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

[licensed to ball]

My 12 year old cousin has more post moves than Dwight.

Which is why it was so shocking that so many people defended Dwight's worth so persistently in this thread.

He really ain't all that. Its just a watered down market making him look elite.
If there was a better pool of big men in this league Dwight wouldn't be paid max dollars.

MDA better give Sacre some real burn if we're going to be "tanking" anyways.
Might as well see what the dude has with some real minutes now.
I like his potential.

 

[tay1]

Every day.....

Since the 7th 

 

[licensed to ball]

Gonna keep my eye on this Landry kid.

 

[CHAOSE57]

Miller and Kerr right on cue about Dwight not being the main guy on a team

 

[CHAOSE57]

Miller and Kerr right on cue about Dwight not being the main guy on a team

 

[mjsaver]

Glad to see we signed Nick Young aka herky jerky !

He's a bit erratic but I can't remember the last time Kobe played with somebody who could create their own shot off the dribble, we needed that.

 

[essential1]

After listening to some 710 during work...

This would be the FINAL ROSTER that I'd roll with. Bold are people we don't have:

PG: Steve Nash, Jordan Farmar, Steve Blake
SG: Nick Young, Jodie Meeks
SF: Kobe Bryant, Ronnie Brewer, Chris Douglas-Roberts
PF: Lamar Odom, Jordan Hill, Ryan Kelly
C: Pau Gasol, Chris Kaman, Robert Sacre

I'd rather Darius Morris than Steve Blake but those are the cards.. Maybe look to trade Blake for a 2nd Round pick, or for a cheap WIP player...

 

[kal-el-8]

After listening to some 710 during work...

This would be the FINAL ROSTER that I'd roll with. Bold are people we don't have:

PG: Steve Nash, Jordan Farmar, Steve Blake
SG: Nick Young, Jodie Meeks
SF: Kobe Bryant, Ronnie Brewer, Chris Douglas-Roberts
PF: Lamar Odom, Jordan Hill, Ryan Kelly
C: Pau Gasol, Chris Kaman, Robert Sacre

I'd rather Darius Morris than Steve Blake but those are the cards.. Maybe look to trade Blake for a 2nd Round pick, or for a cheap WIP player...

How many players are you allowed to have?

I was under the impression it was only 13. 

 

[kal-el-8]

Are you guys even in discussion with LO?

I keep seeing him mentioned

Essentially if Jamison goes to Clips, we'll get Lo, if jamison goes anywhere else, we don't get Lo 

 

[essential1]

Are you guys even in discussion with LO?

I keep seeing him mentioned

Lakers & Clippers both offered a minimum contract to him.

 

[essential1]

After listening to some 710 during work...


This would be the FINAL ROSTER that I'd roll with. Bold are people we don't have:


PG: Steve Nash, Jordan Farmar, Steve Blake

SG: Nick Young, Jodie Meeks

SF: Kobe Bryant, Ronnie Brewer, Chris Douglas-Roberts

PF: Lamar Odom, Jordan Hill, Ryan Kelly

C: Pau Gasol, Chris Kaman, Robert Sacre


I'd rather Darius Morris than Steve Blake but those are the cards.. Maybe look to trade Blake for a 2nd Round pick, or for a cheap WIP player...

How many players are you allowed to have?

I was under the impression it was only 13. 

"An NBA team can have a maximum of 15 players on its roster during a season (and up to 20 during the offseason). A team may have 12 or 13 players on its active roster."

You can designate a player to the DLeague as part of the active/inactive standpoint..

 

[kal-el-8]

"An NBA team can have a maximum of 15 players on its roster during a season (and up to 20 during the offseason). A team may have 12 or 13 players on its active roster."

You can designate a player to the DLeague as part of the active/inactive standpoint..

Ohh, okay. sounds good.

I'm not sold on Ronnie Brewer, wasn't he hurt basically all last year? The roster you posted I run with in a heartbeat. 

I mean dantoni will have a whole training camp, They'll have chemistry, they're young, and barring any injuries, I think they could be solid. 

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

dwight is definitely gonna beast in houston and I would rather have him on my team than not but I didn't realize how much of a female he is until he came to la. from day 1 he was making little sneak disses at kobe, calling mitch doc brown, doing impersonations and singing...dude really thinks he's funny but he's the ultimate cornball. there was one interview where even mike trudell was like "wtf...?". I don't know if he will ever grow up and I won't be surprised when his teammates in houston have problems with him

 

[essential1]

I'm not sold on Ronnie Brewer, wasn't he hurt basically all last year? The roster you posted I run with in a heartbeat. 

I mean dantoni will have a whole training camp, They'll have chemistry, they're young, and barring any injuries, I think they could be solid. 

No.. He was left to rot because he isn't good offensively.

 

[essential1]

Wonder what you guys will say about Dwight when he beasts the next few seasons because there isn't a player on the Rockets who is more concerned about his total points rather the the team's total wins.

You tell me where you know of this Kobe Bryant

And don't give me the his teammates hated him schtick.. Bulls players despised Mike.. It's the kind of guys they are.

I guess Kobe asking Dwight to carry him on defense, he'll carry the offense was being a bad teammate by knowing his flaws and asking for help in return helping Dwight with his flaws... Or telling him straight up "I know I'm not the best teammate" and then asking him how he wants to go forward.. Go sit down with your article because it's bull. Go ask Pau Gasol how Kobe is as a teammate then you can then bring up Kobe destroyed the Lakers by chasing away a guy who had both feet out of the door as soon as the opportunity came that tried to put the entire locker room against Kobe and it didn't work because teammates just went to Kobe and told them what Dwight was saying.


Finally.. Since I wanted to add this in.. CP3 wanted Dwight to join the Clippers.. Even if you amnestied Kobe.. They still could not have signed CP3. So Kobe's contract didn't kill the Lakers hope for rebuilding.. Dwight & CP3 would have been $40million combined. So you could only have $18.5mil in contracts... Welp that means Pau would have to be gone because he made $19mil.. Nash, Blake & MWP make $21mil combined so one of them would have to go.. Also Jodie Meeks would have had to been cut, as would Jordan Hill.. So yeah for the guy who wanted the team to get rid of the best player in the franchise's history, 3 guys who are universally loved by teammates (Nash, Pau, MWP), and his best friend on the team (Jodie Meeks) REALLY WANTED TO STAY IN LA.

 

[mjsaver]

Sure he'll do good in Houston but not in the context of a true franchise player, there he can just be one of the guys and play ball.

 

[acbboyz84]

Wonder what you guys will say about Dwight when he beasts the next few seasons because there isn't a player on the Rockets who is more concerned about his total points rather the the team's total wins. It's funny reading your comments... you guys are going to any and every extent to justify that "he's not all that" and "he's not a max guy." Yeah, sure. Lying to yourselves for peace of mind?

Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty ImagesBuilding around Kobe comes with the cost of alienating everyone from Phil Jackson to Dwight Howard.
Dwight Howard and Chris Paul were both free agents this summer and might have joined forces on the Los Angeles Lakers, sources told Chris Broussard.


Put on your Mitch Kupchak hat and picture that.


The idea died quickly, of course. Not because it doesn't make perfect sense. Not because it wouldn't be far better for the Lakers, both in the long term and short term. But because it would have meant cutting Laker icon Kobe Bryant loose, which is complicated for so many reasons, not the least of which is how Lakers fans view Bryant.


Even without Paul, and with Kobe staying, Howard was interested in remaining a Laker, sources tell Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein, -- if Howard could get a clear picture of when Bryant would hand Howard the torch.


You know who the Lakers said would control that decision? According to the sources of Shelburne and Stein: Not Jeanie Buss. Not Jerry Buss. Not Kupchak. Not departed Lakers stalwarts Jerry West, Magic Johnson or Phil Jackson.


Kobe.


The only logical conclusion: Waiting for Kobe to hand over the torch is a sucker's game.


That has been the story thus far. Kobe would be in control of this franchise-turning decision, and most other stuff too. It is at the heart of his profound global on-court appeal. Who doesn't love the idea of a swashbuckling butt-kicker ready to take full command of the battlefield? He is exactly that.


Who's scared to take the big shot? NOT THIS GUY. He shrinks from nothing, leaves nothing to chance, or others.


That has also long been, predictably and increasingly, his undoing. His willingness to take the big shot has been lauded, but in fact there were plenty of good shooters open, ready and ignored.


"I sometimes think Kobe is so addicted to being in control that he would rather shoot the ball when guarded, or even double-teamed, than dish it to an open teammate," Jackson wrote in his 2004 book "The Last Season." "He is saying to himself: How can he trust anyone else? Well, he should learn to trust."


Bryant has personally driven the Lakers to success over the past couple of decades. But his white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel has, paradoxically, also long kept the Lakers from being as good as they might have been. Even as age and injuries have limited his production, Bryant has consumed an increasing share of the Lakers' ever-more-precious under the new CBA cap space. His cost is going up even faster than his salary and has always been tough to quantify, though it is weighty.


How many wins did it cost the Lakers when Bryant deflated teammates such as Andrew Bynum, scared off free agents such as Howard, played an essential part in the departure of Shaquille O'Neal (which likely cost the Lakers a title)? What is the bottom-line cost of long forcing the Lakers to ignore more-likely-to-succeed options to run inefficient Kobe-centric plays?


The Lakers would win or they would lose, but nobody sticks Bryant in the corner.


Jackson has long wrestled with how to talk about Bryant. He has partnered with him, coached him to great success, won rings with him, and lauded him every which way.


And yet Jackson's legacy as one of the greatest coaches in sports history hinges on his ability to get individuals -- including Michael freaking Jordan -- to think team-first.


Jackson has written several books with this underlying theme. His latest and best book, "Eleven Rings," ends with this conclusion: "At some point you have to let go and turn yourself over to the basketball gods. The soul of success is surrendering to what is."


But Bryant never fully bought in. Jackson implies that Bryant's need to control will dog Bryant, and anyone who plays on or coaches the Lakers for as long as Bryant is around.


Jackson has a vision for how it could be better, rooted in his playing days with the Knicks. Jackson quotes his former Knicks coach, Red Holzman: "On a good team there are no superstars. There are great players who show they are great players by being able to play with others as a team."


It's one of a dozen tales in "Eleven Rings" in which Jackson indirectly needles Bryant's approach. Other times he's much more direct:

• "Kobe was building his résumé at the expense of the rest of the team. … Kobe's selfishness and unpredictability gave the other players a sinking feeling that he didn't trust them anymore, which further eroded team harmony."
• "I admired Kobe's intense desire to win, but he still had a lot to learn about teamwork and self-sacrifice. … I questioned whether he'd be able to contain his ego long enough to master the triangle system."
• "Kobe was hell-bent on surpassing Jordan as the greatest player in the game. His obsession with Michael was striking. Not only had he mastered many of Jordan's moves, but he affected many of M.J.'s mannerisms as well. When we played in Chicago that season, I orchestrated a meeting between the two stars, thinking that Michael might help shift Kobe's attitude toward selfish teamwork. After they shook hands, the first words out of Kobe's mouth were 'You know I can kick your *** one-on-one.'"
• "Now I know why the guys don't like playing with you," Jackson brags of telling a young Bryant, adding "You can't be captain if nobody will follow you."

Bryant is getting older now. Slowing down. Hardly any NBA guards have been this good this deep in their careers -- and now he's coming off one of the worst injuries there is, while his salary skyrockets, the luxury tax gets more serious than it has ever been, and the team is more interested than ever in creating cap space. Any reasonable projection of what he can deliver the team is down. Any reasonable projection of what he will cost the team is up, and now evidently includes yet another scared-off All-Star center.


There was a time when Bryant's play was so transcendent that the byproducts of his controlling nature -- missed game-winners by the dozen, O'Neal or Bynum leaving town, might have been worth it. It was the cost of doing business with an MVP shooting guard who delivered five titles. The next and final phase of Bryant's career, however, will either be about giving up some control -- for instance by recruiting and helping to develop the next generation of Laker greats -- or things will get ugly.

5 rings. 7 Finals appearances. Enough said. How many rings did your player/team get?

Kobe is selfish, Kobe is ball hog, Kobe is this, Kobe is that, blah blah blah. But the dude got 5 rings for his team and went to the Finals 7 times.

Nothing you wrote is profound or ground breaking and you're 9 years late dog. You quoted Phil's quotes from a book that was written 9 years ago. Lol

Here's your late pass.

 

[noblekane]

Wonder what you guys will say about Dwight when he beasts the next few seasons because there isn't a player on the Rockets who is more concerned about his total points rather the the team's total wins. It's funny reading your comments... you guys are going to any and every extent to justify that "he's not all that" and "he's not a max guy." Yeah, sure. Lying to yourselves for peace of mind?

Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty ImagesBuilding around Kobe comes with the cost of alienating everyone from Phil Jackson to Dwight Howard.
Dwight Howard and Chris Paul were both free agents this summer and might have joined forces on the Los Angeles Lakers, sources told Chris Broussard.


Put on your Mitch Kupchak hat and picture that.


The idea died quickly, of course. Not because it doesn't make perfect sense. Not because it wouldn't be far better for the Lakers, both in the long term and short term. But because it would have meant cutting Laker icon Kobe Bryant loose, which is complicated for so many reasons, not the least of which is how Lakers fans view Bryant.


Even without Paul, and with Kobe staying, Howard was interested in remaining a Laker, sources tell Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein, -- if Howard could get a clear picture of when Bryant would hand Howard the torch.


You know who the Lakers said would control that decision? According to the sources of Shelburne and Stein: Not Jeanie Buss. Not Jerry Buss. Not Kupchak. Not departed Lakers stalwarts Jerry West, Magic Johnson or Phil Jackson.


Kobe.


The only logical conclusion: Waiting for Kobe to hand over the torch is a sucker's game.


That has been the story thus far. Kobe would be in control of this franchise-turning decision, and most other stuff too. It is at the heart of his profound global on-court appeal. Who doesn't love the idea of a swashbuckling butt-kicker ready to take full command of the battlefield? He is exactly that.


Who's scared to take the big shot? NOT THIS GUY. He shrinks from nothing, leaves nothing to chance, or others.


That has also long been, predictably and increasingly, his undoing. His willingness to take the big shot has been lauded, but in fact there were plenty of good shooters open, ready and ignored.


"I sometimes think Kobe is so addicted to being in control that he would rather shoot the ball when guarded, or even double-teamed, than dish it to an open teammate," Jackson wrote in his 2004 book "The Last Season." "He is saying to himself: How can he trust anyone else? Well, he should learn to trust."


Bryant has personally driven the Lakers to success over the past couple of decades. But his white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel has, paradoxically, also long kept the Lakers from being as good as they might have been. Even as age and injuries have limited his production, Bryant has consumed an increasing share of the Lakers' ever-more-precious under the new CBA cap space. His cost is going up even faster than his salary and has always been tough to quantify, though it is weighty.


How many wins did it cost the Lakers when Bryant deflated teammates such as Andrew Bynum, scared off free agents such as Howard, played an essential part in the departure of Shaquille O'Neal (which likely cost the Lakers a title)? What is the bottom-line cost of long forcing the Lakers to ignore more-likely-to-succeed options to run inefficient Kobe-centric plays?


The Lakers would win or they would lose, but nobody sticks Bryant in the corner.


Jackson has long wrestled with how to talk about Bryant. He has partnered with him, coached him to great success, won rings with him, and lauded him every which way.


And yet Jackson's legacy as one of the greatest coaches in sports history hinges on his ability to get individuals -- including Michael freaking Jordan -- to think team-first.


Jackson has written several books with this underlying theme. His latest and best book, "Eleven Rings," ends with this conclusion: "At some point you have to let go and turn yourself over to the basketball gods. The soul of success is surrendering to what is."


But Bryant never fully bought in. Jackson implies that Bryant's need to control will dog Bryant, and anyone who plays on or coaches the Lakers for as long as Bryant is around.


Jackson has a vision for how it could be better, rooted in his playing days with the Knicks. Jackson quotes his former Knicks coach, Red Holzman: "On a good team there are no superstars. There are great players who show they are great players by being able to play with others as a team."


It's one of a dozen tales in "Eleven Rings" in which Jackson indirectly needles Bryant's approach. Other times he's much more direct:

• "Kobe was building his résumé at the expense of the rest of the team. … Kobe's selfishness and unpredictability gave the other players a sinking feeling that he didn't trust them anymore, which further eroded team harmony."
• "I admired Kobe's intense desire to win, but he still had a lot to learn about teamwork and self-sacrifice. … I questioned whether he'd be able to contain his ego long enough to master the triangle system."
• "Kobe was hell-bent on surpassing Jordan as the greatest player in the game. His obsession with Michael was striking. Not only had he mastered many of Jordan's moves, but he affected many of M.J.'s mannerisms as well. When we played in Chicago that season, I orchestrated a meeting between the two stars, thinking that Michael might help shift Kobe's attitude toward selfish teamwork. After they shook hands, the first words out of Kobe's mouth were 'You know I can kick your *** one-on-one.'"
• "Now I know why the guys don't like playing with you," Jackson brags of telling a young Bryant, adding "You can't be captain if nobody will follow you."

Bryant is getting older now. Slowing down. Hardly any NBA guards have been this good this deep in their careers -- and now he's coming off one of the worst injuries there is, while his salary skyrockets, the luxury tax gets more serious than it has ever been, and the team is more interested than ever in creating cap space. Any reasonable projection of what he can deliver the team is down. Any reasonable projection of what he will cost the team is up, and now evidently includes yet another scared-off All-Star center.


There was a time when Bryant's play was so transcendent that the byproducts of his controlling nature -- missed game-winners by the dozen, O'Neal or Bynum leaving town, might have been worth it. It was the cost of doing business with an MVP shooting guard who delivered five titles. The next and final phase of Bryant's career, however, will either be about giving up some control -- for instance by recruiting and helping to develop the next generation of Laker greats -- or things will get ugly.

you should know your role already bro and take that **** to the kobe overrated or laker hater threads

 

[MambaMentality824]

5 rings. 7 Finals appearances. Enough said. How many rings did your player/team get?

Kobe is selfish, Kobe is ball hog, Kobe is this, Kobe is that, blah blah blah. But the dude got 5 rings for his team and went to the Finals 7 times.

Nothing you wrote is profound or ground breaking and you're 9 years late dog. You quoted Phil's quotes from a book that was written 9 years ago. Lol

Here's your late pass.

This. IN the end, no matter which way you slice. Kobe Bryant has played "Kobe ball" his whole career and during that duration his team has gone to 7 finals and won 5 championships. That's more successful than any player in that duration by far besides Duncan who is also right there. If his style of play and attitude was that MUCH of a problem there is no way our team would have the success it has had. Kobe has been doing Kobe his whole career, and we have been a very good team. You cannot argue or take that away from him.

 

[thadoctadvocate]

Perfect blend of athleticism, youth, size.. he's not overly quick, and i dont know about his defense, but i know he;s had to work his way back here, so im sure he'll find his defensive niche

Think he'll take one of the last two roster spots.

is dude blacklisted or what? he is a man among boys in dat vid

 

[vindeezy]

^QFT.

He must've done SOMETHING right.

It makes me wonder....do people actually like sit and watch the games? The actual games??? Like 1 gm? 2 gms? 82 gms? The one gm he had an off night???

17 years ive watched..buzzer to buzzer almost every game. Ill never fully understand the hate.

Actually, I do understand it. Hes dropped 50 on YOUR TEAM. But what ill never, ever understand is the lack of acknowledgement. Respect and acknowledge game. Thats all I ask.

 

[vindeezy]

is dude blacklisted or what? he is a man among boys in dat vid

Ilk never understand that, either..if nick young is a homeless mans kobe...than cdr is a minimum wage earning mans nick young. At the very least.

 

[metiqlous]

I don't think LO would even want to go back to the Lakers after what went down. I also don't think his head is entirely into his career at the moment either. Dude went in on some paparazzi after they confronted him about his rumored affair and now he's getting sued. We all know he can't play at his maximum potential if he's not dedicated and free of any distractions. He honestly should've never left in the first place, but dude was salty.

 

[malcmoney]

What's up with earl Clark?

 

[mrdieselfuel09]

He's with the Cavs now.