaplesCenter rafters makes it all go away.

Glad you\'re not a Laker fan. Laker fans want Shaq to play out his contract and Kobe to sign on for a multi-year contract. Why? Because Laker fans LOVE drama and Great Players.
 So Kobe did not show up this series, damn man he had one hell of a year. Next year he will not have court over his head and once he sees the $$$ Dr. Buss is gonna offer he\'s staying. Hopefully the Payton curse will be lifted and they can move on w/ giving Derek some moola too!
Kupchek is no West but he will find some role players for another run Bet on it. Detroit came to play and Larry outcoached Phil. Larry knows this team well having faced them w/ the 76\'ers. I will wait until next year when knowing what awaits them the Lakers take Detroit in 6. \'cause u know the Pistons r comin\' back and there is still no one in the West that can beat the Lakers. So here\'s to this year\'s champs beer and to the Laker\'s great season beer !!!!!!

[leith]

Originally posted by leith

 I will wait until next year when knowing what awaits them the Lakers take Detroit in 6. \'cause u know the Pistons r comin\' back and there is still no one in the West that can beat the Lakers.  

Oh.  You heard it here first. :blah:

[realisthis]

I cant believe RIP has an NCAA and NBA ring already....

[leith]

And Jordan let him go from the Wizards for stackhouse Lmao!!!

[Wolfman]

Originally posted by ChrisPitch
Bring back Shaq, Phil and Kobe and add a supporting cast.

There\'s no way all that is going to happen for the Lakers, but they\'re actually in better shape than some people think.  The least likely to come back is Jackson, but he\'s also the least important.  Assuming Kobe is not playing for the San Bernadino Maximum Security Penitentary All-Stars, you\'ve got about a 60/40 chance there.  Getting rid of Malone helps, and dumping Payton would help even more although he has a player\'s option for 5.2M next year.  It would be really funny if he picked up the option and got his money, and the new coach cut him because he sucks, and he got his money while playing golf or being the sixth man on the Clippers.  

The hardest part is adding the "supporting cast."  First of all, you never know with a lot of people.  The "supporting cast" this year (namely Malone and Payton) had a couple of good games but overall were awful, and they were supposed to be fantastic.  They\'ll have the next-to-last draft pick and will be lucky to get anyone who can make an impact next year.  If they resign Kobe there\'s little cap room for any other quality players.  Most good players (who aren\'t desperate for a last-gasp ring a la Payton and Malone) won\'t want to come becuase they know that Shaq and Kobe are taking 75% of the shots.  

Bottom Line:  If they get Kobe back they will be very good, but having two Godzillas is gonna prove to be too big for its own good.  All 4 pro sports champions right now (Patriots, Marlins, Lightning, and Pistons) are champions for good reason.  They are teams that play the total team game.  They are all very deep, and while some players naturally do more than others, everyone on these rosters makes a significant and positive contribution every time they play.  The Lakers will never be this way with Shaq and Kobe.  As this series shows, they cannot just ride these two with nothing else.  But right now they have nothing else and adding the supporting cast is the hardest thing to do.  Time will tell!

[Drew_Kingsley]

Originally posted by leith
And Jordan let him go from the Wizards for stackhouse Lmao!!!

I don\'t think that this was a bad move at the time.  It\'s like saying that the Orlando Magic made a bad move in signing a perfectly healthy Grant Hill a few years ago, or that it was a mistake for the Celtics to draft Len Bias in 1986.

[leith]

I would say it was one of many mistakes Jordan made in the front office. He never had the skills there for sure. Both your examples are of horrors happening to the team that Gained the player. Jordan let Rip go and he blew up! So Detroit is glad to have gotten him yeah? I\'m not sure of your logic unless you mean Stackhouse is no good? That\'s it huh?. I may be screwy though as I JUST SAW PHISH!!!!! I wish they had thought of simulcasts earlier in their career. People were raging inside!!!!

[leith]

Originally posted by Wolfman


There\'s no way all that is going to happen for the Lakers, but they\'re actually in better shape than some people think.  The least likely to come back is Jackson, but he\'s also the least important.  Assuming Kobe is not playing for the San Bernadino Maximum Security Penitentary All-Stars, you\'ve got about a 60/40 chance there.  Getting rid of Malone helps, and dumping Payton would help even more although he has a player\'s option for 5.2M next year.  It would be really funny if he picked up the option and got his money, and the new coach cut him because he sucks, and he got his money while playing golf or being the sixth man on the Clippers.  

The hardest part is adding the "supporting cast."  First of all, you never know with a lot of people.  The "supporting cast" this year (namely Malone and Payton) had a couple of good games but overall were awful, and they were supposed to be fantastic.  They\'ll have the next-to-last draft pick and will be lucky to get anyone who can make an impact next year.  If they resign Kobe there\'s little cap room for any other quality players.  Most good players (who aren\'t desperate for a last-gasp ring a la Payton and Malone) won\'t want to come becuase they know that Shaq and Kobe are taking 75% of the shots.  

Bottom Line:  If they get Kobe back they will be very good, but having two Godzillas is gonna prove to be too big for its own good.  All 4 pro sports champions right now (Patriots, Marlins, Lightning, and Pistons) are champions for good reason.  They are teams that play the total team game.  They are all very deep, and while some players naturally do more than others, everyone on these rosters makes a significant and positive contribution every time they play.  The Lakers will never be this way with Shaq and Kobe.  As this series shows, they cannot just ride these two with nothing else.  But right now they have nothing else and adding the supporting cast is the hardest thing to do.  Time will tell!

 :vomit: :vomit2:

[Wolfman]

Originally posted by Wolfman
Time will tell!

Fast Breakup [/I][/SIZE]


How quickly it does!

[leith]

Like anyone w/ a modicum of intellegence could have predicted. Phil is gone and Shaq is to be the catalyst to getting a supporting cast. Thank goodness the Fatman is willing to be traded. It has been 2 years since that fat fuck was worth a damn. Anyone that wants a fat center who talks a better game than he plays come and get him. Now as long as Karl is healthy he will return to the Lakers. Depending on who they get for Shaq will be a big part of if Fish comes back. Gary will most likely accept the $$$ as no one else will give him that amt so hopefully they just let the fuck go instead of letting him cause problems. Walton, Rush and Cook are a good start to a more productive bench. I have no idea why the big ruckus. I see a very good chance that the Lakers will contend next year. A championship no but a good run in the playoffs to start the Kobe era most likely. With the subtraction of Shaq and his "Give me the damn ball" attitude we may see the Lakers turn into a real team. So to all the bandwaggoners "Get back on now last chance". LOL

[leith]

Well looks like I\'m gettin\' what I asked for. Just wish the Lakers had a better GM than Kupchek \'cause the proposed trade to Miami accomplishes only puttin\' Shaq in the East. If they can trade Payton for a token center and Kobe does indeed come back the Lakers may reshape into the type of team the Bulls were during their championship run sans the Triangle. Along w/ Rudy T. that spells a few championships to me.

[ChrisPitch]

I admit it. I\'m a tremendous buffoon. It now seems so obvious. The dynasty\'s nucleus had to be broken. Phil\'s burnt out and Shaq\'s a portrait of his past. Rudy T is the perfect fit having won twice at this level and Odom and Butler are both on the verge of being all-stars, especially when they mesh with the soon-to-be elite player in the league, No. 8, who\'d sooner retire than play for the Clippers. If you know anything, I mean anything at all, about the NBA and athletics in general, then you know the Los Angeles Lakers are guaranteed to win the title next season. The 2004-05 campaign started yesterday. Never shall I be a buffoon again.

Pitch