Suicide is a bad move. And that other team isn't taking a risk. We seem to disagree on both points. It's ok.
Pretty impressive off-season for LA. They should be a fun team to watch this season, once Nash and Bryant figure out how to resolve their ball-dominant games.
Typical portlanders....jesus christ you people... if you all fucking hate it so much, stop watching the NBA, stop giving them your money and actually practise what you preach on here. but..................... you fucking wont, because, you all like basketball and the NBA regardless. They are a business; the NBA, and the Lakers, and they have the money to make things happen to put them in a position to make MORE money. It's the way this country works. America is not fair, life is not fair. deal-with-it. for fucks sake..... And i fucking hate the lakers, not because they pulled these trades, but because they are the blazers rival.
I hate the L*kers because their fans are shit talking dickweeds. fans with a bottom 5 basketball IQ in the league for sure, yet they win all the time because its the big city, big dream.
Yeah, I used to think I disliked the Lakers and Yankees. I realized that I just disliked a large segment of their fanbases that confused Laker/Yankee achievement with their own achievement.
i mean my fucking facebook wall was full of this: FORGET THE REST. THE LAKERS WILL BE THE BEST. DWIGHT HOWARD IS GOING TO THE LAKERS!!!!!! ALL YOU HATERS CAN EAT IT. Alert: A lot of OKC and Miami bandwagons suddenly became a Lakers for life fan after they found out D12 will be playing for the Lakers Dream team. Bryant, Nash, World Peace, Gasol, Howard, Jamison. Its all good guys we don't hate! HAHAHA! etc etc etc. last night.
You think it's just "Portlanders" who are upset by this deal?? You don't think fans in Sacramento and Memphis and Minnesota can see what's going on, too? When the best players in the league keep showing up in L.A. and New York and Miami, it's unfair for everybody else. There's a balance of power issue here, and it affects most of the fans in the NBA.
Def how I feel... Obviously not every fan of theirs... but a good portion of my dislike for them is because of their fans.
The package Orlando would have recieved from Brooklyn was waaaay better.... this really is a joke. The only saving grace is that only one of Miami/LA/OKC can win it next year, so two of them will fail. The rest of the teams can take the year off.
No kidding. They basically get 3 #1's over the next 5 years that will probably be late round picks and they don't unload any real salary. I guess they got more than Cleveland did for Lebron?
...my uncle called it "the greatest day in Western Civilization! Bynum out, Howard in!" Typical of So Cal, but talk about delusional
Lol, so you're pissed that small markets weren't front runners for Howard? Well let's see - Dwight made it known there are only 3 teams that have a chance at even resigning him - Lakers, Mavs, Nets. So that eliminates every other team, except for the ones willing to attempt and persuade him elsewhere. (Rockets) Every other small market team (us, sacramento, etc - whatever teams you named) aren't willing to trade virtually every piece they have and then have him bolt at the end of the summer. The Lakers took a calculated risk, because they didn't have to mortgage their entire future in hopes that Dwight re-signs with them. Dwight said he would at least consider re-signing with them, which is more than other teams can say. The risk of trading your best assets for someone who will walk at the end of the summer is not something a small market team can risk.
And, other teams can't bitch about being unhappy - since a majority of them at one time wanted to help facilitate the trade in some fashion. If other teams don't get involved, Dwight is stuck in Orlando, then takes less money as a FA.
Here's an article tailor-made for this thread. http://wagesofwins.com/2012/08/09/the-lakers-always-get-their-big-man/
Payton was garbage in the Finals and Malone was hurt. Kobe was in court in Colorado all season. Nash is way better than Payton was and Howard is way better than Malone was. It'll all come down to injuries though. If the Lakers are healthy, they'll win it all.
It's unpopular to say this in the state where Payton went to college, but Payton was overrated for his whole career. Good but not great. A merely adequate passer and shooter. Shawn Kemp was the one who took them to the Finals, with George Karl's coaching. Johnny-come-latelies look at stats and object that Payton led the team in scoring. But that's because Kemp typically sat half the game in foul trouble.
I think Miami still has a pretty good shot against the Lakers. I'm not convinced that Nash/Kobe will work out that well together. No one will be able to guard Howard, but if that's where the offense is going, that's a huge plus for Miami in my opinion. Miami scores a ton on the break and Nash is not going to stop anyone. It would be a fun series to watch, I guess.
I don't get Orlando's reasoning for this at all. It almost seems like they'd have been better off letting him walk (next summer, right?) than taking back those contracts and the mid-to-low first rounders. All three of the other teams made out well, and I'd be ecstatic if I were a Lakers fan, but giving up Bynum is giving up a lot of value, so it's not like they got him for nothing. Ed O.
