Sad in L.A.

[jackhammer91406]

Oh, brother, talk about life imitating art.

In this town of Drama, the soap opera that is the L.A. Lakers took a nasty downturn with the rumored trade of Shaquille O'Neal.

I know there are a few sports fans on this board (where are you Huey?) who can feel my pain right now. (OK, so some may enjoy my pain, but still...I'm just reachin' out)

Can there be any dumber move (after firing Phil Jackson) than to trade the most dominant center to ever play the game?

OK, there is your topic, talk amongst yourselves while I go weep for what might have been.

[Guest rohale]

>Oh, brother, talk about life imitating art.

>In this town of Drama, the soap opera that is the L.A. Lakers

>took a nasty downturn with the rumored trade of Shaquille

>O'Neal.

>I know there are a few sports fans on this board (where are

>you Huey?) who can feel my pain right now. (OK, so some may

>enjoy my pain, but still...I'm just reachin' out)

 

 

I'm actually glad that this is playing out in the newspapers for not just Los Angeles Laker fans to see but also sports fans across the nation just to see how self absorbed we really are in California. I have no sympathy for the Lakers what so ever. I'm a Clipper fan myself. Ever since the Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs who I hoped would make to the finals and win the NBA championships. They were on a high only to lose 3-1 in the finals. The Lakers proved one thing along, with the Shaqs, Kobe's, Malone's and Payton's of the world they really did suck. I think Jerry Buss has become like George Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees. They both think that they can throw out all these lucrative contracts and expect to have the best dream teams possible. This past season they both really cracked and the results show. In the Laker camp, they have eggs on their faces. One really can't blame Shaq for wanting to opt out and become a free trade and now it's official, he is about to be signed away with Miami Heat. Good move on his part. He can play for a team that could build on his enormous talent. Shaq and Kobe haven't really have never clicked, both have egos. If Kobe chooses to stay with the Lakers, his metal will be tested to see whether he can really carry the team by himself.

 

Right now Jerry Buss has Kobe Bryant's ear. Did anyone notice just within two days after the Lakers lost, Phil Jackson was summoned to Jerry Buss. Mr Jackson was told that his services were no longer required. The irony is that when former coach Pat Riley lost the last NBA championship under his leadership. He was given the same treatment. Laker General Manager Mike Kupchak talked to several potential coaches including Mike Kryzewski who made the smart move by staying with the college basketball team that he built up and that is Duke. They even talked to Pat Riley, he made it clear he has no desire to come back to basketball right now. So now they opted with Rudy Tomjanovich. I wish him the best of luck for one reason alone. He has his work cut out for him not just as a coach but as Jerry Buss's lap dog. Mr Buss is 71 yrs old and he is motivated by two goals. The first being he wants the franchise to stay within his family and carry on for another twenty years and the second point being is that he is within striking distance of the Boston Celtics who currently hold the most NBA championships in NBA history. Jerry Buss wants to best that record while he has the chance to do so. I wish the Lakers the best of luck, I hope that Rudy can build up the Lakers, he has a hard act to follow. Phil Jackson is quite possibly the best NBA coach of all time and no one can take away what he did for the Chicago Bulls in his tenure as head coach and his track record for the Lakers. Outside LA, Jackson will always be remembered for his amazing job with Chicago. He'll be missed if he chooses to retire and end his career on a high note. As for the Lakers, well only time will tell what will happen next. Still LAKERS SUCK.

 

Rohale

[jackhammer91406]

Rohale,

Fair enough. The team this year was headed up by two self absorbed, titan sized egos.

Also, the Lakers are certainly not everyone's cup of latte. But the fans really pay the price of all this, both in sky high prices, and now high rise prices for what will certainly be a low rise team.

I don't have any respect for Dr Buss. Even if he decided to pander to Kobe's ego (and there is no guarantee that it will make a damn bit of difference) he should never have let it get this ugly. Phil Jackson was way too classy and talented a guy to treat this way. And whether Kobe re-signs with the Lakers, or as some reports have it, signs with the Clippers (lucky Rohale), there is no guarantee that he will not be sitting in some minimum security prison in Colorado.

To my mind, in addition to Karl Malone's injury, the key factor in the Laker's loss to Detroit was that Kobe really never played like he wanted to win. For this he gets the keys to the kingdom?

 

Well at least there's baseball.

[KY_TOP]

>Well at least there's baseball.

 

Goooo Cubbies :7

[Guest showme43]

no sympathy from Orlando! ;-)

[btmstudnyc]

NO sympathy from NYC either....no one cute on the Lakers anyway...unless you like THUGS. HMMM...well I do sometimes like thugs...but cute ones

 

JIM

If it dont fit, force it

[email protected]

[+ deej]

>>Well at least there's baseball.

>

>Goooo Cubbies :7

 

They went. :+

 

September Slide started early this year.

[SouthBeachBtm]

I must say, your loss is our gain. I have already submitted an application for the "Locker Boy" position here. You gotta wonder how big his Johnson is??????

 

On a purely sports fan point of view, season tickets are now going to be a part of my life now. He is an outstanding Athlete.

[VaHawk]

Well, I think Rick Fox is definitely a fox, and just because he is Afro-American, I wouldn't brand him as a thug. Kobe is fairly hot also, imo, but he kind of fits that "thug" look you allude to.

[VaHawk]

Wow, Rohale should be on ESPN, as I think he summed it all up masterfully.

 

I believe leaving was Shaq's demand, and that came about via Phil Jackson's departure and the owner's belief that his star money earner is Kobe. After all, it took the talent of Jackson to keep Shaq and Kobe from killing each other! Best wishes to Jackson, as if he needs them, as after his LA experience, not to mention his job performance in Chicago, he can write his own ticket to anywhere, and he doesn't even have to date the owner's daughter!

 

Hey but as you said, you still have baseball. How about those Dodgers with their new owner? Even SI wrote them off while praising the Angels, but it seems the Dodgers are doing more than holding their own in competition!

 

But then again, I don't like either the Lakers or the Dodgers. Go Giants!