To all Lakers haters and doubters

[Teddy Roosevelt]

So lemme get this str8. In your opinion the Lakers are going to be representing the West in the NBA Finals this year?

Yes they are.

wow thats a bold statement.

I said this before the season began and the way they've been playing makes me more of a believer. Mark my words and remember where you heard it first.

Don't forget who co-signed your statement.

[rik]

So lemme get this str8. In your opinion the Lakers are going to be representing the West in the NBA Finals this year?

Yes they are.

wow thats a bold statement.

I said this before the season began and the way they've been playing makes me more of a believer. Mark my words and remember where you heard it first.

Don't forget who co-signed your statement.

haha...that's right. Ted knows what's good.

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Do you realize how ridiculous that last quote is? Shaq was asking 30 MILL A YEAR THROUGH 2010, THAT MEANS WE COULDNT AFFORD KOBE AND WE'D BE STUCK WITH A FAT, UNCONDITIONED SHAQ ON OUR PAYROLL FOR YEARS TO COME.

I think the Lakers could have used the Larry Bird Exception to resign Kobe if Shaq stayed with the Lakers.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Do you realize how ridiculous that last quote is? Shaq was asking 30 MILL A YEAR THROUGH 2010, THAT MEANS WE COULDNT AFFORD KOBE AND WE'D BE STUCK WITH A FAT, UNCONDITIONED SHAQ ON OUR PAYROLL FOR YEARS TO COME.

I think the Lakers could have used the Larry Bird Exception to resign Kobe if Shaq stayed with the Lakers.

Yea, that was really gunna happen!...LOL.

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Do you realize how ridiculous that last quote is? Shaq was asking 30 MILL A YEAR THROUGH 2010, THAT MEANS WE COULDNT AFFORD KOBE AND WE'D BE STUCK WITH A FAT, UNCONDITIONED SHAQ ON OUR PAYROLL FOR YEARS TO COME.

I think the Lakers could have used the Larry Bird Exception to resign Kobe if Shaq stayed with the Lakers.

Yea, that was really gunna happen!...LOL.

If they had stopped arguing the Lakers could have signed both of them. The problem, like you stated, is that they wouldn't be able to afford any quality players had they given Shaq $30 million a year.

[GangstaBoogy]

^and Kobe was a free-agent (and probably would've left had Shaq got the extension he was begging for). Right now the Lakers would be: Shaq and any players they could get for the minimum. And seeing how Shaq likes to take his yearly vacation, the Lakers would be the worse team in the league.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Do you realize how ridiculous that last quote is? Shaq was asking 30 MILL A YEAR THROUGH 2010, THAT MEANS WE COULDNT AFFORD KOBE AND WE'D BE STUCK WITH A FAT, UNCONDITIONED SHAQ ON OUR PAYROLL FOR YEARS TO COME.

I think the Lakers could have used the Larry Bird Exception to resign Kobe if Shaq stayed with the Lakers.

Yea, that was really gunna happen!...LOL.

If they had stopped arguing the Lakers could have signed both of them. The problem, like you stated, is that they wouldn't be able to afford any quality players had they given Shaq $30 million a year.

They couldn't have signed both of them, Shaq was getting too jealous of Kobe taking over. In his mind it woulda' tarnished his reputation and his previous 3 rings...

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Do you realize how ridiculous that last quote is? Shaq was asking 30 MILL A YEAR THROUGH 2010, THAT MEANS WE COULDNT AFFORD KOBE AND WE'D BE STUCK WITH A FAT, UNCONDITIONED SHAQ ON OUR PAYROLL FOR YEARS TO COME.

I think the Lakers could have used the Larry Bird Exception to resign Kobe if Shaq stayed with the Lakers.

Yea, that was really gunna happen!...LOL.

If they had stopped arguing the Lakers could have signed both of them. The problem, like you stated, is that they wouldn't be able to afford any quality players had they given Shaq $30 million a year.

They couldn't have signed both of them, Shaq was getting too jealous of Kobe taking over. In his mind it woulda' tarnished his reputation and his previous 3 rings...

I know. That's why I said "if they had stopped arguing".

[Juronimo]

This year is the perfect example of the Shaq trade. When it happened, people said it was the worst trade in basketball history, worst trade since Hershall Walker for the whole Minnesota draft that lead to building the Dallas championship teams, but in the end, the Lakers are proving why the trade. I did not agree with trading Bulter, but that lead to Brown joining the team, and his starting to become a proven center in the NBA, Grant had to be part of the deal to match Shaq's contract, and the most important part is Odom. The Lakers are better with him, as the stats prove, and now that his injuried, they still are doing well. The bottom line, once Odom returns, it's a b-line to the playoffs. And after winning the title last year, Miami is now old, and Shaq is injuried, and the Heat are looking like a lottery team. The Lakers have been building championship squads for decades, and now are 2 titles shy of breaking the Celtics record for NBA titles. Once they break that record, they will go down as the best basketball franchise, as their titles have come in many eras, like the 50's in Minnesota, the 70's, 80's and 2000's, along with challenging the Celtics in the 60's, and being a highly competative team in the 90's. This is why they traded Shaq, I am a Shaq fan, I like Shaq over Kobe, but I knew why it had to be done. I usually have kept quite since the Shaq trade, out of respect for Shaq, but his career is ending, and the Lakers gamble payed off. I still pray for a Miami/Lakers final, but it doesn't look like the Heat will be there.

Personally, I hated the Shaq trade with a passion. I was a Shaq guy during the championship years and I wasn't much of a fan of Kobe's. In fact I started following Shaq when he was at LSU and I hoped back then he would end up in P&G and when it happened in '96 I couldn't have been more ecstatic.

Anyway, it looks quite apparent that Buss and Kupchak made the right decision in trading Shaq. The truth was that Shaq was just as responsible for the turmoil in LA as Kobe was and Shaq was already declining and just getting fatter and fatter while Kobe was on top of his game and had a much stronger work ethic. It was a tough decision but there is a reason why they are the ones making the decisions and not the fans or the media. They saw what was happening behind the scenes and made the correct decision.

Now we see Kobe playing MVP caliber basketball and Odom developing as a player. Miami did get a championship but they have handicapped themselves with $20,000,000 for the next 4 years for a lazy player that's a shell of his former self. Miami benefited in the short term but I think we'll benefit in the long run. We're right in the mix of things and it only took one bad year for things to right themselves. We have a great record despite injuries and once Odom and Kwame get back, we'll be right there with Dallas and SA as contenders.

I can never hate Shaq but Buss made the right decision, even if I didn't like it at the time.

[t.c.o.p.]

it was a good trade for both teams...Heat wanted a championship, and as u saw, riley put together a team last year that would win one, and it happened. Lakers needed youngers guys, and now they have turned into an actual threat in the west and they have some serious young talent. In our opinions it may have been a bad trade for one of the teams, but at the end of the day..both teams got what they wanted, and if u ask buss or riley if they would do it agin...im sure they would both say yeeesss.

[rik]

it was a good trade for both teams...Heat wanted a championship, and as u saw, riley put together a team last year that would win one, and it happened. Lakers needed youngers guys, and now they have turned into an actual threat in the west and they have some serious young talent. In our opinions it may have been a bad trade for one of the teams, but at the end of the day..both teams got what they wanted, and if u ask buss or riley if they would do it agin...im sure they would both say yeeesss.

couldn't have said it better myself.

[Don Jacob]

considering shaq helped take that team from bottom seed to top seed the year he gets traded and almost gets to the championship his first year with the fuckin heat....tells me this


the lakers with shaq and kobe could have done the same if kobe shaq management works shit out

considering shaq helped take that same team to the championship the following year with a lesser co captain than kobe.....the lakers could have easily won it as well.


so that's 2 championships  that the lakers potentially traded away.....

who's to say if management doesn't squash this beef between kobe and shaq and we get both players to be happy with playing with the team and contracts....we don't get two more championships?


history is STILL out wether this trade was good or not.....the lakers can still LOSE every year in the first round of the playoffs for the next 10 years. the next championship the lakers win will determine how good this trade was.

[GangstaBoogy]

^ wouldn't surprise me if Shaq didn't want to win another championship with the Lakers just so Kobe couldn't get one. Had he just behaved with the Lakers the way he did with the Heat, the Lakers could be on the verge of a 2nd 3-peat.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Yea, Jake, what's this you're going on about now? Shaq didn't wanna take a pay-cut or get in shape for the Lakers like he did for the Heat...And he definitely didn't wanna defer to Kobe like he did for Wade...PeACe

[Low Key]

Yea, Jake, what's this you're going on about now? Shaq didn't wanna take a pay-cut or get in shape for the Lakers like he did for the Heat...And he definitely didn't wanna defer to Kobe like he did for Wade...PeACe

When someone take a team from the bottom to the top pretty much by themselves, they don't deserve a pay cut. Shaq is going to make any team he plays for a contender, and his salary should reflect that.