<div class="quote_poster">Quoting realdealbneal:</div><div class="quote_post"> who says we need a scoring PG in the first place? </div> I dunno, I sure didnt (i'm guessing u misunderstood what I meant)...I want a PG who can hit perimeter shots consistently..Atkins is a decent shooter, but I never liked Atkin's shot selection to be honest with you. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Moo2K4:</div><div class="quote_post">I did not know Kobe's charges were dropped. That is great news. Now he can focus soley on baskeball and the Laker organization no longer has to worry about his future with them.</div> Are their caves in Iowa? cuz u must live in one, lol , jk :mrgreen:
realdealbneal, I totally agree with you. I'm very optimistic and excited about the upcoming Laker season. The rearranging of the Laker lineup adds more depth to almost every position. And with Kobe's case dropped, I think he'll be able to concentrate more on his game.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting whatthef?:</div><div class="quote_post">Well stated Emo, you are right on the Laker pulse. But I have a little more faith in the center position. I think that Mihm is going to have a bigger impact once he starts working with Vlade, and don't forget that Grant will also provide some minutes when they play teams with small centers. The Lakers will have good muscle and depth. I have seen how Vlade makes players like Pollard and Brad Miller better when they practice with him and he also will give the Lakers some of the much needed European influence that we saw in the Olympics.</div> Yes, can't forget about Brian Grant. He may have a much oversized contract, but he definitely has a lot of heart and his main specialty is crashing the boards, which can be an effective plus coming off the bench. I for one, am a big fan of international talent, and I'm really high on our Slovenian guard in Sasha Vujacic. If Vlade can be more of a big brother like teammate for Sasha just as he was with Peja, providing him with some helpful tips about how his game looks along with some tips about this league, and also have successful practices and bond together, there shouldn't be any doubts in our mind Vujacic will be a legitimate guard for the future of the Lakers.
Honestly I know a lot of you will come at me with some stuff about Shaq not being good or holding the team down, but facts are facts. Fact- He shot over 50% in the finals as well as bringing down boards. Fact- all three times the Lakers have won the finals he has been mvp. Fact- He has a mvp award Kobe does not. Fact- Shaq has been and will probably continue to be for at least three more years the most dominate force of our time. After losing a player like that even if you kept a player as talented as Kobe hopes cant be to high. Butler will take a few years to develop, Divac is no where near the center that Shaq is although he is a good replacement in terms of putting up good assist numbers and solid stats all around, Odam has not proven that he can stay out of trouble in the Los Angeles night life, and Grant is just a horrible contract to have. The team has no talented point guard yet! I say yet because there rookie may develop into that, but it will take time. Without a solid point you can not win out west after a good center it is the most important position.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Verticle:</div><div class="quote_post">Honestly I know a lot of you will come at me with some stuff about Shaq not being good or holding the team down, but facts are facts. Fact- He shot over 50% in the finals as well as bringing down boards. Fact- all three times the Lakers have won the finals he has been mvp. Fact- He has a mvp award Kobe does not. Fact- Shaq has been and will probably continue to be for at least three more years the most dominate force of our time. After losing a player like that even if you kept a player as talented as Kobe hopes cant be to high.</div> Solid points you made but you have to understand, Shaq may have all these amazing accolades under his belt with the 50% shooting in the Finals, (being 4 feet away from the basket) with the three NBA Finals MVP's in each of our three championships, but you have to remember....these two individuals needed each other to win the titles, it just wasn't Shaq that did it all. You can switch the theories all you want. Without Shaq, no title. Without Kobe alongside him, no title. Since in our championships, it was mostly Kobe and Shaq with the entire offensive load on their shoulders, if you take either one of those athletes out of the picture, there would be nothing to even come close to celebrating. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Verticle:</div><div class="quote_post">Butler will take a few years to develop, Divac is no where near the center that Shaq is although he is a good replacement in terms of putting up good assist numbers and solid stats all around, Odam has not proven that he can stay out of trouble in the Los Angeles night life, and Grant is just a horrible contract to have. The team has no talented point guard yet! I say yet because there rookie may develop into that, but it will take time. Without a solid point you can not win out west after a good center it is the most important position.</div> Butler a few years to develop? The man averaged 15.4 points a game in his rookie season, and the reason why he was nowhere to be seen last year was because he was injured for an extended period of time and that scoring average dropped to 9.2 PPG last season. Divac might not be the center Shaq is, but what other free agent centers were out there for the taking? After Erick Dampier signed a 73 million dollar contract with the Mavs, I think we're content with a lineup of still a useful 35 year old Vlade Divac with a young talent in Chris Mihm coming off the bench. What does Odom's drug life have to do with anything? He showed in Miami that he's trying to stay out of the nightlife, resurrect his career because he does have amazing potential, and try to put his life back together. With the 17 points he averaged last year, there's no reason why Kobe and Odom can't team up together to be the new dynamic duo on the Lakers. The team may not have a talented point guard just yet, but read our earlier posts that we were writing about Sasha, that should give you a heads up.
hey i heard somewhere that Baron Davis wants out of NO and is interested in joining the Lakers.... hmmm wat do u think? PG baron davis SG kobe bryant SF caron butler PF lamar odom C vlade divac ??
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Verticle:</div><div class="quote_post">Honestly I know a lot of you will come at me with some stuff about Shaq not being good or holding the team down, but facts are facts. Fact- <font color="Red">He shot over 50% in the finals as well as bringing down boards</font>. Fact- <font color="Purple">all three times the Lakers have won the finals he has been mvp</font>. Fact- <font color="Purple">He has a mvp award Kobe does not</font>. Fact- Shaq has been and will probably continue to be for at least three more years the most dominate force of our time. After losing a player like that even if you kept a player as talented as Kobe hopes cant be to high. Butler will take a few years to develop, Divac is no where near the center that Shaq is although he is a good replacement in terms of putting up good assist numbers and solid stats all around, Odam has not proven that he can stay out of trouble in the Los Angeles night life, and Grant is just a horrible contract to have. The team has no talented point guard yet! I say yet because there rookie may develop into that, but it will take time. Without a solid point you can not win out west <font color="Blue">after a good center it is the most important position.</font></div> <font color="Red">Jamaal Magloire shoots almost 50%, and he would if he was in the Finals, also. Centers typically have a higher percentage because they shoot a few steps away from the hoop. Who cares.</font> <font color="Purple">In each of those Finals, Shaq has been up against Todd MacCulloch, Rik Smits, and Dikembe Mutombo (DPOY, but he didn't have the body to contain Shaq). Kobe guarded and played against the toughest backcourts in the East then...with stars such as Iverson, Miller, and Kidd. No wonder why Shaq got the MVP...I could score 40 against McCulloch and Smits myself.</font> <font color="Blue">Actually...that's wrong. Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki...all three are power forwards, not centers. Rasho Nesterovic and Olowokandi are the centers. Yao Ming is probably the only other good center in the West with Shaq...now Magloire as of this year, and no Shaq. Power forwards are dominant in the West.</font>
You guys kill me,go to any and all lengths to discredit Shaq now that he's gone where as a few months ago you were singing his praises in the playoffs....funny stuff guys..keep it up.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Dre:</div><div class="quote_post">You guys kill me,go to any and all lengths to discredit Shaq now that he's gone where as a few months ago you were singing his praises in the playoffs....funny stuff guys..keep it up.</div> You're absolutely wrong. I've never praised Shaq unless he really deserved it. I've never liked Shaq when he was a Laker. I began liking the Lakers, actually, when Kobe's draft rights were traded to them. Shaq arrived a week later, and I really didn't care. So, I have the right to say what I want about the guy, because I knew he would eat the cap space that the Lakers had, and I knew he would take full credit for the success that the Lakers had (even though a few times he mentioned that Kobe was the greatest, he always made a negative comment a few days later)...and I knew he would turn his back on Kobe and STILL (to this day) talk trash about him. What a waste of time, even though the Lakers won three straight, now it's more like Shaq trying to take all of the credit for the titles, and say that NOBODY else had a part in the championship. He sure didn't do it himself in Orlando, haha...sometimes, I wish the Lakers didn't get him and went after Ben Wallace instead, when he went undrafted. At least there wouldn't be problems that degraded this organization like Shaq has caused...some guys are just blind and believe he's the greatest player there was...but others see through the money-hungry center that wants everything to rotate around him. Ha...don't think so.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting yanix:</div><div class="quote_post">hey i heard somewhere that Baron Davis wants out of NO and is interested in joining the Lakers.... hmmm wat do u think? PG baron davis SG kobe bryant SF caron butler PF lamar odom C vlade divac ??</div> Exactly who are the Lakers giving up to get that line-up??? Caron would have to be gone, and 3 other guys cuz Baron Davis is a Superstar, you cant give up nothing for a Superstar. But if anybody is gonna get him I'm thinkin' LA, Houston, or Indiana.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting realdealbneal:</div><div class="quote_post">You're absolutely wrong. I've never praised Shaq unless he really deserved it. I've never liked Shaq when he was a Laker. I began liking the Lakers, actually, when Kobe's draft rights were traded to them. Shaq arrived a week later, and I really didn't care. So, I have the right to say what I want about the guy, because I knew he would eat the cap space that the Lakers had, and I knew he would take full credit for the success that the Lakers had (even though a few times he mentioned that Kobe was the greatest, he always made a negative comment a few days later)...and I knew he would turn his back on Kobe and STILL (to this day) talk trash about him. What a waste of time, even though the Lakers won three straight, now it's more like Shaq trying to take all of the credit for the titles, and say that NOBODY else had a part in the championship. He sure didn't do it himself in Orlando, haha...sometimes, I wish the Lakers didn't get him and went after Ben Wallace instead, when he went undrafted. At least there wouldn't be problems that degraded this organization like Shaq has caused...some guys are just blind and believe he's the greatest player there was...but others see through the money-hungry center that wants everything to rotate around him. Ha...don't think so.</div> You know why Shaq never has equal competition? Because there IS no equal competition. The other good centers in the league (like Jamaal Magloire) aren't skilled enough to lead their team to the championship. And Lakers without Shaq (and no Odom, Butler, or Grant) might not have even gotten over .500. I know you're a die hard Kobe fan and that's cool, but people really take Shaq for granted. If Shaq is "a waste of time" then I guess Wilt Chamberlain is, too. Shaq is THE most dominant player in the HISTORY of basketball. He might not have as much pure skill as most players, but it's like comparing a tank and a suped-up car. The car is faster and more entertaining to watch but tank could easily destroy the car in a battle. I know that won't change your mind but at least be thankful for what Shaq did.
You know what Im about this season? Being a true laker fan and supporting the team and thinking positive thru all these changes. I really could care less who is on the roster... Its all about the Purple and Gold! On another note, with the lineup we currently have, I think its very good and will benefit the team in the long run. Maybe not right away, but I guarantee the Lakers wont be a "BULLS" or "CELTIC" team. As for this continued arguement for shaq, I thank the guy, respect what he did in LA, etc.... I mentioned that over and over. But he is gone, Kobe's the star, and without Shaq, he will shine even brighter. You can mark my words on that... Im JUST a die hard Laker fan. nuff said. Let the GAMES BEGIN GENTLEMEN....
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting trenchteam:</div><div class="quote_post">You know what Im about this season? Being a true laker fan and supporting the team and thinking positive thru all these changes. I really could care less who is on the roster... Its all about the Purple and Gold! On another note, with the lineup we currently have, I think its very good and will benefit the team in the long run. Maybe not right away, but I guarantee the Lakers wont be a "BULLS" or "CELTIC" team. As for this continued arguement for shaq, I thank the guy, respect what he did in LA, etc.... I mentioned that over and over. But he is gone, Kobe's the star, and without Shaq, he will shine even brighter. You can mark my words on that... Im JUST a die hard Laker fan. nuff said. Let the GAMES BEGIN GENTLEMEN....</div>
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting trenchteam:</div><div class="quote_post">You know what Im about this season? Being a true laker fan and supporting the team and thinking positive thru all these changes. I really could care less who is on the roster... Its all about the Purple and Gold! On another note, with the lineup we currently have, I think its very good and will benefit the team in the long run. Maybe not right away, but I guarantee the Lakers wont be a "BULLS" or "CELTIC" team. As for this continued arguement for shaq, I thank the guy, respect what he did in LA, etc.... I mentioned that over and over. But he is gone, Kobe's the star, and without Shaq, he will shine even brighter. You can mark my words on that... Im JUST a die hard Laker fan. nuff said. Let the GAMES BEGIN GENTLEMEN....</div> I totally agree with everything you said. :thumbsup: True Laker fans stick thru everything. Shaq Who?
One thing you guys should look forward to is that many ppl still consider your team to be great even without Shaq...in the WEST! For ex., Kidd and Davis both wanted to be traded to a team that would be a title contender and they both mentioned the Lakers, so think positive as many people still believe this team can go the distance.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting heatfan83:</div><div class="quote_post">One thing you guys should look forward to is that many ppl still consider your team to be great even without Shaq...in the WEST! For ex., Kidd and Davis both wanted to be traded to a team that would be a title contender and they both mentioned the Lakers, so think positive as many people still believe this team can go the distance.</div> Well this is because a dominant center is not necessarily needed in the West. Duncan and Garnett are not centers...they play PF...so if we got back Karl Malone (who is a great defender against big men...ask Shaq), than I would be really happy. The only good centers in the West now are Ming, Dampier, and Magloire...if I'm missing someone, then let me know...but I don't consider Rasho Nesterovic and Ervin Johnson/Michael Olowokandi really good centers.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> some guys are just blind and believe he's the greatest player there was...but others see through the money-hungry center that wants everything to rotate around him. Ha...don't think so. </div> Actually, you could say the same for Kobe as well. He wanted the offense around him as well. I don't think he is as greedy as Shaq but he is almost as selfish.
i dont think the lakers are gona be great this year they dont have the same team they had this year and when a lot of new people come in it takes a while to get used to.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting spawn:</div><div class="quote_post">Actually, you could say the same for Kobe as well. He wanted the offense around him as well. I don't think he is as greedy as Shaq but he is almost as selfish.</div> Yeah, I never said that you couldn't say that about Kobe...but...in Shaq's case, he's had the Laker spotlight now since 1996, and he gets the most credit for every single thing considered success, yet nobody blames it on Shaq when they lose. They fail to see his 3-15, 20% free throw shooting...his 5 fouls with 7 minutes to go in the 4th quarter...his 3 fouls before the half...things like this. If the Lakers lose by 3 in this example, Shaq would've accounted for 10 pts just from free throws...cut those in half, and it would be 5 pts...still a victory. The problem was that without Shaq, we didn't have another center <u>at all</u>...so when Shaq sat out, the teams ate us alive in the paint just because we had PF's playing center. This made it seem like Shaq was the most incredible athlete any team could have, but it was only because we had no other player that could defend the paint. This year, we have Mihm and Divac...two guys who play center, and two that won't foul as often as Shaq. Sure, Shaq is dominant...but now we have Odom, and we have two good centers that will actually be in the game the whole time, instead of putting in Medvedenko, who has NO defense whatsoever, and an inconsistent shot. I still believe we have a great shot this year.
