Graycap23 said:

The moment he gets Pippen, I will.

reneGade20 said:

Naw, they'll be ok. It's the same lineup they had when they went to the Finals. And yeah, CP3 is a concern, especially since I have him on my fantasy team .

uPtoWnNY said:

MuthaFunka said:

He had Shaq and chased him off. He has Gasol right now.

Graycap23 said:

3 with Shaq. Pau is no Pip.

MuthaFunka said:

3 does NOT equal 6.

Graycap23 said:

Pau does not equal Pip.

MuthaFunka said:

Make the best of what u have.....not what u don't.

Graycap23 said:

Easier said than done.

MuthaFunka said:

There are no other options.
Ask the Bulls and Bears.

Graycap23 said:

As MJ & Pip you mean?

MuthaFunka said:

2009 versions.....

New rankings:

1. Boston
2. Cleveland
3. L.A. Lakers
4. Orlando
5. San Antonio
6. Denver
7. Portland
8. New Orleans
9. Houston
10. Dallas
11. Phoenix
12. Miami
13. Philadelphia
14. Atlanta
15. Utah
16. Detroit
17. Milwaukee
18. New York
19. Indiana
20. Chicago
21. Charlotte
22. Toronto
23. Minnesota
24. New Jersey
25. Golden State
26. Oklahoma City
27. Washington
28. Memphis
29. L.A. Clippers
30. Sacramento

Lakers vs Celtics.....2 night.

Graycap23 said:

No Bynum? No problem.

Just heard Elton Brand's having surgery, which means he's done for the year.

I know Redd's done, what about Jameer Nelson?

uPtoWnNY said:

If Jameer opts for surgery, he's done for the year.

MuthaFunka said:

That sucks...with Nelson, Orlando could be a serious playoff threat.

uPtoWnNY said:

I feel for the Magic cuz losing Nelson hurts them badly....on the other hand, I'm still in full on mode that CP3 gets his ass back to the line up because the Hornets are starting to really stink the joint up since he went out....and it's becoming very apparent that CP3 without D-West and Ty Chandler is workable...but the team without him is dicey at best...

reneGade20 said:

Gotta have that solid PG play(along with defense and rebounding) to go deep in the playoffs, man.

uPtoWnNY said:

Well, they just traded for Tyronn Lue.

uPtoWnNY said:

indeed....the other three guards combined for 28points, 11 dimes, and 6 turnovers last night in his absence...there was no flow to the offense at all...and they played NO DEFENSE at all....luckily he's "day to day"...no serious damage, but he needs to get back NOW!!!

Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers

Kick that ass....

Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers, Go Lakers

MuthaFunka said:

Where's Paintedlady?

Of course the Celtics will take out their anger on my Knicks tonight....

uPtoWnNY said:

What's up with the Knicks? Has Donnie Walsh done anything?

uPtoWnNY said:

Pierce goes for 53, watch!

Graycap23 said:

Walsh has been a godsend after the Isaiah Thomas/Scott Layden disasters. Finally the Knicks have someone in charge who knows what the fuck he's doing. Walsh is thinking long-term - no more signing bums to phat contracts in the hopes of squeaking in the playoffs just to sell tickets. He wants us to be a perennial contender like we were in the 90s, and you do it by:

a) get lucky and draft a franchise player and build around him(like we did with Ewing in 1985)

OR

b) get under the cap and sign some top-flight all-stars. You need at LEAST two to be a serious contender. Walsh is going with Plan B. Once he dumps Marbury & Curry, we'll be in good shape for the 2010 free agent class. We'll have enough cap space to sign two superstars. I'm pretty sure LeBron's staying in Cleveland, but I'll be very happy with Bosh & Wade(to play alongside David Lee, Wilson Chandler, Nate Robinson and maybe Harrington).

Finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Graycap23 said:

Uh-oh.

As someone who takes a backseat to no one in terms of Laker fandom, I have to say this.

I believe G/Cap is correct to this extent. Jordan remains the undisputed GOAT. And Kobe owns a LOT of the blame for the breakup of the would-be Bling Dynasty. I've come a long way from where I was. I despised Kobe for costing the Lakers a title (for shooting them out of the 2004 Finals) and THEN triggering Shaq's hasty trade to Miami. But further research reveals that Kobe doesn't own it all. A lot, but not all.

That being said, there's no doubt that he's a special player. A very special player. I think he'll be on the short list of great players at the end of the day.

And, of course, Laker fans like me can dream. If LA wins the Finals this year, Kobe would have won his one without Shaq. Shaq would have won his one without Kobe years earlier. Shaq's contract with the Suns expires in 2010. Maybe Shaq returns to the fold with Kobe's blessing and they both redeem themselves by winning one more together.

Even namepeace's delusions never materialize, Kobe may have -- MAY have -- a shot at winning a couple in the next 2-4 years, if this team remains together and if Bynum develops.

Either way, I think he's got a shot at winning five. But even still, he'd be close, but not above, Michael Jeffrey Jordan.

namepeace said:

Well, it still can be disputed that MJ is/isn't the GOAT, solely based on the fact that there are 5 positions on a team and their responsibilities differ from position to position. Magic Johnson and MJ can both be argued as GOAT, as well as Kareem and Wilt. But that's neither here nor there ...

The blame for the Laker Dynasty break up falls on the shoulders of 4 men. 4 EGOMANIACAL men:

Shaq
Kobe
Phil
Buss

They ALL had a role in the break up of that dynasty. That's too many egos that have to get along with each other.