|| LocK Dis Up ||

[pmatic]

Great work by the Bulls on the Kobe intro. Pau.

 

[CP1708]

Literally TONS of possibilities that could have had us as a lottery team or a contender had we kept Shaq and let Kobe walk.

The speculation doesn't just go one way.

It ain't like Shaq was a championship cancer. Left in 04, won in 06.

It's possible we keep him and make some immediate changes that equal success right away.

And possible we don't.

You missed my first post.

Shaq won in 06 because he was pissed at us, and determined to make us look bad. He worked his *** off those two years to get a title.

If he got paid by us, stayed put, you REALLY think he kills himself with effort to win for us again? Be honest.

We were all getting frustrated with him missing time "company time" the previous couple years, you think he stops that?

Trading him motivated him to work. Paying him would not have.

 

[lovehateself]

 

For the veterans minimum?

Sure.

I'm not saying break the bank but he's worth more than that… Still top 5 at his position.

no way he comes back, especially with Kobe retiring. 

i love Pau, but hes better off signing with Memphis ( granted conley stays and theyre still a contender)  

 

[darthska]

Originally Posted by CP1708

Originally Posted by DarthSka

Literally TONS of possibilities that could have had us as a lottery team or a contender had we kept Shaq and let Kobe walk.

The speculation doesn't just go one way.

It ain't like Shaq was a championship cancer. Left in 04, won in 06.

It's possible we keep him and make some immediate changes that equal success right away.

And possible we don't.

You missed my first post.

Shaq won in 06 because he was pissed at us, and determined to make us look bad. He worked his *** off those two years to get a title.

If he got paid by us, stayed put, you REALLY think he kills himself with effort to win for us again? Be honest.

We were all getting frustrated with him missing time "company time" the previous couple years, you think he stops that?

Trading him motivated him to work. Paying him would not have.

No, I get that, mostly because I said that... about Kobe.

When he was out there flirting with the Bulls and Clippers... look, we all have friends that know who we are, right? Know our favorite movies, our weird sexual perversions, know our teams and players, all 'at.

When Kobe was out there flirting with the Bulls and Clippers, I had maaaad Laker friends like, "Welp, looks like you're gonna get what you want, fool." And my response was exactly what you said about Snaq. "Nah, because your boy's going to win somewhere else just to spite us. Watch. He's gonna go to the Bulls and average a triple double on the season en route to a championship where he averages like 47 a game. And he's gonna ROAST us every time we play him."

them: "Then WHY do you want him gone?"

me: "Because he's not doing that for US, and because I don't like him. That don't mean I think he's talent-less, that don't mean I refuse to acknowledge he's a lethal force when triggered."

So yeah, I get that that's exactly what Snaq did, basically becoming a better teammate for ANOTHER team instead of becoming a better teammate for US.

I'm just not buying that there is literally no possibility of us winning a championship in short time. That's not a fact.

People acting like Steve Nash was the only acquirable piece to a team hoping for a championship, then Ray Allen the next year. Like that's it. A team hoping for a championship had to pick up those 2 guys and a few other pieces, or fold. Meanwhile, Mehmet Okur, James Jones, and JJ Barea have all been nobodies who contributed in big ways to rings.

So no, it's not accurate to say "There is NO WAY we could have won a championship."

It's not even accurate to say, "Ok, there IS a way, but there are better odds that the Pacific Ocean turns to wine today. There. Happy?"

All conjecture. Considering the fact (not opinion; fact) that you don't have to have a superteam to win a championship and the fact (not opinion; fact) that Snaq DID go on to win another one (granted, with vengeful motivation, but who's to say he wouldn't have been motivated to show Kobe that HE was the right choice)... considering those 2 facts, yes, it's possible and plausible to think we could have climbed back.

And to be fair, it's also possible Kobe walks and we keep Shaq, and we have the same abysmal teams we had at the time, missing the playoffs with Shaq and Smush instead of Kobe and Smush.

 

[MVP]

2005 free agency could've been interesting with Ray Allen, but would probably still need another guy or two.

And that's quite the pressure to get it done in one year, cause Shaq was done the following season. But we would have gotten the "any elite replaceable wing" and/or whoever else but #8 out of the fallacy out of the way.

 

[jsindaa]

Lakers made the right move. At the time, in hindsight, no matter how you look at it. It was the right move. Shaq winning one doesn't change that.

 

[licensed to ball]

I know "what ifs" can go a million ways for every game ever played.

But I still, till this day, am not over the fact that if Kwame grabs one rebound, or Tim Thomas misses one 3, Kobe would of taken out the 2nd best team in the league in the playoffs with Kwame, Smush, Brian Cook, deaven George and Luke walton.

One ******* rebound away from facing a Clipper team that we would of easily beat in a 7 game series (yes, I can confidently say I know we would of call me psychic).

One rebound away from at least a WCF appearance with said players listed.

With Kwame brown.

****.

 

[krazyrodzilla]

Haven't checked in awhile, wasn't Shaq numbers not that good in the finals the year he won with the HEAT? I know Wade balled out. Believe Shaq numbers were like 12 and 9 for the series.

 

[MVP]

13.7 and 10.2, 3rd leading scorer on the Heat barely behind Antoine Walker. He did average 20/9 still in the regular season though but he only played 59 games. Giving more credence to the availability issue of he was theoretically still in Los Angeles. It would have been interesting to see where Bean would have ended up, across the hallway? Chicago? Phx with Nash?

We would have been screwed by the 3rd year of that deal just look at Shaq from age 34-38 since they were still handing out 6-7 year deals then.

 

[pmatic]

I think he would've gone to the Clippers, honestly.

 

[MVP]

I think he would've gone to the Clippers, honestly.

Seems like the most spiteful move

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

No way . He was trolling the clippers making them jump thru hoops. Talking bout can yall play some games closer to my house so I don't have to sit in traffic

 

[sea manup]

kobe going to the east would have been a dope what if

duels with lebron in the playoffs 

battling duncan in the finals 

 

 

[MVP]

Honestly if he was going to leave I was hoping it was to the Bulls.

 

[sea manup]

kobe statue shooting a fadeaway over the jumpman statue 

 

[darthska]

Haven't checked in awhile, wasn't Shaq numbers not that good in the finals the year he won with the HEAT? I know Wade (the refs) balled out. Believe Shaq numbers were like 12 and 9 for the series.

Fixed.

I'll never not say that. Of all the Finals I've watched with no interest because the Lakers weren't even in it, that one was the most disgusting.

I don't do this whole "Well I'm pulling for this guy because that makes my guy look better" or "I don't want this team to win because my team blah, blah, blah."

My team's not in it? Just watching as a casual fan. I seriously didn't care who won in 06, but after Gm. 2, it just got... weird. Wade starting throwing himself everywhere, Toine crying his way to the line, Payton hitting key shots, Dirk getting manhandled but honestly not whining hard enough or as often.

 

[darthska]

Originally Posted by leemelone

No way

. He was trolling the clippers making them jump thru hoops.

This. 

 

[darthska]

Originally Posted by sea manup
 
kobe going to the east would have been a dope what if

duels with lebron in the playoffs 

battling duncan in the finals 

 

And this. 

 

[sea manup]

imagine an NT in 2008-2015 where all the clippers fans loved kobe and all the lakers fans hated him 

 

[MVP]

View media item 1921655
If only AD didn't sell his soul like KG.

 

[lovehateself]

 

I think he would've gone to the Clippers, honestly.

Seems like the most spiteful move

his mujer wouldnt have moved away

 

[CP1708]

Folks, Kobe was goin to the Clippers.

Ska, remember my boy Prime? He worked for Nike at the time. He called me the day of, they had Clippers gear being sent to Kobe, C/O LA Clippers overnighted the night before. He was devastated, and so was I.

That day, Kobe changed his mind and signed the extension.

Had he gone to LAC

Cassell
Kobe
Maggette
Brand
Kaman

Solid squad right there.

 

[MVP]

They would have went to the Finals in 06.

 

[CP1708]

Absolutely. That would have been a helluva team.

 

[pmatic]

I still remember Daniel ******* Ewing breaking out the XIXs before the real Jordan endorsers got a chance too.