[::2009 Champion LAKERS OFF-SEASON THREAD Vol. Boring Non-News Days Causing In-Thread Tension::]

[dyyhard]

Originally Posted by travman24

Artest replica (not swingman) jerseys we be avalible next week. I'm lookin for a name/number tee instead. Might get the jersey to workout in.

lakersstore.com got in the swingmans pre-order til 20th.

http://lakersstore.com/product_info.php?products_id=2003&osCsid=d784lil6kqml9snmifjqr2jbe7

 

[MVP]

Originally Posted by tupac003

Yuku is killing me right now....

Lakers Still Unsure About Odom's Plans
Jul 08, 2009 3:08 PM EST

The Lakers are still unsure about what free-agent forward Lamar Odom plans to do.

Odom wants to re-sign with Los Angeles, and the NBA champions want him back as well, but the two sides appear to be far apart on negotiations.
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said he has been in "constant communication" with agent Jeff Schwartz.

"From our point of view, we're still hopeful we can bring him back on board," Kupchak said. "We all try to make good basketball decisions.

"Sometimes you just have to say no and move on, and we've done that in the past.

"I'm hopeful that's not the case here."

Odom is believed to be seeking a contract worth roughly $10 million per year.

Via Los Angeles Daily News

Los Angeles LakersRead the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets

We just can't pay the man as some people keep saying. That 10 mil a season contract is 20 mil for us since we are over the luxury tax.

If the cap drops next year we are in even worse trouble...
Can they compromise and do 8.5, 8.75 or 9 mil or something cause our salary is at 84 million right now

and with the luxury tax possibly going down 8 mil next year, we could be lookingat 40 mil+ in luxury tax. LO just take the 8 mil please, cause you aren't going to be in a better situation than you are right now.

I wish there was some way we could move Luke, Adam, or Sasha's contracts then we could give LO the 10 mil he wants I think.

Oh and Artest's deal was for 5 years not 3 according to hoopshype.

 

[tupac003]

Originally Posted by imINchucks5

opt out and take that paycut kobe

Have you paid ANY attention? The time to do that was LAST WEEK!

 

[iminchucks5]

^ lmao

calm down

 

[westcoastsfinest]

damn i really hope odom re-signs

...artest needs to call him right now!

 

[MVP]

^clearly you have no idea what's going on in Lakerland so why keep saying stuff that can't or doesn't need to happen

 

[iminchucks5]

Originally Posted by Mamba MVP

^clearly you have no idea what's going on in Lakerland so why keep saying stuff that can't or doesn't need to happen

maybe i just want odom back on the squad since he is my favorite player???

that work?

 

[salahuddinxciii]

#!!! im worried as hell
as well as next year im gonna be scared as helll
#!!!
SOMEONE GIVE ME SOME GOOD NEWS PLEASSE!

 

[iminchucks5]

damnnit....ron caught me off guard with that number..lol..lookin like dj mbenga

 

[CP1708]

Ska, I didn't say he was gonna average 7-18 over the season, I wastalking about individual games he'll cost us.

Kobe has had plenty of 7-18's. He usually comes back with a 12-18 to make up for it. Or gets really pissed (game 4 Utah) and does a 15- for 20 something. Too lazy to look it up exact, sue me.

Just as much as you don't think I would give Artest credit for wins on those teams, you guys won't look at the losses with the same guy.

Sometimes people just get the perception wrong. AI is known as a winner, but what he ever win?

Same thing here. People love his attitude, his toughness, his game, the quotes he gives, but here I am after a decade, still waiting to see the wins fromdude. Just like Allen.

If he wins this year, I'll give him his credit. I have no problems admitting when I'm wrong. Zero. Do it all the time.

But again, if we don't win.........Oh, and the fact that the contract might be 5 years........well thas just great. (hopefully we have a clause orsomething)

 

[purplerelgn]

 

[i nasmatic i]

I mean, I thought everybody knew Artest had/has a bad shot selection and was/is inefficient

.

I'll still welcome him due to his toughness and energy. As long as he plays defense, doesn't overdribble and knocks down threes I'm happy

.

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by I NaSmatic I

I mean, I thought everybody knew Artest had/has a bad shot selection and was/is inefficient

.

I'll still welcome him due to his toughness and energy. As long as he plays defense, doesn't overdribble and knocks down threes I'm happy

.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?

Thank you.

Toughness, yes, energy, yes, won't quit, absolutely. Defense....*record scratches*

Um, we sure about this alleged defense? He still lockdown, or livin on rep only? We sure?

 

[mateen cleaves]

im thinking about getting an artest authentic, dude better not mess things up and force his way out after a year. dont feel like spending $200 on his jersey.

 

[i nasmatic i]

Artest always had trouble guarding Kobe due to his lateral quickness, but he does fine against other star scorers like LeBron or Paul Pierce.

 

[mustbetheshoe58]

#37..nicee

 

[CP1708]

I'm very happy in that he matches up better with Bron, PP and the like then Trevor did. Trev doesn't have the strength to beat on those guys andabsorb them in the post, Artest does.

However, Ariza was a pure weapon against guys like Parker, and Paul because of his speed/foot quickness and still the length to go with. We have now lost thatwith Artest, and better hope and pray that Jordan and Shannon are workin on that as we speak.

 

[iminchucks5]

Originally Posted by CP1708

I'm very happy in that he matches up better with Bron, PP and the like then Trevor did. Trev doesn't have the strength to beat on those guys and absorb them in the post, Artest does.

However, Ariza was a pure weapon against guys like Parker, and Paul because of his speed/foot quickness and still the length to go with. We have now lost that with Artest, and better hope and pray that Jordan and Shannon are workin on that as we speak.

is satisfied with shannon brown..the guy played great defense against billups..even though hes not that fast but he held his own

 

[darthska]

CP1708:

---

Sometimes people just get the perception wrong. AI is known as a winner, but what he ever win?

Same thing here. People love his attitude, his toughness, his game, the quotes he gives, but here I am after a decade, still waiting to see the wins from dude. Just like Allen.
AI is known as a winner? In what circles?

When people talk about winners, names like Duncan and Kobe and Shaq and Chauncey and even Horry come up.

When people talk about talent, when the discussion is about talent, but not necessarily about winning, but talent,then those are the conversations where you'll still hear names like Kobe and Duncan and everyone else, and Iverson and Garnett and Bibby and Nash and Dirk.

CP1708:

---

Just as much as you don't think I would give Artest credit for wins on those teams, you guys won't look at the losses with the same guy.
I will... but not unless he really did cost the game. I mean, we just won the championship, so it's too easy to blame him for making us worseif we don't win the championship again. 'See? We're worse than last year, thanks to him. Went from a championship,, to out in the WCF. Thanks,Ron!'

Too easy.

It will take more than 'not winning the Finals the year after winning it and signing Ron' for me to blame my dude. If next season truly is a wreckingball... and I'm not talking about the media over-exaggerating things; I'm talking about things actually being a wreck... I would have to think it'sRon's doing. Our team has great chemistry right now.

And if 2 or 3 years from now, dude is undisciplined in his shot selection and he has a number of on-court antics that definitely disrupt his on-court play,I'll be the first to throw in my Artest fan card.

But just ike Rodman grabbing rebounds like crazy on the court and wrestling and marrying himself off the court, I won't care. Be a Tru Warrior with your'SO HOOD' shirt and 'SO GUTTA' hat and your wack 'new artists' signed onto your label; do whatever, so long as you're improvingyourself on the court. If you're the type to just stay at home with the wife and kids off the court but you're constantly trying to improve your gameon the court, I'm good. If you're the type to wild out off the court but you're constantly trying to improve your game on the court, I'm good.

You're saying he's not going to be the type to improve his game without giving him a chance to play even one season under *arguably* the greatest coachof all time and one of the greatest players of all time. He has NEVER played with a coach as good as Phil, and he has never played with anyone even CLOSE toKobe's level. Reggie Miller? Way past his prime when Artest was there. T-Mac? Hardly played together.

 

[CP1708]

Billups speed <<<<<<<<<<<<<<Parker, Paul, Williams, Rose, Rondo speed.

Farmar has the speed, but not the game yet, Brown has the muscle to match DWill, and Fish is just the clutch crafty vet who figures out ways to get by againstbetter faster PG's. Bein doin it his whole career in the NBA.

 

[CP1708]

Ska, start a thread titled "AI is not a winner", watch what happens.

Dudes flock in and go crazy in there. Believe me. It's like tellin TMac fans that he isn't a winner either. Get more excuses then a mug.

And I didn't just mean the losses this year with us, I meant as reasons for all the losses his teams have endured the last decade.

That Indy team was close, REAL close to gettin somewhere. And I mean before the brawl. Obviously that season was tossed away, but prior to that, there was areason they couldn't get over the hump. And it wasn't just Reggie's age. Dude still played at a high level after Ron was gone.

 

[darthska]

No need to make a thread about Iverson not being a winner.

Someone already called him 'Canswer' in here: allen iverson is a free agent, and no1 is even talking about it....what has the NBA come to?

And I don't think it went over as bad as you're thinking it did. Did people flock to his defense? Yes, of course. Did MORE people quote the'Canswer' moniker and laugh in apparent agreement and offer comments that would suggest they agree with the label? Ummm... yes.

That Indy team was the only good team he was on. I've always felt like that. The way I see it, he started his career off with a young, post-Jordan team,then went to his only good team, played a part in screwing things up, then went to a mediocre (at BEST) Kings team, and a mediocre Houston team. His secondteam was a solid one, and he contributed to their demise; now he's on another solid team, and I think he's learned some things, and I definitely thinkhe has some regrets about his contribution to that team's downfall. I have heard him say nothing that gives me that opinion, but I have seen his play, andit's completely different than back then. Simply put, he's still fiery, but not as volatile.

Back then, he was a talented hothead; now, he's a talented fireball. Sheed is still a talented hothead, in my opinion. Albert Belle was a talented hothead.Artest is just fiery now.

 

[frenchblue23]

Originally Posted by imINchucks5

opt out and take that paycut kobe

 

[licensed to ball]

i love reading your little debate CP and Ska. I agree with both of you in different senses. But what it comes down to is simply this:

Ariza's agent screwed him. He left. We replaced him with more than a capable player. Why complain? Ron's contract does nothing to impact ournegotiations with Lamar either. So we should basically be upset or worried because of some of the bricks hes going to throw up while on the court? cmon now.Could we have gotten any bigger of a bargain? Let's keep in mind the most important thing, Phils coming back. We will be fine guys, itll be an excitingseason.

 

[three6mafia2007]

anybody have a link to the press conference?