[::OFFSEASON OVER. Lock Please.::]

[grittyman]

Can't be mad at Dwight, obviously he didn't want any parts of a rebuilding process...He'd be wasting at least a year of his prime in LA next season, who can blame him for that?

Anyhow, I'm sure the Lakers will be fine eventually...but probably not until the Rockets, Thunder and Clippers are done battling for the western conference crown the remainder of this decade 

 

[thasoleful1]

At this point just do a sign and trade give him his 5th year I wonder what plan b is

 

[kal-el-8]

At this point just do a sign and trade give him his 5th year I wonder what plan b is

He can't get a 5th year unless he signs with us.
regardless of a sign and trade

 

[tay1]

At this point just do a sign and trade give him his 5th year

I wonder what plan b is

There really isn't a plan b, unless it involves trading Pau or something like that

 

[vindeezy]

Jim buss' plan B=bull $%=÷. Word to mike lowery.

 

[girlslovewaffles]

Plan B = sucking for the next few years.

 

[knightngale]

lol... didnt i just say dwight wasnt touching shaq?

like... i LITERALLY posted that...

you make it seem like he cant.

hell, you make it seem like harden cant get better... as if he peaked...

lets keep in mind that the guy is 23 years old...  

Kobe's height and ball handling?

Harden plays point guard majority of the game... lmaoooo... and he's ONE AND A HALF INCHES SHORTER than kobe and weighs the same... lollll..

i'm not even going to debate kobe b/c honestly, people believe the man can do no wrong, never did wrong... and no one on this planet can even sniff his shadow..

i think laker fans are running from the truth but the fact is Dwight has a much better chance of winning a ring before kobe...

he goes to houston, block shots, dunks, let the perimeter players do their thing... and they start winning games, its a wrap.

I haven't brought this line out in a long time but your basketball knowledge is really lacking.

I'm stating that Kobe and Harden were not close at 23 and Kobe went on to improve exponentially. Harden would have to make a bigger improvement than Kobe did to reach Kobe's level.

Kobe has played point guard for the Lakers since 2000. Who do you think the play maker has been on the Laker squads? Derek Fisher? Lmao loll lolll lolll
Dude has won championships being a scorer and a play maker at the same time.

Let me make this clear as well: Kobe is taller and has better ball handling than Harden, especially at age 23 when his hands were healthy.

What makes you think this chubby looking dude (compared to nba level athletes) is going to be a workaholic and improve at Kobe's rate or greater? He can't even lose his fat.

I am not denying that Dwight has a better chance to win a ring with the Rockets than with the current Laker squad. I am arguing with your Harden-Kobe comparison at 23 years old.

 

[deuce king]

[quote name="Deuce King"]Overall, I say good for Dwight. He dropped Kobe who he obviously feels is dead weight and left the Lakers high and dry. He did things on his terms and did it his way, more power to him.

Lets, uuhhh, let's just see how things play out before you go reveling in what you are prematurely taking as a glorious Laker loss. [/quote]

Make no mistake champ, as far as I'm concerned this is going to be the end of the Lakers for some years to come. Yeah they might be able to float and keep their head above waters at times, but just staying afloat isn't what the Lakers do........but they will now however.

The point that Kobe Bryant's fingerprints are at the scene of this demise is truly telling and says a lot about Kobe's inability to truly lead a team and rally the troops to play together. I don't blame Dwight for his decision, he realized Kobe didn't know how to steer the ship and jumped overboard before the ship and him went under. Again to that I say good for Dwight. Leave Kobe holding the bag to accept fault.

 

[kingjaffejo]

I feel like the Laker Lure is deminishing due to all of this
My team feels so tainted and tarnished over the past few years

 

[moonman818]

[quote name="Deuce King"]Overall, I say good for Dwight. He dropped Kobe who he obviously feels is dead weight and left the Lakers high and dry. He did things on his terms and did it his way, more power to him.

Lets, uuhhh, let's just see how things play out before you go reveling in what you are prematurely taking as a glorious Laker loss.

Make no mistake champ, as far as I'm concerned this is going to be the end of the Lakers for some years to come. Yeah they might be able to float and keep their head above waters at times, but just staying afloat isn't what the Lakers do........but they will now however.

The point that Kobe Bryant's fingerprints are at the scene of this demise is truly telling and says a lot about Kobe's inability to truly lead a team and rally the troops to play together. I don't blame Dwight for his decision, he realized Kobe didn't know how to steer the ship and jumped overboard before the ship and him went under. Again to that I say good for Dwight. Leave Kobe holding the bag to accept fault.[/quote]

Lol ok bruh

 

[tay1]

****** act like the Lakers are this godly team who just can't lose

 

[grandtheftbike]

I haven't brought this line out in a long time but your basketball knowledge is really lacking.

Oh nooooez he used the line

 

[CP1708]

Man, get Deuce all the way outta here.

After West/Wilt. "Lakers are done"
After Magic. "Lakers are done"
After Shaq. "Lakers are done"

Do you people read the paper?

After Dwight. "Lakers are done"

*52 million dollars in cap space in 1 year*

Yeah, don't know how we'll ever come back.....

 

[kal-el-8]

Lol ok bruh

my exact sentiments.

 

[CP1708]

****** act like the Lakers are this godly team who just can't lose

Gee, why would a franchise that's been to the Finals 31 times in 6 decades think we can't lose?

I mean, really, missing the playoffs 5 times in 64 years, yeah, its gonna be nuclear winter for us. We might not be good for a good, 12-15 months, how will we ever survive?

Look at these people.

 

[misterp0315]

So glad that is over. Jesus.

2014 and beyond is what I'm ready to see. It doesn't take long for us to rise again.

 

[kingjaffejo]

Don't worry y'all everyone is seeing what they have been wanting to see and that's the Lakers
not being "favored" in the league...it just took David stern, vetoed trades, cba, and owners
complaining and co-mingling to effect us.

No worries Im a Laker for life and I have faith in Mitch & Jeanie and honestly to some degree
Jim even tho I wish he would run blindfolded down the autobahn. We are the Lakers and every time
we have seemed dead in the water our organization has pulled thru ...we may go thru a few lean years
but then we run the league for another 5 years.

We just somehow gotta keep the reins on Ol Jimmy Boy

 

[VinMillerHearn58]

Lets go sign LO, Bynum, Sasha, Farmar, Brown, Mbenga, and others.

 

[gllahone84]

Plan B = sucking for the next few years.

 

[girlslovewaffles]

Lets go sign LO, Bynum, Sasha, Farmar, Brown, Mbenga, and others.

Time to get the old squad together again and show the league how it's done

 

[vindeezy]

Thats a heck of alot of league minimums. Hopefully, winning is the #1 agenda.

 

[vindeezy]

*veterans' minimums*

 

[goldmember]

Get that Deuce dude outta here.. talking like Kobe doesnt know how to win or some ****.. typical kobe hater statement

Anyways, **** dwight man lol .. I knew he would leave just had that feeling.. essential even called me a worrier ..fool

 

[lacrimestopper]

i think we're fine *kanye shrug*

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Some notes before I delve into my bit about today’s news:

-congrats to Deuce, L2B and all the others who saw Dwight leaving. I was so sure that he wouldn’t leave LA, that he’d want to stay even if he’d be uncomfortable with Kobe/the pressure to win in the beginning. I’m still somewhat stunned that he walked away from the premiere franchise in the NBA, but the more time passes the more I understand, even empathize, with him.
-when it comes to D’Antoni, we have to acknowledge at this point that we’re not going to go anywhere with him. This roster can’t play the ball that he’s shaped his career out of and he’s too stubborn to be able to change his ways to accommodate the roster given him. I understand he made adjustments to make things work, but it's made him a very basic coach, which is not what this team needed. Rather...
-it was Phil that we needed, and whether Phil wouldn’t commit or wasn’t given the time to do so is now past worth questioning. If he was unsure about returning to a roster including Dwight, he’s certainly not coming to one without him. The missed opportunity to install him as coach was the death knell of this season, and when I (and others) were calling it so at the news of D’Antoni’s hiring, many were arguing for him and defending the choice. I think now we see who was right and who was wrong. Phil may not have been available, but D’Antoni STILL was not the right answer for this particular team. That falls on Lakers management and the person whose influence permeates throughout the organization...
-Keeping Dwight was Kobe’s last chance to win a title with the Lakers. Without Dwight, there’s no hope for Kobe to be the leader of a championship team in LA. The resources are not there, the parts have the team hamstrung (I understand that only Steve is contracted past this coming season, but really, if we make the signing that we’re all hoping for/would instantly put us back into title consideration, is there any honest belief that Kobe would remain the team's leader?), and the conference has gotten so much better. An overhaul now is the best option for the Lakers. An overhaul now means Kobe will likely want to be a part of a contender (if he’s honest about his desire to win another title).

Now...

I can remember feeling during the ‘10 Finals victory night that something significant had happened. Obviously we had won the title and had avenged our ‘08 loss to the Celtics, but something more was placed at stake and ultimately seemed: our iron-grip on the league as an unquestioned alpha team. We struggled HARD against another old team through a seven game series that took all it could from both teams to decide a winner. And in seeing the struggle, I couldn’t help but think, “this is it, this is us at our best.” And there was something defeating in that, knowing that we’d found our peak. This was obviously before the Heat formed into what they are now, but after seeing the images of Kobe on the reporter’s table flashing his five fingers to the crowd and holding a basketball in the other arm, it felt like the end. It felt like the mountain had been climbed and only the descent was left. It’s only now that we see that series for what it is; the last time we’d be led to the Finals by Kobe. Now obviously I'm not saying that I foresaw all of this happening, it was more of a hunch rather than a truth. And in the few hours we had Chris Paul on board, it felt like that premonition would be wrong. But the NBA crippled us and left us waiting another year to try getting Dwight (who would have been far more inclined to stay with the Lakers had he Chris Paul to buddy with instead of avoiding Kobe’s aggressiveness/blowhard self). Now we are faced with the reality of rebuilding for however it will take, hoping that whatever pieces we acquire can be enough to bring us back to the Finals soon. But there’s no denying that Kobe wants to spend his last years working towards a title, not developing a rebuilding project whose fruits he’ll never know. I realize many of us here are devoted to him, but I see instead someone whose passion for winning will lead him elsewhere. And maybe that’s in the best interest of both the Lakers and Kobe. We had our time in the sun together, what more could we ask for?