Okay...now that the NBA season is over....the one thing that we Lakers fans didn't want to have to face is about to happen.
The offseason.
All year long, we knew that this offseason could get messy for our beloved Laker organization. The entire roster could, in reality, change.
Now, I'm not one to say that I am "in the know" and what I say will hold true. But I think there are some pretty interesting theories to what could happen in LakerLand.
First off, there is a 99.99999% chance that Phil Jackson is gone. The lone chance would be if the entire team, Kobe, Karl and Shaq, decide to go for it one last time to get Phil #10. Yeah, I know.....fat chance. The door is closed.....but it isn't locked.
The exodous of Phil seems to greatly improve the chances of Kobe Bryant staying in LA. Not only would a new coach make Kobe happy......but a coach that Kobe Bryant will get a chance to help choose. Dr. Buss wants Kobe back....and, I think, would be willing to let Kobe in on some of the personnel decisions.
One of those will be Shaq's extention. Common sense says that if the Lakers sign Shaq long term to a big contract....then Kobe is gone. Kobe knows that with both he and Shaq making big bucks that it will be difficult for the Lakers to sign anyone to help them out...which was painfully obvious this year. If anything has been shown, it is the limited opportunities for the Lakers to actually make a move during the season.
But if they don't sign Shaq to an extention....then it looks as if the organization chose Kobe over Shaq.....which is sure to anger the Big Diesel. I think Shaq has the Magic on standby if something goes down that he doesn't like.
One of which is Karl Malone retiring. I think Shaq loved have the Mailman along side him in the front court. A nice break from having to deal with guys liike Dunacn, Yao, etc all game.
Well, look at it this way, guys. The Lakers got over the Minneapolis era. The got over the the losses of Elgin, Wilt, West, Kareem and Magic. Not all were smooth transitions....but at least it wasn't long before they were on top again.
Just ask the Hawks, Nets, Wizards, Magic, Heat, Raptors, Pacers, Bucks, Cavs, Mavs, Rockets, Hornets, Grizzlies, Blazers, Sonics, Jazz, Nuggets, Wolves, Suns, Kings, Clippers and Warriors how hard it is to get to the top of the mountain. Then ask the Bulls and Celtics how easy it is to get back there.
2 comments:
You hit this one right on, Sportz. No surprise to me though. With all the mayhem transpiring right now, and the Laker board overrun with 'link referrals'....I felt in need of a sage opinion on the matter. You pretty much foresaw the future because you based it on logic.
I grabbed an LA Times sports page at the gym today. It is so much crap. All gloom and doom and lambasting Dr. Buss and Mitch. And even I can see the smart moves in what they are doing. Of course, unlike you, Sportz, I'm a Kobe girl <g>....so it fits into my wishes. But that doesn't diminish the sense...business and team wise...in Laker management's decisions.
We knew in 2003 that Shaq/Kobe wasn't enough. We needed help for them but we couldn't afford it. And the other contenders were adding to their rosters. So we got the gifts of Malone and Payton. That didn't work out for various reasons and now we risk losing Kobe. Kobe is the future of the Lakers. Can't pay him and negotiate with Shaq AND get them help. I don't see why folks don't get that and why they are reacting as though Dr. Buss has suddenly lost his mind.
I miss Jerry West. I have always trusted the future of the Lakers because I have so much trust in Jerry. He is gone, but Mitch worked under him for a long time. And we have Magic's voice in here as well. Sports is a gamble most of the time. There are so many intangibles. You make the best decisions you can with as much info and projection as possible. Looking at the possibilties here, I think they are making the right decisions. Time will tell.
Gypsy
You know....I re-read this entry....and was amazed how accurate I was.
Besides all of that..........
You are right. Shaq and Kobe aren't quite enough. People tend to underestimate the value that the [healthy] Rick Fox, Glen Rice, Brian Shaw and Ron Harper gave to this team. None were "great players" for the Lakers.....but they all understood what they needed to do to make the team successful and DO IT. Malone and especially Payton never figured that out. And, obviously, no one else on the bench did either. And some of that is Phil Jackson's fault. I was never more angry at his substitution patterns as I was during the Finals. How in the heck can you not play Luke Walton in Game 1.....yet decide to lean on him the rest of the series????? It was like Phil said during Game 2, "hey, this Walton kid is pretty good!" What has he been watching all season??
The sad thing is that is nothing new. He's done this during the Laker era. But, the difference is that the guys he was using down the stretch were seasoned veterans. Guys like Ho Grant, Harper, etc.
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