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Lakers 06-07 Season Thread

OCBucksFan;826843; said:
While on most teams Kidd would be a valuable addition I don't think he would have been all that on the Lakers. The reason is simple, he's an assist machine, but if no one can sink a shot then he's not as potent as he would be on say Phoenix or Dallas where they have a ton of people who can shoot from almost anywhere.

Odom was great on the Clippers, but as I have said, when your team sucks it's not hard to be the shining star. No one took them seriously, and played down to their level. He's a good player, but I think in that system he looked a lot better.

As for Bynum, age aside, he's lacked motivation. Kareem has made it a point to work with him, and for a while he showed up early every time and was working on getting better, then he started showing up later and later, and that would be what has soured me on him.
I know we have talked about these issues in the past but this is a great perspective and frankly, I hope the Lakers managment is in-tune with these issues. It was probably good they didn't go after Kidd and if it happens, KG is probably a good fit. However, I wonder if it will just be like Malone when he came in. I think KG is more dominant at this point that Malone was when he came but is he the missing cog? It would be pretty remarkable to get him (much more so than Iverson and Carmelo) and it appears it could be a great compliment to Kobe's efforts. On the other hand, Minnesota might be looking to build around him as opposed to dropping him.
 
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melrun78;834269; said:
I know we have talked about these issues in the past but this is a great perspective and frankly, I hope the Lakers managment is in-tune with these issues. It was probably good they didn't go after Kidd and if it happens, KG is probably a good fit. However, I wonder if it will just be like Malone when he came in. I think KG is more dominant at this point that Malone was when he came but is he the missing cog? It would be pretty remarkable to get him (much more so than Iverson and Carmelo) and it appears it could be a great compliment to Kobe's efforts. On the other hand, Minnesota might be looking to build around him as opposed to dropping him.

I agree on KG, unless he comes out and says "hey, I don't want to be here anymore, TRADE ME" I don't see him going anywhere. So it's all about people trying to talk him into leaving, The T-Wolves have done nothing to really build around him, in fact they have gone the opposite direction grabbing people who kind of suck.

However, if KG did come to LA, he's a different type of player than Kidd, he's more of a shooting threat and a larger presence, so a player like Luke Walton would become more valuable for the reason that he can dish out assists and actually have people sink the shots.

Recently I was listening to talk radio and they were discussing Bynum, and the question came up, if this guy becomes the all-star they are projecting can fans swallow that we traded him? So there's always that to chew on as well :(
 
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OCBucksFan;835086; said:
Recently I was listening to talk radio and they were discussing Bynum, and the question came up, if this guy becomes the all-star they are projecting can fans swallow that we traded him? So there's always that to chew on as well :(

Is Bynum EVER going to be as good as Kobe? So what if he's an all-star. There are plenty of all-stars sitting at home right now watching the playoffs. Kobe is a superstar, not just an all-star, and the Lakers have wasted away three years of Kobe's prime by trying to build for the future and not for the present.
 
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OCBucksFan;835086; said:
I agree on KG, unless he comes out and says "hey, I don't want to be here anymore, TRADE ME" I don't see him going anywhere. So it's all about people trying to talk him into leaving, The T-Wolves have done nothing to really build around him, in fact they have gone the opposite direction grabbing people who kind of suck.

However, if KG did come to LA, he's a different type of player than Kidd, he's more of a shooting threat and a larger presence, so a player like Luke Walton would become more valuable for the reason that he can dish out assists and actually have people sink the shots.

Recently I was listening to talk radio and they were discussing Bynum, and the question came up, if this guy becomes the all-star they are projecting can fans swallow that we traded him? So there's always that to chew on as well :(
Solid point about Walton and Bynum. You might see Walton flourish (in both assists and opportunities) with KG in the mix. The help KG will provide Kobe goes without being said.
 
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Stephen Colbert;835191; said:
Is Bynum EVER going to be as good as Kobe? So what if he's an all-star. There are plenty of all-stars sitting at home right now watching the playoffs. Kobe is a superstar, not just an all-star, and the Lakers have wasted away three years of Kobe's prime by trying to build for the future and not for the present.

That's a very good point. Three years gone and whats to say these past three years won't be his last. An injury or any number of other things could diminish what he can bring night in and night out.
 
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Stephen Colbert;835191; said:
Is Bynum EVER going to be as good as Kobe? So what if he's an all-star. There are plenty of all-stars sitting at home right now watching the playoffs. Kobe is a superstar, not just an all-star, and the Lakers have wasted away three years of Kobe's prime by trying to build for the future and not for the present.
Thats a great point. Frankly, I wonder what Kobe thinks about all this. The Lakers probably hold a very firm place in his heart but do you think it would be beyond him to consider leaving if they don't get a resolution soon?
 
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yangup81;841824; said:
Thats a great point. Frankly, I wonder what Kobe thinks about all this. The Lakers probably hold a very firm place in his heart but do you think it would be beyond him to consider leaving if they don't get a resolution soon?

Well he made it clear after the Lakers were knocked out of the playoffs that they needed to get him some help or he would have to look at other opportunities. This leaves me to wonder a few things, mostly, how will Buss react to what is basically an ultimatum. The other question is what can the Lakers do? I mean realistically Bryant is 1/3rd of the salary cap, and in order to get someone good we would need to basically trade someone good, or contracts that are expiring soon, and we don't have that many players I see other teams looking for.
 
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It's ESPiN but probably accurate in this case....

Kobe wants West to return to Lakers with full authority

Kobe Bryant isn't happy with the Lakers' direction and wants Jerry West back in Los Angeles to fix things.

Bryant told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher that he wants the Lakers to bring West back to the organization and give him full authority. If the Lakers don't want to do that, Bryant said he wants to be traded.

Bryant is frustrated that the team has not made any significant moves since it re-signed him.

"I want to see us get to a contending level," he told The Los Angeles Times. "I want to see us become a championship contender. It's been a frustrating process for me and I'm sure it's been a frustrating process for all Laker fans. I'm just hoping we can get to that level. I'm still frustrated. I'm waiting for them to make some changes."

Mitch Kupchak is the current Lakers general manager.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2884339
 
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I agree, Kupchack hasn't exactly been great with free agency or the draft, areas Jerry West built the franchise on. I am tried of Mitch coming onto talk radio and saying everything is fine and then turning around and giving out horrible contracts to horrible players and expecting the fans to swallow that.
 
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BB73;853716; said:
Note to Kobe: STFU until the playoffs are over.

Let the teams that are still playing get the media attention they deserve.

Well if "Lakers Insiders" can keep their mouth shut it probably wouldn't be that much of an issue. I can understand why the guy is angry, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him wanting to leave before the start of next season. Someone in the organization is saying that he was the major influence that drove Shaq out, something the media has always said, but now it's coming from the inside so he's telling his side of the story.

Not a way to keep a super star, I mean let's face it, if Kobe leaves the Lakers there will be ZERO reasons to watch that team next year, you can expect a lottery team and that's about it.

Getting rid of Shaq was a big mistake, now Buss is on the verge of another mistake. When a player is that upset you don't get correct value for them, it's a fire sale, you wind up with 2-3 mediocre players in exchange for someone who can put up 60 points if need be.

The Lakers either need to get with this guy, talk with him and get this fixed or if they are looking to get rid of him then they need to move while they can.

I hope this all works out, otherwise next year will be a pretty crappy basketball season.
 
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ESPN.com: Kobe Bryant fuming, demanding trade from Lakers

The story lines that have engulfed the Los Angeles Lakers in the last week hit a crescendo Wednesday when Kobe Bryant said he would welcome a trade.

"I would like to be traded, yeah," Bryant said on 1050 ESPN Radio in New York. "Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative, you know?"

Bryant, interviewed by Stephen A. Smith, was asked if there was anything the Lakers could do to change his mind.

"No," Bryant said. "I just want them to do the right thing."

Earlier in the day, Bryant said team owner Jerry Buss masterminded the trade of Shaquille O'Neal -- and Shaq later confirmed Kobe's account.

The issues between Bryant and the Lakers have reached a boil, beginning with Bryant voicing his displeasure with the club's direction, his suggestion that Jerry West should return to fix things, West's statement that he has no intention of undermining GM/good friend Mitch Kupchak, and, unrelated but bizarre in its timing, Buss' arrest early Tuesday for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Bryant was left "beyond furious" by a report in Tuesday's Los Angeles Times that read, "as a Lakers insider notes, it was Bryant's insistence on getting away from Shaquille O'Neal that got them in this mess."

Can I say "Oh crap!" now, or do I wait til I see what we get for him?:(
 
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