[:: LAKERS 2014 THREAD | POLL: Who Should Coach Next Year? ::]

[senorroboto2k5]

Well the silver lining to this is, hopefully this knocks out Melo as an option The Lakers hopefully won't commit all their remaining cap space unless it's to Lebron James.

Also the Lakers technically have cap flexibility in 2014, just not as much as they could have. And if there are any holdovers (ie Jordan Hill, etc) their contracts suddenly make more of a dent. It's not like they're out of the running to sign some great guys, but they need to be even smarter and shrewder to land some impact role players.

 

[sohi 23]

So what do you say when KG and Duncan take pay cuts to help their teams win?

Call it like it is bruh, a spade is a spade.
Kobe is selfish and not a team player.
He wants the scoring record and doesn't give a **** about team success.

If he halfway cared about how the team would do in the next 2 years he wouldn't have taken all this money.
Even 15 mil a year gives us room to sign 2 great players

 

[had pants]

Kobe:

Fans:

 

[grandtheftbike]

whats the best case scenario?

tank the season
lottery pick
resign farmar, x, wes, hill, meeks, blake for the low
another FA
???
profit

 

[lynchpin33]

From a business perspective this was cheap for Jimmy Buss. The money he will make for keeping Kobe in uniform will be WELL OVER this contract. I'm pretty sure that numbers are down without Kobe being in uniform. (Staples Center, and T.V. ratings) . But with Kobe in toe for two more seasons you know money will be flowing in for a "last chance" to see him in Staples. Bringing in free agents : Love, Westbrook, Melo, etc. will win but won't fill seats like Kobe does. So you can put this on the ownership for valuing money over championships. If someone was offering you this money wouldn't you take it as well? Championships may mean a lot to Kobe, but he is probably looking at everything he goes through to be a top draw and player in the NBA and wants to get rewarded for it. So in the grand scheme of things he hurt the Lakers free agent wise, is going to make the Lakers ALOT of money and the Lakers get off cheap.

I really thought he would go to about 10million or so a year but that may be like being a sixth man or scoring 18 points a game as he described it : HELL.

EDIT -- this contract signing should end ALL the tanking talk from here on out...

 

[daddyrabbit251]

Kobe drives revenue arguably more than any other superstar in the league.

He's worth that money and some. EASY.

However, taking a paycut would have probably put the Lakers in better position, so this kind of sucks.

but saying he's not worth that money? stupid as hell to say that.

if there was no salary cap, you realize lebron and kobe and other superstars would be making upwards of 200 million right?

Look at baseball players, thats the way these dudes would get paid without the salary cap.

Based on what the Lakers make off of Kobe, he's been underpaid his whole career.


Same goes with Lebron.

Thank u and repped...

I'm happy Kobe is retiring a Laker and still getting the chips he deserves.

Same dudes in the thread doubting gonna be riding and slobbering come March, April if dude comes back like Peyton

 

[licensed to ball]

So what do you say when KG and Duncan take pay cuts to help their teams win?

Call it like it is bruh, a spade is a spade.
Kobe is selfish and not a team player.
He wants the scoring record and doesn't give a **** about team success.

I'm confused, did you not read my whole post?

I clearly said the word selfish, when describing what he did basketball wise.

I just said life wise, you can't blame a man for putting his real family over his basketball family... Especially when the owner is stupid enough to offer it.

KG and Duncan aren't selfish basketball wise for taking paycuts, props to them. They care about their franchise salary cap more than Kobe.

Am I making excuses for that? No.

Kobe cares about helping his kids and future grandkids more than helping a salary cap.

Not every human being is the same.
He got his 5 chips, maybe he doesn't care about the 6th as much as we want him to. Maybe he doesn't care about catching Jordan. Maybe he doesn't care about us. Who knows?

You really think he gives a **** about what we think? Clearly not. He's stackin unlimited paper for his family, something we all wish we could do. Were all so much better men because we would NEVER do what Kobe just did! We'd all reject 48 million dollars to help a salary cap out!

 

[kal-el-8]

Kobe:

Fans:

There are some pissed off fans.

I don't like the deal by any means, but LTB hit it right on the head.

If Jim Buss/Mitch offered that, than they reakky have to be shortsighted.

Of course Kobe doesn't need that money, dude is set for life.

but to get offered that type of money and turn it down? You're crazy.

Its not like Kobe was gonna say "no no no, I'll take 5 mil per year."

stupid as hell to think that,

We clear books in 2016 i'm assuming now.

Russy, Kd, love could all be options.

Unless they go after melo, then we're in purgatory..

 

[MVP]

Maybe Vanessa is about to try and take some more of his money again. *kanyeshrug*

 

[sohi 23]

I refuse to keep up this facade about how Kobe only cares about winning titles.
Naw bruh, I know what I see.

I saw LeBron, the best player in the NBA, take a paycut so he could have a better chance at a ring.

All Kobe cares about is individual glory. That really grinds my gears man.
I mean I've always known it, but this just confirmed it to another level.

 

[wings90]

Yeah guys, blame Kobe 100% but don't give any blame to the man that made the decision, Jim Buss.

"JIM BUSS HAS A PLAN. 2014. HE KNOWS WHAT HES DOING."

LOL.

Right. The man is a genius. He clearly had a genius plan for 2014. Give a guy who still hasn't returned from an Achilles injury a 48 million dollar extension...

But it's all Kobe's fault, for saying yes to the offer on the table and financially securing his wife and kids for the rest of their lives.

I don't think anyone is blaming Kobe 100%. It's a terrible FO decision, period.  

He's said his number one goal was to win, and this deal doesn't do anything to get closer to that.  You can't blame him for taking the money, but it's not outrageous to think he could have told them from the start that his first priority was more guys around him to win another ring.

 

[darthska]

D'Antoni's somehow managed to get us to 7-7 with the crappiest Laker team we've seen in over a decade.

Whoa, whoa, whoa... let's not get carried away.

 

[meyer lansky]

So what do you say when KG and Duncan take pay cuts to help their teams win?

Call it like it is bruh, a spade is a spade.
Kobe is selfish and not a team player.
He wants the scoring record and doesn't give a **** about team success.

If he halfway cared about how the team would do in the next 2 years he wouldn't have taken all this money.
Even 15 mil a year gives us room to sign 2 great players

As much as I agree with you and am pissed at this deal, can you really blame the man for prioritizing $18 million for him and his family over the slight possibility of winning a championship? You'd do the same thing if you were in his shoes.

 

[jsindaa]

So what do you say when KG and Duncan take pay cuts to help their teams win?

Call it like it is bruh, a spade is a spade.
Kobe is selfish and not a team player.
He wants the scoring record and doesn't give a **** about team success.

If he halfway cared about how the team would do in the next 2 years he wouldn't have taken all this money.
Even 15 mil a year gives us room to sign 2 great players

Neither of them have been as effective as Bean the past couple seasons though. If it weren't for the fact that he just got injured I wouldn't bat an eye at this deal. However for Timmy and KG they don't have that option. So they had no choice but to take a cut. Is it selfish? Yea sure. But if he does come back and returns to form, then what? He wants to win he just hasn't had any indication that it will require him to digress as of yet.

 

[lynchpin33]

So what do you say when KG and Duncan take pay cuts to help their teams win?

Call it like it is bruh, a spade is a spade.
Kobe is selfish and not a team player.
He wants the scoring record and doesn't give a **** about team success.

If he halfway cared about how the team would do in the next 2 years he wouldn't have taken all this money.
Even 15 mil a year gives us room to sign 2 great players

really have no choice, they don't generate the revenue that Kobe does. Example when they are on a road game, you're not going to sell out an arena to see Duncan or Garnett. Selfish or whatever a good "business" decision for both parties.

 

[sea manup]

If we sign another player for the max and resign steve blake we will still have kobe +2 superstars

 

[kal-el-8]

really have no choice, they don't generate the revenue that Kobe does. Example when they are on a road game, you're not going to sell out an arena to see Duncan or Garnett. Selfish or whatever a good "business" decision for both parties.

 

[darthska]

GOD NO KOBE SIGNED AN EXTENSION

I'm hoping it's less than 20 mil a year but that's impossible.


HOW THE **** DO YOU GIVE 20+ mil to a 356 year old who plays NO DEFENSE coming off achilles injury without seeing him play?!!

this is why I wanted to tank, now the lakers are handcuffed to lord kobe for another 3 years.


This ******g sucks.

Jesus H. Christ, I haven't said ANYTHING this damning about Kobe in like 10 g.d. years. If I were to say that exact reply verbatim, one of you insecure types would hack the system and freaking ban me.

 

[kal-el-8]

If we sign another player for the max and resign steve blake we will still have kobe +2 superstars

 

[mr j 858]

Seriously if Kobe would have accept 5 million or 10 million a year NT'ers would still be mad

I swear some of you fools were expecting him to take the veterans lower level exception on his contract extension

By the time his extension is up in 2016 KD is a free agent that summer.

 

[licensed to ball]

It's a business.
It's a career.

It's sports and entertainment as well, but I feel like you guys expect all athletes to only care about helping their teams out and to not care that much about helping their families and friends out.

Just think about it guys.
Would you honestly sit here and say if a man offered you 48 million dollars you would say "nah, jus give me half of that and spread the rest with my coworkers... I'm not selfish."

That's all I'm sayin.

Basketball wise it's very selfish and it's obvious he could care less about helping our free agency situation out in 2014.

But life wise? Would you really not take the deal? Honestly...

 

[vvsvito]

Kevin Durant in 2016?

 

[CP1708]

Well, at least everyone can try to get excited to make the first round for a couple years, cuz until he leaves, we're screwed.

Technically, he deserves every cent he gets, sure, he's worth a ton more to the Lakers in terms of money generated, etc, but obviously we were all banking on his hunger for another title to help him get that by taking much less money, we'd be able to bring him help very quickly. Now, that dream is gone.

Buss didn't do this, Kobe did this. Buss had the space all planned out 4 years ago. He was ready and prepared. But if he let Kobe go, most of this fanbase would riot. Ska wouldn't, but many others would. I work with a Laker fan who is practically giddy right now, he truly has no clue what was just done to the Lakers. And there are millions of hims. If Buss let's Kobe go, Buss gets killed. So Buss signs him, and he's going to get killed anyways.


We are in purgatory. Mid tier team, in a league we've owned for 6 decades. Now we're just another team. For at least 3 more years, and maybe more depending on the draft picks that slot in and out of other rosters the next two years. The Suns could very well be the new OKC by the time Kobe is gone, and the Warriors/Clippers could be right there with them. Leaving us battling the Kings again, only this time for the 6th pick in the draft each year, and not a 2014 type draft either.


Nuclear winter is upon us.


Like Essential tweeted me a minute ago, back to the drawing board........

 

[sohi 23]

I'll never hate a man for supporting his family.

But don't lie and say Kobe only cares about winning titles.
That's not true, at all... Like it couldn't be more wrong.

We know who the real Kobe Bryant is.
He's an old chucker who plays no defense.
I don't care how efficient he was last year, he's not worth damn near half of the salary cap.
U can't justify this as a basketball move at all.
Business wise, I understand it makes sense. It's a bridge of sellouts.... watching Kobe go for the record and his retirement tour.
It just shows the Lakers care more about $ than winning and that's where my problem lies.

 

[sb]

(awaiting skas response)