Lakers - now that it's over...

[dd74]

Who's gonna' stay and who's gonna go?

Is Kobe gone? Fox? George?

I imagine they're banking on Rush and Walton to take the helm.

How about Shaq? Might he be getting a bit old?

Hmmm....

[singpilot]

Kobe is real close to being under contract for 10 to 20 years.

Phil is going to marry Buss' daughter and announce games (a la Madden).

Shaq is going into business with Dennis Rodman in a chain of beauty parlors.

Rick Fox is going to be the poster boy for the Shaq-a Rod parlors.

[84porsche]

Only time will tell.

Karl may be back, Payton will retire, Shaq will continue, too much popularity in So. Cal and Kobe will most likely be back once this trial is over. They are the foundation which got the 3-peat and they have to go back to the basics.
This was a hard loss not only for them but for Lakers fans also. The supporting cast needs to be cleaned though and they need to fight hard for a championship if they want it.
MJ's second retirement was on a great shot and I think Phil will have that 10th ring before its over for him.

Congratulations to the Pistons. They played good basketball.

[jyl]

I miss Showtime. I lived in LA in the late 80s/early 90s, when Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Byron, and Coop were playing an exhilarating fast-break style of basketball. Nowadays I get bored after just a few minutes of watching an NBA game.

[nostatic]

They should trade Shaq now and try and get some young talent. I like Walton...he does a lot of things right. Rush might have a future, but I'm not convinced. Fox, Payton, and Malone should retire. George should be traded, as should most everyone else.

Keep Walton, Rush, and maybe Kobe. Start over with the rest.

[dd74]

I think Shaq is one of the most impactful players in the game. I think he's short changed a lot for not being in the full game. But damn, he's got very quick hands and is up on the iron in no time.

I'd love to see him shoot a three-pointer. But it'll never happen, I'm afraid. It's not in his contract...

[dd74]

No way, Todd. W/O Shaq they don't have *****! I think Kobe's the problem - both on the court and IN court.

[911pcars]

NBA points are harder to get if the team doesn't/can't run when given the chance. I'd think lots of personnel changes are due. At the very least, they need a third person to average double figures to have a chance. The supporting cast, while okay, needs one all-around individual who can play D, pass, rebound, average teens and play heads up ball. Malone could be that person if he stays healthy and doesn't retire. Medvedinko could blossom, but who knows? Unfortunately, such an individual is in short supply in this league, at least the proven, available ones.

Sherwood

[nostatic]

The Pistons showed the real problem with the Lakers: slow, slow, slow. Shaq didn't intimidate anyone in the paint on defense...they just ran around him. I think he's getting older, slower, and more sore. There was no help from the weak side, and no rotation. And they didn't block out on the boards...I couldn't believe the number of offensive rebounds the Pistons got. You can say that they didn't execute, but I think the veterans can't keep up, and the youngsters don't get it.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

The Lakers beat themselves - for the last few years Phil Jackson has managed to hold this bunch of self-absorbed punks together but this season (and a good deal of last) he looks like he's just basically sick of it. Maybe the whole Rodman thing got him down, maybe the Kobe incident got him down, maybe the never-ending battle of collosal egoes between O'Neal and Bryant got him down or maybe a combination. It just seems like he didn't care anymore and just told the players - "go play", and hung it on their talents (which to their credit, is significant).

They're talented, but NOT a team. Without Phil's spirit there to glue the pieces together, they got the crap whipped out of them by a team that played as a team. You saw it in every play from the opening of game 1. The Lakers were totally outclassed because they were five individuals up against a finely tuned TEAM of professionals. They SHOULD have been swept, as the Pistons outplayed them in game 2 also, just Bryant was able to take the wind out of their sails with his (rather Jordan-esque) 3-pointer. Nice moment, but flashiness and luck is no way to get a championship through a team like the Pistons.

Bottom line - the Lakers AND Pistons get what they deserve.

[dd74]

Well, as I see it, Malone won't be back. He's getting in his big rig and driving down to his farm in Shreveport to stay. If a guy can't get it up for The Finals...well...

Kobe has to go. Two stars on one team doesn't work. He's been fighting with Shaq for the last two years. I've heard Kobe's talking with the Bulls and Knicks. He needs a big market for his ego and a city with lots of 16-year-old girls.

Payton's finished. Jackson didn't adjust to the type of player Payton is and Payton didn't adjust to Jackson's "triangle offense."

Shaq and injuries - well, yes. Try jumping up and down and moving around 340+ pounds from Halloween on into summer and something's gotta' give.

[on-ramp]

i just got sick and tired of seeing Jack Nickelson in the crowd every 5 minutes during the game.

[kach22i]

The Detroit area newspapers had a single word headline on the frontpage: RESPECT!

It's not about you (LA) anymore, it's about us (Detroit).

[dd74]

Yeah, Frotown also has a football team, right?

Right as the NBA Finals end is when Hollywood starts talking about how L.A. needs a football team.

Would you guys give up the Lions?

[kach22i]

Originally posted by dd74
Would you guys give up the Lions?

I sure would if they were mine.

[greglepore]

Don't sweat the Lakers. Larry Brown got what he's deserved for a long, long, time, a team that actually accepted the fact that if they listened, they would win, 'cause he's a certfiable genius. The NBA reality is that what he preaches is just too, too hard, so next year they might well suck.

Philly should have kept him and canned Iverson. And I like Iverson, sorta.

[SilverPoly]

L.A.'s won enough championships and I'm not bummed the Lakers lost. Why? Because now I don't have to see those lame ass yellow and purple flags on everybody's car.

It was nice for those 3 past championships but in reality I stopped loving basketball when Jordan bailed.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I wonder if I spend a little time in front of the computer and color inkjet and head over to the Staples Center tomorrow how many suckers I can rope in with "Game 6" tickets.

[84porsche]

That's evil, but I like your business skills. I am sure their are plenty of suckers. Next season will be a new experience. I have taken my Laker flags down and hung up the jersey until next season. Derek Fisher's shot at 00:04 seconds was still a great piece of history.

[pwd72s]

Originally posted by on-ramp
i just got sick and tired of seeing Jack Nickelson in the crowd every 5 minutes during the game.

Alas, you can say it's a safe bet...Jack will be there next year!