NBA Off-Season...

[matbar]

WHOOOOO! The Nugs get K-Mart!!!!!!

isn't it ironic that K-Mart is being paid with the Walmart money?

[punky]

Fisher with the .. Warriors?

The hell? He'd be better signing with the Bobcats.

[thuganomic]

Fisher! No!

Rockets need you!

[SeanB]

Fisher! No!

Rockets need you!

I also thought that would be the perfect fit for Fisher. A 3 man nucleus of T-Mac/Yao/Fisher would be fun to watch. Especially if Fisher is knocking down the trey like he is expected to do.

[D-Extreme]

I do think the Lakers will have the power to go to the playoffs this coming season. Even though they have not much of a chance to win this season right now, I dunno maybe, just maybe they can ATLEAST make it to the semis this coming season.

As for the NY/Chicago deal. I think it wont happen since I havent heard a thing for the Crawford deal. It seems like Paxson thinks they will get the crap end of the deal. (what can you expect for a possible scenario of you sending Crawford and 2 high salary contracts for Anderson, Norris and 3 expiring contracts?)

K-Mart to Nuggets? Damn, there goes the Nets hope for the NBA championship.

[Typical Phenom]

The Lakers will sign whoever the Big Fish is next season purely because they're the Lakers. It's the same reason why the Knicks are always mentioned when there are big free agents. They talked about Garnett coming to NY, Webber to NY, Rasheed to NY, just because it's the Knicks. Syco, keep fendin' off the haters.

K-Mart to the Nuggets, I'm happy because he's more than those first round picks would have amounted to, but it opened the door for Chris Anderson to split to the Hornets. Anderson was a high energy guy and a huge partier. I figure in New Orleans, he'll party TOO much and hurt his career. Ah well.

As a Knicks fan (still hoping for a Knicks-Nuggets final some year), I'd welcome VC with open arms. Most people don't consider him a franchise player anymore, but he hasn't been happy in Toronto either. When you're not happy, your game tends to suffer. I think if he's put in a big market like NY, promoted, he'd step his game back up.

The Clippers will always suck.

[Slimg]

Are there any rumored trades for VC yet? I know the Knicks want him. But who else?

[sahyder1]

Are there any rumored trades for VC yet? I know the Knicks want him. But who else?

←

The Mavs were another team rumoured to get him. There rumours early in the offseason having him go to Philly for AI.

[*RDB*]

The Lakers will sign whoever the Big Fish is next season purely because they're the Lakers.  It's the same reason why the Knicks are always mentioned when there are big free agents.  They talked about Garnett coming to NY, Webber to NY, Rasheed to NY, just because it's the Knicks.  Syco, keep fendin' off the haters. 

As a Knicks fan (still hoping for a Knicks-Nuggets final some year), I'd welcome VC with open arms.  Most people don't consider him a franchise player anymore, but he hasn't been happy in Toronto either.  When you're not happy, your game tends to suffer.  I think if he's put in a big market like NY, promoted, he'd step his game back up. 

The Clippers will always suck.

←

AS I'll continue to say, no Big Fish player is going to want to play as Kobe's right hand man. Lakers may get a second level player, but they will have to draft or trade for another "superstar" player to play alongside Kobe, unless they aren't selfish which is sadly rare now a days. And the only "bait" they had in effort to get a said superstar walked out the door and got him a beach home in Miami.

As for the NY being in trade talks all the time, yes, NY being the market that it is always has a spot for talk, but really.. outside of Marbury, who on that Knick squad is really just an impact franchise player? If a player is trying to make a name for himself, it would make very good sense to go to New York, because in my eyes they have a very high probabilty of being the star instantly on the team.

What it comes down to

In the Lakers case, you look at that lineup and you see one big star already, Kobe Bryant who falls in the category of Allen Iverson, Shaq, and even T-mac. The First Option boys..

And when you really think about it, TMac got traded to Houston (and will probably accept limiting his touches to form a powerful duo).

The Lakers went no where during the young Kobe years until Shaq and Kobe shared the pill

Iverson did nothing for his team shooting the ball 2 times more than the SF, but who was the guy that continued to hit big shots down the stretch leading up to those said finals vs. the Lakers? Eric Snow.

My final statement is this, I don't care anymore about if the Lakers win or not.. they have proven to me right now that they'd rather worry about personal squabbles (proving points, settling egos) rather than fixing a minor problem and winning a few more champions.

A great writer, Dick Vitale has even said, that he once compared Kobe to the great Michael Jordan, but now he wish he didn't because MJ welcomed the outlandish Dennis Rodman with open arms to Chicago because he knew, that Dennis would help the Bulls sustain a championship. However on the otherhand the selfishness and petty squabbles between Kobe/Shaq has broken an empire and who the offense run through seems to be way more important than winning rings.

The Lakers duo of Kobe and Shaq would have enticed a possible free agent and built up another 3 championships if they could have just shut up and played ball the way it is supposed to be played.

I leave thinking that neither one will be able to get the job done by themself. Shaq has a greater chance as Big men are harder to come by, but Kobe will find the road to the NBA championship this way will be easier said than done without "talented" help.

- RDB

[D-Extreme]

What are you talking about man? I thought Kobe ALREADY has a right hand man....Luke Walton? Ok that sounds weird but hey he plays good.

[DMN in the House]

I love Luke, he'd be a great Scottie Pippen to Kobe, because he can pass and play high energy defense.

And RDB, you can keep saying Kobe will scare people away, but the reality is that people WANT to play with Kobe. People WANT to play in LA. People WANT to play in the purple and gold. The Lakers aren't one of these teams that recently got good and have no tradition or history, like the Mavs or the Nuggets, but a team that has always been good, and as long as management keeps doing what they do, will always be good.

[D-Extreme]

Thankgod I aint the only Luke Walton fan here. Yeah I think its teams Like the Lakers and the Celtics where people want to be due to their history and tradition. Though I am not sure about the Celtics this decade.

Since from the start they have been one of the most dominating teams in the History of the NBA. I cant wait to see yet another Celtic-Laker rivalry soon. But I think it wont happen this season, but then again we may never know.

In other news, damn I wonder what Fisher can contribute to the Warriors. Van Exel is already there so I aint sure what Fisher can help the Warriors with instead of very good shooting from the perimeter.

[Guest bukkake bandit]

K-Mart to Nuggets? Damn, there goes the Nets hope for the NBA championship.

For this season. With Mutumbo, Mourning, and Kittles' contracts expiring the Nets will have around 20+ million in cap space(pre-RJ resigning). I doubt the new owner will spend that, but it sure is a nice thing to bring up.

In other news, damn I wonder what Fisher can contribute to the Warriors. Van Exel is already there so I aint sure what Fisher can help the Warriors with instead of very good shooting from the perimeter.

They have Speedy Claxton too. Bluntly, Chris Mullin is an idiot.

Edited July 19, 2004 by bukkake bandit

[thuganomic]

How many FAs has Kobe lulled to LA?

Nobody.

Malone and Payton went because of Shaq.....now that Shaq left, Payton and Malone want out as well

[DMN in the House]

LA sports talk stations are reporting Vlade Divac is coming back to LA.

He'll help our big man situation. He can pass, and still score a bit. Makes things look brighter for us.

[thuganomic]

LA sports talk stations are reporting Vlade Divac is coming back to LA.

He'll help our big man situation. He can pass, and still score a bit. Makes things look brighter for us.

←

Whoopee. Another person that left LA because of Kobe Bryant.

Spare me on the techincal stuff.....would ya?

[livid]

Wow, you guys don't seem to get the concept of what Syco, TP and I have been saying. The Lakers will get a good player because they are the LAKERS. It doesn't matter who the team captain is, it doesn't matter who the coach is, because the Lakers are a historic team and historic teams have tradition, and when you have tradition, you tend to keep it and I know Jerry Buss isn't going to sit back and watch the Lakers turn into the Clippers. So to say that nobody will be lured by LA, you really need to look at it deeper than Kobe being the boss and nobody wants to play his right hand man. But if the Lakers are a good team, and Kobe's the leader, and they have a chance at the trophy, then people will do what Payton and Malone did this past year and take paycuts to try and earn a ring.

And by the way, the Lakers do have other options. With Shaq gone, George will play a bigger role, Payton's returning, Walton's starting to develop, Malone will be solid (if he doesn't retire), and with the rumor of Vlade returning, as well as the people the Lakers picked up in the Shaq deal, it only makes it better. To say that Lakers are in dyer need of a big name is false, because as of right now, they have a solid team and it's not like they're going to fall off the western conference or anything. The Lakers will get that big name if they produce this season, which they will.

[*RDB*]

Wow, you guys don't seem to get the concept of what Syco, TP and I have been saying. The Lakers will get a good player because they are the LAKERS. It doesn't matter who the team captain is, it doesn't matter who the coach is, because the Lakers are a historic team and historic teams have tradition, and when you have tradition, you tend to keep it and I know Jerry Buss isn't going to sit back and watch the Lakers turn into the Clippers. So to say that nobody will be lured by LA, you really need to look at it deeper than Kobe being the boss and nobody wants to play his right hand man. But if the Lakers are a good team, and Kobe's the leader, and they have a chance at the trophy, then people will do what Payton and Malone did this past year and take paycuts to try and earn a ring.

And by the way, the Lakers do have other options. With Shaq gone, George will play a bigger role, Payton's returning, Walton's starting to develop, Malone will be solid (if he doesn't retire), and with the rumor of Vlade returning, as well as the people the Lakers picked up in the Shaq deal,  it only makes it better. To say that Lakers are in dyer need of a big name is false, because as of right now, they have a solid team and it's not like they're going to fall off the western conference or anything. The Lakers will get that big name if they produce this season, which they will.

←

You are very right, but I just don't get the "historic" team defense. To me it doesn't hold water at all.. because in fact, I will keep using the AI defense. Philadelphia is a said team with tradition yet, with Allen Iverson they have to try a lot harder to lure someone. In fact I can't even remember who Philly has ever been able to accquire outside of inside deals with the Nets.

However beside the point I applaud the Lakers for going after Vlade if it's true. He'd be a good fit and would atleast make the Lakers a playoff team no doubt. He fits what I figured the Lakers would go after (a second tier player) and will not be there much longer than Shaq would have age wise so it's a good fit.

[DMN in the House]

It has more to do with the Laker's history of going out and getting names then anything else. No other team really has that type of history.

[EWRFan]

The Lakers wont fall out of contention that easy....even in their worst periods they have been contenders. I am a Laker hater...but deep down I like Kobe and I think Luke Walton will become a superstar if they play to his strenghts. This team will be a playoff team, but not a championship team.

By the way, I think Van Exel will be traded to make room for Fisher.