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goddfather40 · 07-17-2004, 10:34 AM

Alright, it's time for me to chime in.

I am sad to see Shaq leave. But I think it was the right move. Dr. Buss and Kupchak knew all season that Shaq was going to be gone by end of the '04-'05 season at least. He rejected a three-year contract extension last summer that would have made him the highest paid player in the league. He WAS going to be a free agent next year and therefore he would have left the Lakers and the Lakers would have got nothing in return. NBA GM's no doubt knew this, and any leverage the Laker's had was evaporating week by week.

Also, as a person who has watched almost every Laker game for the past 10 years and watched almost every game this year, I can tell you that Shaq's skills have diminished. Sure, he is still the most dominant player in the league but he was tired and immobile many times during the year. Inconsistency is going to be even more apparent next year.

As for those people who feel Kobe has not proved himself in the league, I can tell that the Lakers would not have won the three titles in a row without Kobe (or without Shaq of course too). Even in 00', when Shaq had his most dominant year, they would not have won without Kobe. Would the Lakers have won Game 4 of the '00 Finals when Shaq fouled out and Kobe took over in OT, or even Game 1 against Phoenix in the western semi's that year? Kobe is perennial all-NBA on defense and overall. He is a great passer and the best one on one player in the league. Anyone who quotes the Lakers relatively dismal record when Shaq was injured is not telling the whole story. Those times they didn't have three players replacing Shaq, let alone a solid player like Odom.

For what it's worth, I think the Lakers will go 49-33 next year. Kobe is the best competitor in the league and doesn't not accept losing very well. Kobe will benefit from not being bound by the triangle. With a couple more moves, hopefully the Lakers will contend for the title in 2 or 3 years.

Lakers fans are split over the events of the past few weeks, but only time will tell whether the decisions made were good or bad for the team. Anyone who thinks they know what is going to happen is only guessing.

07-17-2004, 10:34 AM	#27 (permalink)
goddfather40 Llama Location: Cali-for-nye-a	Alright, it's time for me to chime in. I am sad to see Shaq leave. But I think it was the right move. Dr. Buss and Kupchak knew all season that Shaq was going to be gone by end of the '04-'05 season at least. He rejected a three-year contract extension last summer that would have made him the highest paid player in the league. He WAS going to be a free agent next year and therefore he would have left the Lakers and the Lakers would have got nothing in return. NBA GM's no doubt knew this, and any leverage the Laker's had was evaporating week by week. Also, as a person who has watched almost every Laker game for the past 10 years and watched almost every game this year, I can tell you that Shaq's skills have diminished. Sure, he is still the most dominant player in the league but he was tired and immobile many times during the year. Inconsistency is going to be even more apparent next year. As for those people who feel Kobe has not proved himself in the league, I can tell that the Lakers would not have won the three titles in a row without Kobe (or without Shaq of course too). Even in 00', when Shaq had his most dominant year, they would not have won without Kobe. Would the Lakers have won Game 4 of the '00 Finals when Shaq fouled out and Kobe took over in OT, or even Game 1 against Phoenix in the western semi's that year? Kobe is perennial all-NBA on defense and overall. He is a great passer and the best one on one player in the league. Anyone who quotes the Lakers relatively dismal record when Shaq was injured is not telling the whole story. Those times they didn't have three players replacing Shaq, let alone a solid player like Odom. For what it's worth, I think the Lakers will go 49-33 next year. Kobe is the best competitor in the league and doesn't not accept losing very well. Kobe will benefit from not being bound by the triangle. With a couple more moves, hopefully the Lakers will contend for the title in 2 or 3 years. Lakers fans are split over the events of the past few weeks, but only time will tell whether the decisions made were good or bad for the team. Anyone who thinks they know what is going to happen is only guessing. __________________ My name is goddfather40 and I approved this message. I got ho's and I got bitches, In C++ I branch with switches -MC Plus+ Last edited by goddfather40; 07-17-2004 at 10:37 AM..