2008/2009 NBA Thread v2.0

[naiwf]

Same could be said about any team. I'd say 'except the Lakers', because history has shown that they're one of the most consistent franchises, are willing to cut bait at the right time and move on, and really only ever hold onto guys that are what I would term 'true Lakers', but I'd just get called a homer.

The Lakers have the advantage of being a "destination team". People will always want to play for them, so once Kobe retires they'll just have all of his salary cap space to offer to whoever wants it and is worthy of it. Unlike the Knicks they don't hire morons for a whole decade and ruin their reputation around the league.

[DMN in the House]

I've said many times that being a Lakers fan is like being a Yankees fan. I know that Dr. Buss will always go out of his way in an attempt to win, isn't afraid of making deals, and isn't afraid of spending the money to do it. I'm sure that, even before Kobe's gone, the team will be on it's way to rebuilding, and will do it quickly, signing young free agents and making smart draft moves, even if that involves trading. I expect this current incarnation of the team to last about two to three more years, depending on Odom/Ariza (I actually think both might continue to be Lakers, depending on how much of a discount Lamar is willing to take to stay), and then there might be one or two down years, depending on who is available in free agency.

I can fully admit, if I wasn't born in Los Angeles, I'd probably hate the Lakers. I can fully understand why people hate Laker fans, because many are bandwagon fans, it happens to all successful teams. It's just refreshing to know that at least one of my teams will almost always make the right decisions to stay competitive, unlike the Raiders, and, though not quite as often, the Dodgers.

[naiwf]

I don't really hate the Lakers but that's because they never beat my team for a title. Now Boston & Chicago can fuck off and die, and whatever team LeBron is on too. If I was a fan of a team in the Western Conference I'd probably hate the Spurs & Lakers with a passion by now.

[AJ]

Was at training last night and in the younger training group you would not believe the amount of Lakers merchandise being worn. I mean I can't exactly say I'm a proper Magic fan but it's the only team I could lay claim to seeing as how it's the only place in the U.S. I've ever been (aside from a brief refuelling stop in Maine in '94 ) but the level of fanboyism is outstanding over here. Our coach made all the kids in the LA jerseys wear bibs 'cause he can't stand them. So hilariously spiteful, I loved it.

[Blaze09]

I don't really hate the Lakers but that's because they never beat my team for a title. Now Boston & Chicago can fuck off and die, and whatever team LeBron is on too. If I was a fan of a team in the Western Conference I'd probably hate the Spurs & Lakers with a passion by now.

So what if LeBron goes to the Knicks or Nets (if they are in Brooklyn by then)?

[JStarr]

I've said many times that being a Lakers fan is like being a Yankees fan. I know that Dr. Buss will always go out of his way in an attempt to win, isn't afraid of making deals, and isn't afraid of spending the money to do it. I'm sure that, even before Kobe's gone, the team will be on it's way to rebuilding, and will do it quickly, signing young free agents and making smart draft moves, even if that involves trading. I expect this current incarnation of the team to last about two to three more years, depending on Odom/Ariza (I actually think both might continue to be Lakers, depending on how much of a discount Lamar is willing to take to stay), and then there might be one or two down years, depending on who is available in free agency.

I can fully admit, if I wasn't born in Los Angeles, I'd probably hate the Lakers. I can fully understand why people hate Laker fans, because many are bandwagon fans, it happens to all successful teams. It's just refreshing to know that at least one of my teams will almost always make the right decisions to stay competitive, unlike the Raiders, and, though not quite as often, the Dodgers.

I can respect the Lakers because of all the things you mentioned there. Perhaps it's the different mechanics of the NBA vs. those of MLB, but NBA teams do have to have some sort of method to their madness aside from SPEND, SPEND, SPEND and then SPEND SOME MORE. The Lakers always seem to recover nicely from the few bad decisions they make and get back on top or close to it with SMART moves, not just BIG moves. MLB teams, the Yankees in particular, just get more and more obnoxious about throwing cash around like it's birdseed.

Who would have thought that a little acquisition like Trevor Ariza would have paid the kind of dividends that it has? But those are the kinds of moves that the Lakers make instead of having to go and chase every multi-time All-Star free agent out there. I'm not a Lakers fan, per se, but hot damn, anyone who can't respect the moves that they make doesn't know shit about basketball.

[Mr Evil Guy]

I don't really hate the Lakers but that's because they never beat my team for a title. Now Boston & Chicago can fuck off and die, and whatever team LeBron is on too. If I was a fan of a team in the Western Conference I'd probably hate the Spurs & Lakers with a passion by now.

So what if LeBron goes to the Knicks or Nets (if they are in Brooklyn by then)?

I think naiwf is a fan of the Knicks winning.

Also, the Raptors are screwed. Just realized they dealt Kapono to the 6ers. Then Bosh gone next season brings us back to starting from scratch.

[VerbalPuke]

I often wonder if the dynamic of this Laker team would be any different had they not traded Caron Butler. I wonder if the trade with Gasol would have still happened, because that would be a fucking scary line up.

[NobBe Nobbs]

I don't really hate the Lakers but that's because they never beat my team for a title. Now Boston & Chicago can fuck off and die, and whatever team LeBron is on too. If I was a fan of a team in the Western Conference I'd probably hate the Spurs & Lakers with a passion by now.

So what if LeBron goes to the Knicks or Nets (if they are in Brooklyn by then)?

I think naiwf is a fan of the Knicks winning.

Also, the Raptors are screwed. Just realized they dealt Kapono to the 6ers. Then Bosh gone next season brings us back to starting from scratch.

What is it about Kapono that makes teams want to trade him? Isn't he...like, the most accurate three-pointer in history?

[wrathofcarnage]

I don't really hate the Lakers but that's because they never beat my team for a title. Now Boston & Chicago can fuck off and die, and whatever team LeBron is on too. If I was a fan of a team in the Western Conference I'd probably hate the Spurs & Lakers with a passion by now.

I would have said the same about the Knicks even a few years ago, but really I would like them to become competitive again so that I can feel better about hating them. I miss having a team to hate. I thought Miami would become that team, but I can't really bring myself to hate Wade even though he always kills us.

I can still probably name over a dozen players from those 90s Knicks teams that I wanted to see fuck off and die. Ewing, Oakley, Starks, Hubert, Pat Riley, Starks, Derek Harper, STARKS, Hue Hollins. Fortunately, the Knicks and Bulls both seem to be improving, so I hope we renew that rivalry. If Larry Hughes clotheslines D-Rose I think we'll have a good start.

[naiwf]

I don't really hate the Lakers but that's because they never beat my team for a title. Now Boston & Chicago can fuck off and die, and whatever team LeBron is on too. If I was a fan of a team in the Western Conference I'd probably hate the Spurs & Lakers with a passion by now.

So what if LeBron goes to the Knicks or Nets (if they are in Brooklyn by then)?

I won't root for him if he plays for the Knicks. People from Brooklyn tend to suck, so I hope he lives down to the hype if he goes to the Nets. It's the same way I would have felt if the Mets ever got either Jeter or A-Rod.

[jrtdot]

I don't really hate the Lakers but that's because they never beat my team for a title. Now Boston & Chicago can fuck off and die, and whatever team LeBron is on too. If I was a fan of a team in the Western Conference I'd probably hate the Spurs & Lakers with a passion by now.

So what if LeBron goes to the Knicks or Nets (if they are in Brooklyn by then)?

I think naiwf is a fan of the Knicks winning.

Also, the Raptors are screwed. Just realized they dealt Kapono to the 6ers. Then Bosh gone next season brings us back to starting from scratch.

What is it about Kapono that makes teams want to trade him? Isn't he...like, the most accurate three-pointer in history?

He might be but at times he can't hit anything within the 3 point line, he is one of those shooters who cannot create shots, and, for a Raptors team in which many cannot create shots, it becomes frustrating. On the otherside, Mitchell and Triano only gave him certain amount of minutes during his seasons here. I believe in Miami he had more minutes and a bigger role.

Another reasoning for trading him is his salary and the fact that what the Raptors need for next season is some scrappy Charles Oakley players and a strong SG/SF to start.

[DMN in the House]

Man, woc, those names bring back memories of some of my favorite playoff series of all time. Knicks/Heat. Just wars. Charles Oakley was my man.

[KeepinThatFunkAliveV4]

Man, woc, those names bring back memories of some of my favorite playoff series of all time. Knicks/Heat. Just wars. Charles Oakley was my man.

As someone who isn't a fan of either of those teams, those series were great to watch...although my most prominent memory is Van Gundy latching onto Zo's leg.

[Blaze09]

Man, woc, those names bring back memories of some of my favorite playoff series of all time. Knicks/Heat. Just wars. Charles Oakley was my man.

As someone who isn't a fan of either of those teams, those series were great to watch...although my most prominent memory is Van Gundy latching onto Zo's leg.

LOL, that will live on forever. When it's finally his time, if ESPN show that clip, I wouldnt know what to do,

But I never liked Charles Oakley, just didn't do it for me...but I hate the Jail Blazers from the beginning of the decade probably 5 notches below the level WoC hates the Knicks

[Trey]

Something I thought was interesting was that arguably, or the three biggest stars in their prime (Duncan, Kobe, or Shaq) at least one of them has been in every Finals this decade. The Spurs or Lakers have been in every Finals except when the Mavericks went. I think that you can make the argument for both teams when it comes to team of the decade, but I think the idea of a Lakers-Celtics in the 80's comparison fits much better as there wasn't really a dominate team all decade like Russell's Celtics or Jordan's Bulls.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

I've only really started taken notice and caring about NBA in the last week and haven't ever really followed it until these finals. Is it normal that the commentators cream over Kobe throughout every single game he's involved in? Okay, I get that he's a great player and stuff, but I've watched about four games now and every game has consisted of the commentary team nagging on about him, to a point where I now actually hate the guy.

Despite my knowledge for it, I've actually really enjoyed watching these finals, so I'll more than likely start watching more from here on. I watched highlights of the Cavaliers/Magics game and was gutted that the Cavaliers went out, mainly because LeBron has instantly become my favourite player. Am I wrong in thinking Orlando really aren't that great? I've been hoping for them to win, but they've just looked above average to me or maybe it's just because I know fuck all about the game :/

[AJ]

That's because the Lakers have made them look average. If you had seen any Magic games before the finals you would have seen a different team but LA have just been too strong.

[maninblack]

Was hoping Orlando could have at least forced a game 6.

In any case, congrats to the Lakers and their fans. They were just too strong and too hungry to be beat.

[wrathofcarnage]

The Magic were INCREDIBLY streaky all season. They hit a good patch for most of the finals and matched up very well with the Sixers, Celts and Cavs. They played a bit more down-to-earth in the finals and the Lakers played them exactly how they needed to play them, they let Dwight be a beast on the boards and mostly shut down Lewis and Turk, trying to force Rafer and Courtney Lee to beat them.

Spoiler: Click here to view

They didn't.

The Laker's simply had too many options on offense. Orlando could handle guys like Iggy and Pierce/Allen/Rondo, and they even managed to take care of Lebron because they didn't really have to worry about anyone else on that Cavalier team. LA got production from EVERYWHERE. Gasol, Bynum, Ariza, Fish... everyone played their role the way they needed to. Say what you will about Phil Jackson getting handed great teams, but Jordan, Pippen, Shaq and Kobe don't make him a legend, Paxson, Grant, Kerr, Kukoc, Horry, Fisher and Ariza do.