Gary Payton will be back with the Lakers next season for one reason and one reason only: Phil Jackson will not be there. He hated Phil Jackson's coaching style and triangle offense, yet he wants to play with the Lakers and he will fit in well with virtually any other NBA coach that is not named Phil Jackson. Gary Payton will be back, I said it and you can hold me to it!
aight man, im not sure i want him a laker, i love the guy, but i cant deside yet, but ima hold ya to it, and do sorta hope ur right
I don't think its a big deal if he leaves or stays. His performance was at best mediocre in the playoffs and it was not just the triangle offense, he missed wide open shots and as basically owned by Rip and Chauncey. If that's how hes going to play, maybe they need another PG.
I, personally, don't want him as a Laker next year. He did play pretty good in the season, I will say, but, when they needed him the most, that being in the Finals, he never showed up. Hell, in the entire playoffs he was nonexistent. There are reasons why Phil went with Fisher more often then not and that's because he was playing better. The only thing Payton did good all year was complain. He always found something to complain about. Whether it was losing or his small role on the team. I don't want him there next year. I'm all for Fisher being the starter again.
I dont think thats the entire reason why I think its part of it but there is more I think he also will not leave because when he came to the lakers he was argueable the second best point guard in the league in his time with the lakers he has shown alot of his weaknesses he can no longer defend like the name "the glove" inposes and he also cant expect a team to give him a long term contract after he averaged less than 10 points in the finals and is over 30 years old so the best thing for him to do is stay with la take another swing at the title try to improve his stocks and mabye retire a champion or leave the lakers after his contract runs out next year to go to a good team like the rockets possible who need a pure point
Moo2K4 pretty much said everything, Why the hell would we Laker fans want him back?? What did he do throughout this enire playoffs besides playing all 82 games of the regular season? I don't care if the triangle offense somehow "tarnished" his game, but we have to face it. Gary Payton is done as a legitimate scorer in this league as a point guard, and I just don't see our Lakers or even another team for that matter giving him a decent contract or a starting job.
With Gary's performance and attitude he carried this year, he probably will never see big money again. His choice to play in LA will haunt him forever.
I don't think his choice to play in Los Angeles will haunt him. Can you really blame the man for wanting to win a title? I can't. And, that is the only reason he went to the Lakers.
Agree <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Moo2K4:</div><div class="quote_post">I, personally, don't want him as a Laker next year. He did play pretty good in the season, I will say, but, when they needed him the most, that being in the Finals, he never showed up. Hell, in the entire playoffs he was nonexistent. There are reasons why Phil went with Fisher more often then not and that's because he was playing better. The only thing Payton did good all year was complain. He always found something to complain about. Whether it was losing or his small role on the team. I don't want him there next year. I'm all for Fisher being the starter again.</div> I agree. What happened to that rumor about Payton going to the sixers????? Well I think he should go!
Payton's efficiency will be much higher without Phil so I wouldn't be surprised now if he stays. At the beginning of the year, GP was running the Lakers. He was getting them up and down the court, averaging around 18 and 7. And it was because Phil gave him the free range, straying away from the triangle. The Lakers' offense was unstoppable, and hasn't been since. With Phil gone, the Lakers offense will be great. No longer will they be running the triangle, playing a half-court offense.
My god as a player you aint complain about anything and find excuses or accuse anybody else than you if you dont play tight, if you dont get more minutes. I personally dont care what he does, I believed in Jacksons decisions. He was like moo said, nonexistent in the finals and if we would ve played like during the season, no way lakers would have lost in 5 games. Sorry but do what ever you want, gp. and thegameshutdown: when phil is gone, lakers are done. Everybody's gonna be gone.There will not be any "excellent" offense not better than this year. Itll be totally different and i doubt whether we can "profit" from No phil but one gary. Well see...
Payton WAS the Glove and one of the better guards in the league. But it is time for the Lakers to let him go. Payton was a big baby and blamed Jackson and the triangle offense for his reason for not playing good this season. He knew the situation before he decided to come to the Lakers. I was excited when I heard Payton and Malone was coming to the Lakers but Payton was a big disappointment. Will he find a home with any other team, I don't care as long as he leaves. The Lakers do need another young hungry hustling and scoring guard to help Kobe. Let's hope for the Lakers sake that Kobe stays. I don't want Jackson or Shaq to leave but to keep Kobe, if that is what it takes, the let it happen. I am sure Buss and Mitch will do what is necessary for the betterment of the Lakers. GO LAKERS :thumbsup:
If he hates the triangle offense, would he like offense that runs through him? He needs to realize that there is Kobe and Shaq, and the offense will mostly run through them. If he realizes that too, I don't know what offense he would prefer. By the way, didn't this triangle offense lead them to the finals?
With the skills that GP carries, he will be able to find Kobe and Shaq while running a faster paced offense. GP is more of an uptempo full court type of pg, sorta like Jeff McInnis. I truley believe that the triangle dismantled his game and would rather play his way and it probably would work also.
Whether he liked the triangle offense or not, he was exposed this season. His stock has dropped tremendously, and I really don't believe any team would pay him as much as he'd make next season as a Laker.
I don't know what to think. If he stays he stays and if he leaves he leaves. I don't know, averaging only 4.2 ppg in the finals is the most dissapointing performance from any former star I've ever seen.
