My lost thread before I head back home to the Magic Forum. Enjoy. : NBA CONFIDENTIAL: TIM POVTAK Kobe won't win more titles without Shaq By Tim Povtak | Sentinel Staff Writer Posted July 19, 2004 Kobe Bryant will play the rest of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he won't win another NBA title. His ride to a championship has left town. Bryant won the battle to control the storied Lakers, helping send Coach Phil Jackson and center Shaquille O'Neal packing, but he's about to discover what Penny Hardaway learned in Orlando eight seasons ago. Basketball without Shaq isn't so easy to play. It was during that 1996-97 season -- his first without O'Neal -- that Hardaway almost disintegrated in Orlando, breaking down both physically and mentally under the strain. The pressure of carrying a team through an entire season was overwhelming <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Without O'Neal, Bryant will find that his drives to the basket aren't going to be so easy. No shot will be uncontested anymore. Without O'Neal attracting double- and triple-team defenses, Bryant will find his shooting percentage plummet, his assists evaporate, his ride to a championship blocked. </div> Full Story
Hardaway did have a big injury that just totaled his talent level. I remember that time Shaq was out for the beginning of the 95-96 season he was averaging 27.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and 6.0 apg. He was doing big things. Then that injury, dag. There is no way Kobe will deteriorate like Penny. But they definately can't win a championship with the pieces they have now. Hopefully GP can get close to his all-star form and give a solid contribution and Caron Butler kinda be like a mini Pip and Lamar being a much better Kukoc. Hmm, the LA Chicago Bulls without the triangle. YEAH!
I don't even need to read the story...if you can't make your own argument instead of looking one up on the Orlando Sentinel (the ORLANDO SENTINEL???), then don't waste my time. Orlando's newspaper would probably feature stories like that, because there's nothing really to write to their own readers about a team like the Magic, so they make up BS about other teams. They throw together what they can to degrade other organizations, yet their own Orlando Magic couldn't even win for the first 18 games last season. At least go find a credible ESPN writer...because there are many that believe Kobe will fail...and then we'll talk. I just can't wait until Kobe drops 50 on teams next season, and the Lakers hand everyone's @sses to them and prove that they don't need Godzilla in the paint. FYI - Grant Hill will rot away on the bench for the rest of his career.
In regards to the article, I don't even waste time and read critics especially from a newspaper whose local team went winless in the first 18 games of the season, and they're trying to convince me to read their crap about Kobe and the Lakers? Interesting. What I can say being a fan is this team won't win a championship in the coming season. At best, 45 wins and a 6th or 7th seed at best. Even though this team is athletic, which is what we wanted, LA has too small of a lineup and with teams stacked in powerforwards like a Garnett or Tim Duncan, LA will be destroyed in the interior, and plus with the departure of Fisher, it puts more pressure on Vujacic to pick up the pieces. Don't get me wrong, Kobe will be spectacular, but if you look at the downgrade this team has by losing Shaq, it'll be one major problem. I expect Kupchak to pick up better players by next year to build around Kobe.
Wow. That proves a lot. Can this guy see the future? How the hell would a writer from ORLANDO know? The Lakers might not look as strong this season but I guarantee Kobe will win another title in the future. How's this headline: Kobe Won't Win a Title? So Won't Francis, Mobley, or Howard! Quit talking if your own team can't back it up.
Newspapers are probrably the most unrealiable sources of info ever.... Of couse an orlando newpaper would post something like that. After losing shaq in return for nothing and seeing L.A. go on to 3 titles, you would expect some Laker bashing when shaq left the team.
That writer obviously threw in some imaginative juices of his own when he claimed that Kobe's shots in the paint are "uncontested" due to Shaq's presence.
how could you say that? you could get lucky and get an amazing rookie, or you know kobe is the second best ever so far...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting trenchteam:</div><div class="quote_post">^^^ Sasha is our amazing rookie. He's gonna rock the NBa</div> Agreed. I see Peja in his blood lol.
