SAD SAD day for myslef...

[LakersFan]

OMG...good for you! That man right there is a true fan. BTW whats up with Isiah Thomas going after Kobe? I dont appreciate that

[redwinger]

We will just sit back and watch KG win some more MVP crowns. How many does Kobe have now? LOL KG4MVP!!!!

[LakersFan]

Hes got 3 rings....oh, you were asking about MVP crowns, sorry! He doesnt have any of those but I bet KG would trade his MVP trophy for a championship ring. Isnt that what counts the most...winning???

[MOMO]

Originally Posted by LakersFan

Nah, Im one of those "REAL" fans! It will always be all about the Lakers, regardless. I'll probably get flamed for it, but I'd take Kobe over Shaq at this point in their careers anyway. So as long as Kobe sticks around, we'll be successful. Kobe is my favorite athlete, and even if they both leave, I will still be a lakers fan....(tear)!

Hey Laker you might call yourself a true Lakers fan? I just don’t understand how you could choose Kobe over Shaq! Don’t get me wrong Kobe is an awesome player, but come on now without Shaq they are a sub 500 club. The Lakers have proven that they can win without Kobe. Look at my previous post for MY recipe for a 2005 Lakers championship.

I understand why Shaq is asking to be traded, he is pissed and rightly fully so. Management lied to him, he when out and recruited Payton and Malone and now Mitch Kupchak says that Kobe is there first priority. I hope not, but no one knows if Kobe will even be in the NBA next season.


What I do know is, what ever team picks up Shaq will be instant contenders, dam we can't afford to loose Shaq.

[LakersFan]

I take Kobe because of his age. Shaq is 32 and Kobes 25. Yeah, shaq is the most dominant player in the league but if the lakers lose Kobe and keep Shaq theyre going to have to rebuild again in about 2-3 years. Whereas if you keep Kobe, you have the most dominant perimeter player in the league for 10 more years.

In recent years the lakers have REALLY struggled when shaq got hurt...thats a fact. However, I feel this is because he is the center of their offense because they run the triangle. With that said, if Shaq and the triangle arent in the picture the Lakers and Kobe have a completely different offensive "plan". You understand what Im saying?!?

I think Kobe is a much better player when he drives the lane and creates shots for himself. In the triangle, that doesnt happen; Its always a half court offense with at least 1 interior pass to Shaq. I HONESTLY, HONESTLY, feel that if the lakers trade Shaq and get another good center and a good forward in return, they will be better than they were this year. With or without Shaq, if the lakers dont get a power forward that can actually play basketball, they wont win. A healthy malone would help a ton, but an injured malone with a starting Medvedenko is BAD! Another thing is the triangle offense is hard to jump into for new players (malone and payton), they didnt score at all this year and you can say its because of age or whatever, but payton averaged over 17 points just last year. If you have a team full of scorers, let them score. If you have a team with shaq, let him score. That is why I think theyll be better off without shaq. Yeah he got his 20 points and 11 boards a game but how many points/shots did he take away from other scorers like payton, malone, and even Kobe (even though he still got 20+ shots a game). Only time will truely tell, but I hope we're all still alive and members of this forum in October when the season starts.

[MOMO]

From one Lakerfan to another, do not forget that DEFENSE wins championships, which is why Detroit was able to beat down the Lakers so handily. I understand what you are saying about Shaq, you think that he only has a few good years left in him right? I can’t explain the Lakers despicable inability to put the ball in the bucket, other than Detroit’s D. They all missed wide-open looks, even Kobe, their shooting percentage was pitiful at best. I don’t know if a healthy Malone would have sealed the deal, but it certainly would have given them a much better chance. Well all know that Shaq will give you, yes he is aging and has lost a lot of his mobility. But what guarantee do we have that Kobe will even be in the league next season? Take a look at Tyson!

The problem is that Mitch already said that Kobe was priority one, and if Shaq wanted to be traded that they would do there best to accommodate that. So either way you slice it, the Lakers will have a very different look to them. I just wished that they would have made Shaq the focal point and build around him. I’m pretty sire that would get them a few more rings.