with the mail man and the glove in the team would it make it better or worser with the mail man and the glove in the team would it make it better or more selfish
Until we finally watch them play together, its all speculation. But if you watched / read about the press conference when they finally committed to the Lakers, both Malone and GP emphasized that this team is Shaq & Kobe's team. Malone has said that in transition, he will run the floor as much as possible to get easy buckets. He understands that the first bigman to set up in the post is more likely to get the ball first. It sounds a little selfish of him but if Shaq is going to be lazy and not get to his spot ASAP, Malone is not going to waste any time. As for GP, he has said that since he won't be the focus of the offense anymore, he'll have more energy to play tighter defense. Defense => Forced TOs => Easy Buckets
The fact that Malone was willing to take such a large pay cut shows that he'd be willing to take statistical cuts as well. If he wanted to be all-time scorer he would've stayed with the Jazz, but he doesn't want to go on the list with the like of Charles Barkley & Patrick Ewing (those who never won a ring). GP will get selfish eventually, trust me. Some still argue that he's the best pg in the L, and he won't let his role be diminished enough to stop that. He'll want people to know that he can play just as well as Kidd. Besides, after being top dog for so many years (at least Malone had Stockton every year) GP won't be able to change immediately.
This team is 100 times better. We have Payton and Malone now starting instead of sorry craps like Fisher and madsen/walker starting.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting SQUAD UP:</div><div class="quote_post">This team is 100 times better. We have Payton and Malone now starting instead of sorry craps like Fisher and madsen/walker starting.</div> I beg to differ. Fisher isnt that bad of a point guard. In fact froma defensive standpoint he is a terrific point guard. I agree with Mel here. Until we see them play together as a team then this is pure speculation. A team cannot have all superstars and be successful. You need role players to do their jobs. Robert Horry is a good example of a role player. Lets remember this, right now there are 4 guys on the Lakers team who are use to being "the man" on their teams. This will be different this year and only time will tell whether these greats can play together or not. Chemistry is the key.
Chemistry is the key, and the Lakers have the best chemist in the business, the Zen Master, Phil Jackson. This team is here to win, and winning is the best way to avoid any chemistry issues. The Lakers will be doing a lot of winning, so I don't see any chemistry issues coming up. From the interviews on the radio and the news reports, everyone is on the same page. Payton has gone on record as saying he can now focus more energy on defense and passing, and Malone is determined to run the floor to get his points. Payton and Malone have played well and unselfishly in the Olympic games, and the atmosphere will be the same in L.A.
Lets remember the Houston teams thats till had Olajuwon and Drexler, failed to win after bringing in Barkley and then Pippen. At times this team played outstanding every night, and they still had some legs left, even if they were old. I want to see this Laker team play the best basketball that they can, because it would be a joy to watch. However Malone is old, though he always has kept himself in great shape, and I admire that. The Kobe case will take a toll on this team, believe me. Shaq has got hurt every year this last few years because of bad shape, reports are that he is better, but I want to see it over the course of the season. GP has not done a good job being a true leader for his teams, the way he treated the younger players in Seattle was a joke, I know that LA has more vets and it clearly won't be GP's team, we just have to see if he accepts the role that is bets for him on this team. I am with Shape and Mel..we really have to see how LA gets over these hurdles.
