Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Ladies and gentlement, your 04-05 Los Angeles Lakers

Halx · 07-22-2004, 10:30 AM

WHAT? Kurant, man... you obviously don't know what I know about the Lakers.

1) Payton was brilliant last year when Phil Jackson let him control the game. However, in the playoffs, things tightened up and Gary wasn't allowed to control the game like he knows how. That's the big reason why everyone thinks he's washed up. I don't know if you know this, but playing for 14 years with one loose style of play, and then conforming to a foreign, strict and complicated game plan is not eaay.

2) Fisher has been replaced by Rush (who is also quite clutch) and Butler. While Fish was undoubtedly the best at drawing charges, he taught that to Walton and so we aren't missing much of a beat with him. Besides, Fish was a streaky shooter at best. He was not in good standing with the fans until that shot against the Spurs.

3) The loss of the most dominating center in the game was inevitable, BUT we got quality in return. True, the Lakers won't be able to run half-court sets like they used to, but the abortion of The Big Crybaby opened up a gameplan that was previously only run with the second unit: RUNNING GAME. Everyone is acting like the Lakers lost a huge chunk of their game without replacing it with anything. As a fan of basketball and a fan of the Lakers, I'm more than pleased to see that my team will be an energetic, creative and exciting team. Remember how that worked out in the 80's with Showtime?

4) Laker fans know Shaq was a huge part of the 3-peat. However, in the 2 years following that, we also know he was more of a drag than ever. Despite his dominating presence, you have to factor in all the turmoil he caused. He took an extended vacation and neglected to get surgery until late in the preseason, thus missing 11 games. He shows up for camp totally out of shape. He comes to the press after every loss, whining about how he never gets the ball. He and Kobe simply did not get along.

5) There is something that you feel about your team... I just felt like the Lakers didn't have the high spirits and the extra gears to get them past certain teams on some nights, no matter how easy the opponent was. How do you fix this? You change the environment of the team. You mix it up a little. You get rid of the cancer. Shaq was a drag. You can call Kobe a drag too, I'll allow you that. However, the most they affected the team was when the two rubbed eachother the wrong way - one of them had to go.

6) The Lakers no longer have the smug, buddy-buddy team aura that they showed with Shaq. I see this as good. They're going to develop a work ethic now. They're gonna be a working team that gets it done on the court instead of the chalk board. That means a lot.

In conclusion, the Lakers are a totally different team now. It would be unfair to say they lost anything until you saw them play as a team on opening day. There have been so many factors and variables that have changed in this offseason that to count them out all ready would be premature.

07-22-2004, 10:30 AM	#50 (permalink)
Halx Please touch this. Owner/Admin Location: Manhattan	WHAT? Kurant, man... you obviously don't know what I know about the Lakers. 1) Payton was brilliant last year when Phil Jackson let him control the game. However, in the playoffs, things tightened up and Gary wasn't allowed to control the game like he knows how. That's the big reason why everyone thinks he's washed up. I don't know if you know this, but playing for 14 years with one loose style of play, and then conforming to a foreign, strict and complicated game plan is not eaay. 2) Fisher has been replaced by Rush (who is also quite clutch) and Butler. While Fish was undoubtedly the best at drawing charges, he taught that to Walton and so we aren't missing much of a beat with him. Besides, Fish was a streaky shooter at best. He was not in good standing with the fans until that shot against the Spurs. 3) The loss of the most dominating center in the game was inevitable, BUT we got quality in return. True, the Lakers won't be able to run half-court sets like they used to, but the abortion of The Big Crybaby opened up a gameplan that was previously only run with the second unit: RUNNING GAME. Everyone is acting like the Lakers lost a huge chunk of their game without replacing it with anything. As a fan of basketball and a fan of the Lakers, I'm more than pleased to see that my team will be an energetic, creative and exciting team. Remember how that worked out in the 80's with Showtime? 4) Laker fans know Shaq was a huge part of the 3-peat. However, in the 2 years following that, we also know he was more of a drag than ever. Despite his dominating presence, you have to factor in all the turmoil he caused. He took an extended vacation and neglected to get surgery until late in the preseason, thus missing 11 games. He shows up for camp totally out of shape. He comes to the press after every loss, whining about how he never gets the ball. He and Kobe simply did not get along. 5) There is something that you feel about your team... I just felt like the Lakers didn't have the high spirits and the extra gears to get them past certain teams on some nights, no matter how easy the opponent was. How do you fix this? You change the environment of the team. You mix it up a little. You get rid of the cancer. Shaq was a drag. You can call Kobe a drag too, I'll allow you that. However, the most they affected the team was when the two rubbed eachother the wrong way - one of them had to go. 6) The Lakers no longer have the smug, buddy-buddy team aura that they showed with Shaq. I see this as good. They're going to develop a work ethic now. They're gonna be a working team that gets it done on the court instead of the chalk board. That means a lot. In conclusion, the Lakers are a totally different team now. It would be unfair to say they lost anything until you saw them play as a team on opening day. There have been so many factors and variables that have changed in this offseason that to count them out all ready would be premature. __________________ You have found this post informative. -The Administrator [Don't Feed The Animals] Last edited by Halx; 07-22-2004 at 10:32 AM..