I think MDE said it best....it's time for Shaq to accept the fact he's a declining center and become the #2 option...I truly believe that during the off-season, if Shaq went up to Kobe and said "Look, I want you to resign with us, we need you, I need you, and I'll gladly defer to you," then Kobe will resign...The chances of that actually happening, well......as Chick Hearn would say "chances are slim and none, and slim just left the building" There is little doubt in my mind that Shaq is what's driving Kobe out of Los Angeles...And however farfetched this sounds, it will take Shaq to keep Kobe here...
I think that Kobe will to to the Clippers or Atlanta, if he goes to the Clippers, then he will automatically make that team "L.A.'s Team." If he goes to Atlanta, I dont see them winning much unless they get another free agent.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CourtVision:</div><div class="quote_post">I would have maybe taken that seriously....if you were not a Kings fan.</div>Huh? I am not a terribly biased fan ....I see things the way i see it....It is my opinion ...And it makes perfect sence....Shaq already said he does not want to play for anybody other then the Zen ....He said he would leave the Lakers if Zen did ....It is only obvious that the Zen Master leaving LA would be the demise of the Lakers If the PLayer(s) do what they said they would do .... Just cause i hate the Lakers , does not mean i don't know Basketball ....The Lakers lose more games by the month then they are used to ...injury's play a major role....But every team goes through the injury bug ....Like the Kings ...No Webber all year ....and look at the Kings record going into All Star Weekend ....They are sporting the best record in the NBA ...Need i say more ? Go Kings ~
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting baralufficus:</div><div class="quote_post">Huh? I am not a terribly biased fan ....I see things the way i see it....It is my opinion ...And it makes perfect sence....Shaq already said he does not want to play for anybody other then the Zen ....He said he would leave the Lakers if Zen did ....It is only obvious that the Zen Master leaving LA would be the demise of the Lakers If the PLayer(s) do what they said they would do .... Just cause i hate the Lakers , does not mean i don't know Basketball ....The Lakers lose more games by the month then they are used to ...injury's play a major role....But every team goes through the injury bug ....Like the Kings ...No Webber all year ....and look at the Kings record going into All Star Weekend ....They are sporting the best record in the NBA ...Need i say more ? Go Kings ~</div> I never said you didn't know basketball but I think the Kings (and their fans) would love it the most if the Lakers were to be seperated. No disrespect to Kings fans, but all of them pretty much hate the Lakers no? LIke you said before about injuries- I don't want to use them as an excuse but it is a huge part of the reason the Lakers are struggling. Take away Christie, Webber, Divacs for extended periods of time and the Kings would lose games as well. You really can't say the Kings have been hit because they always play without Webber every year. Add in the fact that they have an amazing team up and down the roster down to the 11th man on the bench. Picking up Brad Miller wasn't too bad either. The Lakers were destroying teams in the beginning of the season with a full deck. Now that they are hobbled, teams are taking advantage (which they should). Now that they are losing its not surprising that all of this talk about leaving is surfacing. I would believe probably 30% of it, the rest I'll throw out the window *Go Lakers*
If Kobe doesn't resign with the Lakers, would it be possible for them to pick up another All-Star gaurd? There was some speculation about T-Mac leaving Orlando a while back. Is it reasonable that the Lakers may be able to pick up someone to fill Kobe's spot (thus convincing Payton and Malone to stay)?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AllNet:</div><div class="quote_post">Can you imagine if Kobe signs with Hawks? the Atlanta board will quickly become one of the most active boards around lol "JBB general manager is pleased to anounce the Los Angeles Lakers fans have been traded to the Atlanta Hawks forum for 10 avatars ahead of the 2004/2005 season." LMAO</div> ROFL... :ROFL: anyways , I would talk with kobe and trade him with T-Mac before trading deadline lol .. I dont know I mean they could still win everything this year...but then again Kobe might leave pff.. check out this post...its about where Kobe might end up in the rumor mill..is titled Kobe to Bobcats tho...but another option I heard was him in the Boston Celtics...thatll be pretty cool too. this is what I said in that post: I dont think he is leaving Los Angeles either unless he really wants to and Dont care about money..but I wish he would..he really wants to prove he is better than iverson tmac and others..you just cant compare him in a team like the lakers...lol let the kid grow...maybe a 19 games losing streak will straight him up.. here is the post http://www.justbball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12331
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CourtVision:</div><div class="quote_post">I never said you didn't know basketball but I think the Kings (and their fans) would love it the most if the Lakers were to be seperated. No disrespect to Kings fans, but all of them pretty much hate the Lakers no? LIke you said before about injuries- I don't want to use them as an excuse but it is a huge part of the reason the Lakers are struggling. Take away Christie, Webber, Divacs for extended periods of time and the Kings would lose games as well. You really can't say the Kings have been hit because they always play without Webber every year. Add in the fact that they have an amazing team up and down the roster down to the 11th man on the bench. Picking up Brad Miller wasn't too bad either. The Lakers were destroying teams in the beginning of the season with a full deck. Now that they are hobbled, teams are taking advantage (which they should). Now that they are losing its not surprising that all of this talk about leaving is surfacing. I would believe probably 30% of it, the rest I'll throw out the window *Go Lakers*</div> Oh yeah , I do hate the Lakers ....But I will be the first to say that i want the Kings to have to beat the best in order to be the best ....I would love nothing more then to beat the Lakers in the playoffs , AND at the same time split that team up ....But trust me , I don't mind the Lakers getting all these veteren players to help boost them into the Finals ...Cause beating a All Star team would make it much more sweeter ...If they got hit by the injury bug ...so be it ...Every team does ... As for the Webber injury bug ...You forgot Bibby missing 26 or so games at the beginning of last year ...And the Kings still posting wins like nothing ....You must have forgot Peja getting hurt with his bad ankle, that bothered him for a good amount of time ....The Bottom line is ...The Kings still won ....If Christie went down ..Wallace will step up for the time Doug is out ... As for the Kings as a team ...Webber is the most important part of this team if the Kings want to make it to the Finals... The Kings are a good team without Webber ....With Webber , the Kings are a Championship calibre team ....As we all witnessed last year in the playoffs against Dallas .... "Take away Christie, Webber, Divacs for extended periods of time and the Kings would lose games as well." LOL, The Kings would have to lose all 3 at the same time...And even if that happened , the Kings would still lead the Pacific Division in W's....Brad , Peja and the rest of the Kings would step it up just like any other time .... Go Kings ~
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting baralufficus:</div><div class="quote_post"> As for the Webber injury bug ...You forgot Bibby missing 26 or so games at the beginning of last year ...And the Kings still posting wins like nothing ....You must have forgot Peja getting hurt with his bad ankle, that bothered him for a good amount of time ....The Bottom line is ...The Kings still won ....If Christie went down ..Wallace will step up for the time Doug is out ...</div> And who was there to pick up the slack for Bibby? Bobby Jackson. I'm saying the fact that all three would have to be injured in order for them to lose a string of games. The Lakers have no bench at all, so they have noone to cover for the superstars that miss games. Once one king goes down, another is there to pick up where he left off. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">As for the Kings as a team ...Webber is the most important part of this team if the Kings want to make it to the Finals... The Kings are a good team without Webber ....With Webber , the Kings are a Championship calibre team ....As we all witnessed last year in the playoffs against Dallas ....</div> I can agree with that to a point.....Wasn't Webber on their championship run two years ago? And they still got beat...I'm just sayin..... <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">LOL, The Kings would have to lose all 3 at the same time...And even if that happened , the Kings would still lead the Pacific Division in W's....Brad , Peja and the rest of the Kings would step it up just like any other time .... Go Kings ~</div> Yeah thats what I meant. That is what the Lakers are going through as of right now. Who is going to pick up the slack for them? Kareem Rush? The kings have a far superior bench but facing the Lake show in full force? I know they would be raped. I'm really trying hard to be respectful not calling your team the Sacremento Queens...so if it comes out..I'm sorry Go Lakers
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CourtVision:</div><div class="quote_post">I never said you didn't know basketball but I think the Kings (and their fans) would love it the most if the Lakers were to be seperated. No disrespect to Kings fans, but all of them pretty much hate the Lakers no? LIke you said before about injuries- I don't want to use them as an excuse but it is a huge part of the reason the Lakers are struggling. Take away Christie, Webber, Divacs for extended periods of time and the Kings would lose games as well. You really can't say the Kings have been hit because they always play without Webber every year. Add in the fact that they have an amazing team up and down the roster down to the 11th man on the bench. Picking up Brad Miller wasn't too bad either. The Lakers were destroying teams in the beginning of the season with a full deck. Now that they are hobbled, teams are taking advantage (which they should). Now that they are losing its not surprising that all of this talk about leaving is surfacing. I would believe probably 30% of it, the rest I'll throw out the window *Go Lakers*</div> Sure losing Webber is big, but like you said take the Kings big three off the court and see where they would be - the same place that the Lakers are. Imagine the Kings losing Stojakovic, Miller, and Webber for a combined 60 + games? In addition, Kobe is now saying that he "wants to be a Laker for the rest of his life". What the hell?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting baralufficus:</div><div class="quote_post">Their time on top of the NBA is about over ....If they can't pull it together soon and win it this year ...I don't think they will win another one is some time IMO... Go Kings~</div> Funny, thats what everyone said about the Kings last year.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AllNet:</div><div class="quote_post">Can you imagine if Kobe signs with Hawks? the Atlanta board will quickly become one of the most active boards around lol "JBB general manager is pleased to anounce the Los Angeles Lakers fans have been traded to the Atlanta Hawks forum for 10 avatars ahead of the 2004/2005 season." LMAO</div> LMAO I never really took this Kobe stuff serious, because the season is just now hitting half way, and I personally thought he is leaning towards the Lakers for what team he will play with next season. This rumor stuff still means nothing to me, but it is interesting to see what will happen. Honestly, I think this thing is just to build up some hype of where he is going to play next season, I honestly think he'll still be a Laker next year. If he ends up somewhere else, then that would just be sad. Hopefully we would still be able to contend for the title depending on if Payton/Malone decide to stay Lakers.
Did any of you read the L.A. times today and also see the news....They said that when asked about the chances of Phil Jackson not coming back next year, Kobe responded saying "I don't care." The Times claim that that was not a sign of disrespect, but rather an implication that he won't be back next season either so a change in coach won't affect him.... On television, when asked about all the speculation, Kobe said that he has always been a Laker fan and wants to remain a Laker, but that he has a lot going on in his life he wants to focus on first and foremost...Then at the end of the season, he will discuss his future with Kupchak... Here's a link on ESPN about Kobe supposedly wanting to remain a Laker... <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Kobe Bryant insisted Friday that he wants to be a Laker "for life," though he still plans to opt out of his contract and become a free agent this summer. Responding to a report that he has already made it clear to the Lakers that he plans to leave, Bryant said the story was untrue. "I want to be a Laker for the rest of my life. That hasn't changed," said Bryant, who has been with Los Angeles throughout his eight-year NBA career. "I've been a Laker fan since I was 6, and it's been a dream come true for me to play for the Lakers."</div> LINK
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">O'Neal, whose relationship with Bryant has been rocky over the course of their time together, said Bryant has not told him of his intentions. "Do I want him to stay? Kobe is a grown man and he has to do what's best for him," O'Neal said. "Once that day happens, we just have to be readjust." </div> Is it me or does it sound like he expects Kobe to leave? Readjust to what? playing without Kobe? He's been playing with him for years so theres nothing to "readjust" to if he stays....
My openion is that Kobe just wants more money. So the first thing he is saying he wants to leave. And the Lakers wanna keep him so they will give him more money and he will stay @Lakers. I hope Kobe stays @Lakers and finish his career @Lakers. That would be great. I'm love Kobe and will always stay a Laker fan but if he leaves the Lakers he wont get my support.
Yep, the most money he can get is with the Lakers. If the sign-trade thing happens, than he will be able to go to another team though and get the money that he would get with the Lakers.
Oh, it's all over for the Lakers! Kobe has the court situation to worry about. Shaq is eating up all the $$$. Payton and Malone are just two old guys barey making it up and down the court. Malone right now isnt on any court. Sure he has the record to go after, but look at the season hes had! .....Lakers suck anyways, who cares?
