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My Team: San Antonio Spurs
huh?
I've sat here and watched most of you explain how we'd be better off tanking and couldn't help but to think how absurd that idea is. Why should we tank for a shot at a number five pick when we can count on a couple of them to come to us during free agency. Its stupid, and a waste of our time to have to develop these players when we can just wait until they are stars and pluck them from your roster. And its lesson of a risk too. So you guys can continue to draft... we'll continue to pluck.
My Team: San Antonio Spurs
huh?
Forgot to switch to his Laker account
Lol
Who wants to play with Kobe?
I don't have a Laker account.
Which dumbass laker is this?
Three years have passed since the Los Angeles Lakers last won an NBA championship. With their first-round playoff exit a few months back and Dwight Howard bolting for Houston this summer, many are counting the Lakers out. However, David Stern isn’t ready to hammer the nail into the Lakers’ coffin. He’s seen this situation too many times in the past, and he knows better than to doubt the Lakers’ organization.
Stern expects that the Lakers are already thinking about being a better basketball team this coming season, as opposed to their train wreck of a year in 2012-13, according to Mark Medina:“I expect that the Lakers aren’t thinking about the premise of your question, which implies on that they’re not going to do better next year than they did the last year,” Stern said during a meeting with reporters Thursday at the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas. “I don’t want to speculate beyond that, but I can tell you that’s not the basis upon which the Lakers are functioning. They expect to have a much better year.”Stern’s right: while many people were calling for the Lakers to tank this year in order to have a shot at Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker, the Lakers were never going to go that route. Every year the Lakers are looking to compete – they’ve only missed the playoffs a total of five times in their close to 70-year history – and the next season will be no different.
And of course, after the 2013-14 season, they have the likes of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony in their sights.
As Kobe Bryant always says: the Lakers don’t rebuild, they
reload
http://lakerholicz.com/david-stern-d...-down-for-long SMH...Empre$$ $tern to the rescue for his baby AGAIN!!
Lets see.
Robert Horry
Rick Fox
John Sally
AC Green
Glen Rice
Gary Payton
Karl Malone
Caron Butler
Lamar Odom
Pau Gasol
Steve Nash
Ron Artest
Trvor Ariza
Any superstars?
For all that plucking their best player this past season was a guy who they got on draft night. There's a lot of polishing to be done to get rid of the tarnish that management's put on that franchise in the last few years. At present there's only one guy in the league that would be an overnight game changer for the Lakers like Shaq was, and if they can't land Lebron then they had better start brushing up on those drafting skills again.
lol we
odom demanded to be traded and Ariza bolted after winning a chip
"The word superstar is thrown around too loosely."
- Jerry West
Odom was kicked out and Ariza was replaced by Artest while he and his agent pussy footed around. Just like America doesn't negotiate with terrorists. .. we don't negotiate with scrubs.
I'll adress that polishing in my next thread. Its sure to be a dandy.
And Horry dumped Kirby's ass to play with Duncan as soon as the opportunity was there....
Ariza did not bolt, Lakers chose to go after Artest, and Odom regrets that decision big time. Get your facts straight your making us Spurs Fans seem stupid compared to these laker s.
Half of those guys wanted to play with Shaq, not Kobe. You obviously don't know about what was going on inside your team's locker room in the early-mid 2000s when Shaq was still there
“I was at a motel in Williston, North Dakota, when the call came from Mitch. “You’re not going to believe this,” he said, telling me about Kobe and the rape allegations in Colorado. Was I surprised? Yes, but not entirely. Kobe can be consumed with surprising anger, which he’s displayed toward me and toward his teammates.”
“To be completely fair, there were a couple things I did over the years to alienate Kobe. The most glaring example was the interview I gave in 2001 to Rick Telander, a writer I knew in Chicago. Rick asked if I believed Kobe was the heir apparent to Michael Jordan. Assuming, naively in retrospect, that a conversation after the official interview was off the record, I mentioned to Rick that I had been told that in high school Kobe “sabotaged” games to keep them close enough for him to dominate at the end. Needless to say, the quotes appeared verbatim in Rick’s story, sparking a major uproar. (Kobe has never forgiven me. Last Spring, during a particularly acrimonious team meeting, Rick Fox complained to Kobe and Shaq. “The thing that hurts us about this season,” Fox said, “is that both of you have acted like you’re apart from us, and that we’re not any good. We have won championships for each other, sacrificing, and all of a sudden, you turn your backs on us.” Shaq, clearly affected, began to respond when Kobe cut him off. “Quit your crying,” Kobe said. I then jumped in. “Kobe, you’re as much to blame as Shaq is, if not more.” “You’re the one who should f***ing talk,” he said. “You said I sabotaged games.”
“From what I understand, the defining characteristic of Kobe’s childhood was his anger”
“I’m not going to take any from Shaq this year,” Kobe blurted out. “If he starts saying things in the press, I’ll fire back. I’m not afraid to go up against him. I’ve had it.”
“Since the charges were made, Kobe has been treated remarkably well by the Lakers organization and the fans. He gave his press conference at Staples with our blessing, and we have agree–once we attained permission from the league to make sure the funds wouldn’t be applied to the salary cap–to cover a percentage of his private plane expenses to and from Colorado for court hearings. This will cost thousands of dollars. Kobe was unhappy with the type of plane that was selected; he wanted one with higher status. He should feel fortunate he’s not footing the whole bill himself.”
Kobe to the press: “I definitely don’t need advice on how to play my game,” he said “I know how to play my guard spot. He can worry about the low post”
“Why don’t the two get along? I have my theories, one of which is that Shaquille is making the type of money, about $25 million a year, that Kobe will never earn due to the changes in the league’s collective bargaining agreement. No matter how many MVP trophies Kobe might collect in the decade ahead, there is nothing he can do about this discrepancy. In fact, the word I got was that Kobe was the only player in the entire league who voted against the agreement because of the cap it put on salaries.”
“This was another example of the basic difference between him and Kobe. Ask Shaq to do something and he’ll say: “No, I don’t want to do that.” But after a little pouting, he will do it. Ask Kobe, and he’ll say “okay,” and then he will do whatever he wants.”
“Kobe’s defense, to be accurate, has faltered in recent years, despite his presence on the league’s all-defensive team. The voters have been seduced by his remarkable athleticism and spectacular steals, but he hasn’t played sound, fundamental defense. Mesmerized by the ball, he’s gambled too frequently, putting us out of position, forcing rotations that leave a man wide open, and doesn’t keep his feet on the ground.”
“After the gun sounded, Kobe went over to Devean, berating him for not calling timeout when the play broke down. Kobe was right but he was wrong to reprimand his teammate on the court, in front of the crowd and the cameras.”
“Worse yet, Kobe and I had gotten into it earlier in the game after he threw a poor pass that Anthony stole, resulting in a Denver layup. “You can’t make that pass,’ I told Kobe when he came off the floor in the next timeout. “Well, you better teach those motherf***ers how to run the offense,” he said. I sat him down on the spot. “Watch your mouth,” I said.
A non Kobe related excerpt, but very entertaining:
“I’m generally not a big believer in team meetings, which rarely produce any earth-shattering changes. I can’t recall a single instance when I felt better afterward. I did hear of one meeting that made quite an impression on players. Disgusted with his team’s performance during a West Coast Trip, Jack McMahon, who coached the Cincinnati Royals in the 1960s, called a meeting in the hotel to restore order. The players dreaded it, but according to my former Knicks teammate, Jerry Lucas, they were greeted with two cases of beer, four quarts of whiskey, and three hookers. “Guys, you figure this out,” McMahon said before leaving the room. The Royals figured it out, all right, going on a long winning streak.”
“When I asked Kobe to stop his habit of screaming at his teammates on the court because it creates insecurity, he came right back at me. “That’s bull ,” he said. “You’re the one that’s causing them to be anxious. They’re afraid to make a mistake.”
“When I arrived, waiting for me was a chicken Caesar salad and the printout of a story claiming Kobe hit on a room service attendant in Portland. We were waiting for stories like this to surface. The woman, according to the article, refused the overture, saying that Kobe accepted the rejection “like a gentleman.” This was bound to create trouble at the Bryant home in Newport Beach.”
“Earlier this week at El Segundo there was an incident at practice. On the way to the court, I asked Kobe, still nursing a sore shoulder, if he was up to doing a little running. Sure, he responded, as soon as he finished his treatment. Almost an hour went by, and there was no Kobe sighting. Finally, with an ice pack on his shoulder, he took a seat on the sideline. It began to dawn on me that contrary to what he had told me, Kobe had no intention of running. After practice I followed Kobe to the training room, asking him why he lied to me. He was being sarcastic, he said. Wrong answer. I told him that he needed to treat me with respect, not sarcasm. I turned and walked away, heading to the coaches’ locker room. A minute later I heard him cursing in the training room in front of the players, though I couldn’t make out the exact words….Now I was the one who was angry. I went upstairs to see Mitch in his office. Wasting no time, I went off on a tirade about the need to deal Kobe before the trading deadline in mid-February. “I won’t coach this team next year if he is still here,” I said emphatically. “He won’t listen to anyone. I’ve had it with this kid.” My monologue-Mitch barely said a word at first-reminded me of similar eruption in the middle of my first year when I presented what I thought was a very logical argument for trading Kobe at that time. “Everyone says what a mature person this kid is,” I said. “He’s not mature at all.” The deal I had in mind was Kobe to Phoenix for Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion.”
“At practice the day before Kobe, who told Vitti that his finger hadn’t healed sufficiently for him to play in the Miami game, was taking a few shots left-handed when I asked him not to be a distraction. I needed to work with the players who would be suiting up. “Distraction,” he said, mockingly, unable to resist taking one more shot. A few hours later, during dinner in Key Biscayne with the staff, Vitti told us that Kobe has been threatening again to opt out of his contract, vowing “to take Slava with me.” Slava? Was this an indication of Kobe’s being totally out of touch with reality? If Kobe was interested in taking along a player who would defer to him, Slava Medvedenko was the worst choice imaginable. He hasn’t passed up a shot since November.”
“Strangely enough, despite the well-do ented squabbles, I can recall only one altercation during my four and a half years here, in February 2002, between Kobe and Samaki Walker, that left Samaki with a swollen eye.”
“We were playing solid team ball, a rarity this season, although, as usual, Kobe seemed intent on taking over. “Get me the f***ing ball,” he said on his way to the bench, a demand Kobe had never verbalized. I smiled, didn’t say a word, and went to chart a play on the clipboard. I sometimes think Kobe is so addicted to being in control that he would rather shoot the ball when guarded, or even double-teamed, than dish it to an open teammate.
“They’re making you get in your attack mode,” I told him when he came off the floor during a timeout late in the game. “You’re going to have to pass the ball. They’re not calling the fouls for you.” He was in no mood to back down. “I’m going to f***ing crush them,” he said. “I just haven’t found my shooting yet.”
This time, in a strange twist, he’s being crucified for taking too few shots: only one, unbelievably enough, in the first half of Sunday’s game in Sacramento, which we lost by seventeen points, ruining, in all likelihood, any chance to win our division. He finished with eight points, his lowest total ever in a game in which he played at least forty minutes. The theory being tossed around is that Kobe, stung by criticism for his shot selection in recent games, decided to show the Lakers how stagnant the offense can become when he doesn’t assert himself. “I don’t know how we can forgive him,” one anonymous teammate was quoted as saying in today’s Times….Today at practice, Kobe went from player to player, shoving the article with the anonymous quote in their faces. I have rarely seen him that incensed. “Did you say this?” he demanded of each player. Later, during a team gathering, he pursued the interrogation. “Right here and right now,” he said, raising his voice, “I want to know who said this .” Nobody said a word, until Karl finally broke the silence. “Obviously, Kobe, no one said it or no one wants to admit they said it,” Karl said. “You’ve just got to let it go now.” Karl and Kobe, who have become buddies, launched into a shouting match that I had to stop.
“Are you feeling like you’re going to come back next year?” Jeanie asked me. “Well, not if Kobe Bryant is on this team next year,” I told her. “He’s too complex a person. I don’t need this.”
“I asked Kobe today about Hamilton. The two played high school ball against each other in Pennsylvania. “I’ve been kicking his ass for ten years,” he said.”
“Finally it was Kobe’s turn. “You know how much I hate this f***ing offense,” Kobe said.
ariza eventually signed for what was essentially an identical contract that the Lakers offered Artest, the full mid level. he wanted a bigger role, and initially he got it on the rockets. actually averaged about 15 points 6 rebounds 4 assists a game. shooting% struggled bad, but he got what he wanted. if he really wanted to play next to kobe, he would have re-upped with the Lakers much sooner. the only reason they signed artest is because ariza wasn't committing and they made a move. if kobe was a great leader, he would have gotten odom to rescind his trade request. instead they got a trade exception for him. that trade exception + picks became Steve Nsh
Can you prove anything you just said except for the stats?
ariza eventually signed for what was essentially an identical contract that the Lakers offered Artest, the full mid level. he wanted a bigger role, and initially he got it on the rockets. actually averaged about 15 points 6 rebounds 4 assists a game. shooting% struggled bad, but he got what he wanted. if he really wanted to play next to kobe, he would have re-upped with the Lakers much sooner. the only reason they signed artest is because ariza wasn't committing and they made a move. if kobe was a great leader, he would have gotten odom to rescind his trade request. instead they got a trade exception for him. that trade exception + picks became Steve N
can i prove that both artest and ariza signed 5 year 30 million dollar deals? yeah, i can, if you really want me to dig up the links. can i prove that odom was traded for a trade exception, and that the trade exception was traded for steve nash? yeah, i can. the lakers offered ariza a contract, he didn't sign it quick, and the lakers then went after artest. these are all facts
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