Lakers

[il Padrino Ute]

No other team has a chant echoed in every arena away from Staples. Beat LA!

Speaking of which, did you know the Staples Center is the toughest arena to win a playoff road game in? Counting the Clippers brief visit to the playoffs, since '99 when it opened, the record is like 60-12 for the home team.

Now back to the current topic, Il Pad your comment about Kobe making MJ look humble made me chuckle. People forget, or don't want to believe what an ass MJ was at times. He'd berate teammates. As SoCal pointed out he called his team the supporting cast. He scowled after scoring. Shook his head as he lit up pesky defenders. He got a coach fired that he didn't like. Had affairs. The gambling issues, etc. Anytime, you prop up athletes on that ivory tower you're going to overlook some faults. Who cares? It's a silly argument to make that one guy is a bigger perceived prick than another. If that were the case, how'd you Jazz fans get along with Malone for so long?

Nobody is addressing the biggest flaw about Kobe. He's just not likable.

Seriously, what is there about him - away from the game - that is to like?

[JohnnyLingo]

No, there is nobody else right now that is worthy to carry the mantle. In 3 or so years, the picture may be more clear.

All your eggs in one basket, huh? Risky.

[TripletDaddy]

Nobody is addressing the biggest flaw about Kobe. He's just not likable.

Are you still only speaking for yourself?

[JohnnyLingo]

Nobody is addressing the biggest flaw about Kobe. He's just not likable.

Seriously, what is there about him - away from the game - that is to like?

No, he IS likable to certain people. It's a matter of opinion. People who like Kobe as a person know all the same facts about him that we do... they just have a different opinion about what makes someone likable.

[TripletDaddy]

All your eggs in one basket, huh? Risky.

Yes, all the Lakers eggs are in one basket. If they do not sign Lebron in 6 years, I expect them to leave a roster slot open in memoriam to what could have been. Everyone will wear black and the team will probably never sign another free agent again.

Very risky.

[il Padrino Ute]

Are you still only speaking for yourself?

Of course.

That's why I asked.

[TripletDaddy]

SI names Dr Buss the best owner in the NBA. Great accolade for the Lakers!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/nba/05/08/nba.owners/index.html

Worst owners include Buss's good buddy and co-tenant, DT Sterling, as well as the Knicks, Grizz, and MJ's Bobcats.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

(certainly not to winning tradition....is there a franchise and venue more overblown and overhyped than the Knicks and the phony MSG?).

I saw MSG for the first time in early 08 when I went to NYC with a friend, we went to 2 Rangers games and a Knick game, and the whole time I kept thinking to myself this place is a dump. Why does everyone have a Cialis moment when talking about it?


Now a question for Laker fans, if you were in total control would you have Kobe opt out next year if you could land LeBron? Let Kobe take the bright lights of NYC. Or are you sold on wanting KB24 for the next 3-5 years with the last 2-3 of those years being pretty serious decline?

[Surfah]

I saw MSG for the first time in early 08 when I went to NYC with a friend, we went to 2 Rangers games and a Knick game, and the whole time I kept thinking to myself this place is a dump. Why does everyone have a Cialis moment when talking about it?


Now a question for Laker fans, if you were in total control would you have Kobe opt out next year if you could land LeBron? Let Kobe take the bright lights of NYC. Or are you sold on wanting KB24 for the next 3-5 years with the last 2-3 of those years being pretty serious decline?

Letting a 30 year old Kobe go for a 24 year old LeBron? In a heartbeat. I want championships. I'm confident that Kobe can supply a few. But LeBron on this team could bring two hands full.

[TripletDaddy]

I saw MSG for the first time in early 08 when I went to NYC with a friend, we went to 2 Rangers games and a Knick game, and the whole time I kept thinking to myself this place is a dump. Why does everyone have a Cialis moment when talking about it?


Now a question for Laker fans, if you were in total control would you have Kobe opt out next year if you could land LeBron? Let Kobe take the bright lights of NYC. Or are you sold on wanting KB24 for the next 3-5 years with the last 2-3 of those years being pretty serious decline?

A few things about the phony MSG....the one you were sitting in......it isn't even the real MSG. So when there is all this talk about the history in the building....much of it was in the other iterations. The current one isn't even on Madison Avenue. As far as being The Mecca......the San Antonio Spurs have double the championship history as the New York Knicks. There has been only slightly less championship basketball played in Miami, Milwaukee, and Seattle. Houston has just as much championship pedigree as the Knicks.

And the Knicks haven't been relevant for a decade.

The Knicks are a lame franchise that are lucky to be located in the greatest city. From a basketball perspective, to paraphrase Larry Bird...."why would I be mad at a franchise when I have more championship rings than them?"

Ditch Kobe right now and go with Lebron? Don't know. Ask me again in 3 weeks. Lebron has been to the finals already, before. And lost badly. So he has some work to do, also, as we have already discussed.

[il Padrino Ute]

I saw MSG for the first time in early 08 when I went to NYC with a friend, we went to 2 Rangers games and a Knick game, and the whole time I kept thinking to myself this place is a dump.

It is a dump. But because it's in NYC, some people think it is a great place.

[JohnnyLingo]

Ditch Kobe right now and go with Lebron? Don't know. Ask me again in 3 weeks. Lebron has been to the finals already, before. And lost badly. So he has some work to do, also, as we have already discussed.

Really? Do you not understand the concept of team? No one has ever won it all by themselves. LeBron's teams have been crap... just getting to the Finals was impressive enough.

Kobe couldn't win it all by himself. Shaq couldn't win it all by himself. Bird, Magic, Kareem, Barkley, Hakeem... none of these guys won it all without another high-caliber player alongside them.

To bash on LeBron because he couldn't carry a team starting Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic to a ring doesn't make any sense.

[Surfah]

Really? Do you not understand the concept of team? No one has ever won it all by themselves. LeBron's teams have been crap... just getting to the Finals was impressive enough.

Kobe couldn't win it all by himself. Shaq couldn't win it all by himself. Bird, Magic, Kareem, Barkley, Hakeem... none of these guys won it all without another high-caliber player alongside them.

To bash on LeBron because he couldn't carry a team starting Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic to a ring doesn't make any sense.

Leastern Conference.

[TripletDaddy]

Really? Do you not understand the concept of team? No one has ever won it all by themselves. LeBron's teams have been crap... just getting to the Finals was impressive enough.

Kobe couldn't win it all by himself. Shaq couldn't win it all by himself. Bird, Magic, Kareem, Barkley, Hakeem... none of these guys won it all without another high-caliber player alongside them.

To bash on LeBron because he couldn't carry a team starting Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic to a ring doesn't make any sense.

what are you babbling about? you are responding to things that were not said.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Really? Do you not understand the concept of team? No one has ever won it all by themselves. LeBron's teams have been crap... just getting to the Finals was impressive enough.

Kobe couldn't win it all by himself. Shaq couldn't win it all by himself. Bird, Magic, Kareem, Barkley, Hakeem... none of these guys won it all without another high-caliber player alongside them.

To bash on LeBron because he couldn't carry a team starting Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic to a ring doesn't make any sense.

Barkley couldn't win it with anyone else either though.