Kobe Stays

[SaltwaterChaffy]

Mark Stein is reporting that Kobe will stay with the Lakers.

[Jamisonite]

i was hoping hed be a clipper...but the lake show still wont compete

[Nash13]

This makes Baylor look really goofy now that he's traded a young prospect and a decent point guard for two(probably late) draft picks.

It does give them room to however match Q-Rich's offer and still be able to go after more FAs.

[uberfan]

Originally posted by: Nash13
This makes Baylor look really goofy now that he's traded a young prospect and a decent point guard for two(probably late) draft picks.

It does give them room to however match Q-Rich's offer and still be able to go after more FAs.

I think the draft picks were second rounders, but I agree that let go of two good players for way to cheap. All the good FA are disappearing fast.

I wonder if they will match QRich now? If they don't that could be a sign they are going in another direction than they indicated by going after Kobe, "rebuilding" again or just slashing salary?

[Murphy3]

This is great news. If Kobe would have went to the Clippers, their would be one really good LA team and one really bad LA team. But with him staying with the Lakers, there's a pretty good LA team and a mediocre LA team.

[uberfan]

Originally posted by: Murphy3
This is great news. If Kobe would have went to the Clippers, their would be one really good LA team and one really bad LA team. But with him staying with the Lakers, there's a pretty good LA team and a mediocre LA team.

yep, and if Suns don't get QRich and Denver doesn't get a SG as a result of this, then so much the better for the Mavs.

[PlanoJ]

Denver's got a good team now even without the SG. If they just plug in Voshon Lenard their starting rotation will be:
PG: Andre Miller
SG: Veshon
SF: Melo
PF: Martin
C: Camby

Bench:
Nene
Boykins
Skita

That's pretty good. Lenard is a great 3-point shooter as I'm sure everyone will remember from the last All-Star skills challenge. I think that's a better <u>team</u> than Houston.

edit: typo

[uberfan]

However, Denver was contemplating a buy out. They have indicated strongly they want someone else at SG.

[Jamisonite]

I dunno i like the Clippers options...if i were them i would match Qs offer sheet and sign Swift

[LakerMania]

Cuban giving Mitch props on ESPN, funny stuff.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally posted by: EricaLubarsky
It's going to be funny when the Clippers gave away their depth and have nothing to show for their money.

[Drbio]

I love the showbe the drama puss remained a Laker. Now he will have to ride that sinking ship to mediocrity and I will enjoy every loss and laker failure.

They will be lucky to be a #5 seed next year. The contracts they have to pay out from Miami will guarantee suckdom for years. Couldn't happen to a more deserving whiny puss than showbe.

[kg_veteran]

Kobe is all about Kobe. He cost the Clippers Ely and House. He cost the Lakers Phil Jackson, Shaq, and oh yeah, Jamal Sampson.

Kobe can wreck a team almost as fast as Isiah Thomas.

[Murphy3]

Originally posted by: Drbio
I love the showbe the drama puss remained a Laker. Now he will have to ride that sinking ship to mediocrity and I will enjoy every loss and laker failure.

They will be lucky to be a #5 seed next year. The contracts they have to pay out from Miami will guarantee suckdom for years. Couldn't happen to a more deserving whiny puss than showbe.

I can't imagine the Lakers being a #5 seed next year. I think 6 is about as high as it gets for the Lakers.

[kg_veteran]

Laettner
Nowitzki
Finley
Stackhouse
Daniels

vs.

Grant
Odom
Butler
Bryant
Payton

Which starting lineup is better?

[Murphy3]

Originally posted by: kg_veteran
Laettner
Nowitzki
Finley
Stackhouse
Daniels

vs.

Grant
Odom
Butler
Bryant
Payton

Which starting lineup is better?

That's a good question.
At the point, I'd give Payton the edge although that could change at any point during the season. Daniels should only improve offensively and defensively whereas Payton looked like he was on his last leg

At the 2guard, obviously the Lakers have a nice sized edge. But, Stackhouse is capable of playing at a top 20 level in this league. And to be honest, 2 guard might be the least important position on the court so that softens the blow a bit for the Mavs.

At the small forward spot, it looked like Butler was to close the gap on Finley after Caron's rookie season. But, Butler didn't shot the ability to shoot or get to the line last season. He also doesn't do anything particularly well on the defensive end. No, he's not bad on that end, but he doesn't shine. Right now, a signifcant edge goes to Finley.

At the power forward spot, Lamar Odom's best season is comparable to a sub par season from Dirk. I'd expect that even if Odom continues to improve, the Mavs have a pretty decent edge at this position when it's all said and done after this season. Sure, Odom's the better defender, but Dirk's offensive abilities more than make up for that edge.

At the center spot, you can put either Bradley or Laettner at the center spot versus Grant. Who's better? I'd give it a push. Grant didn't average 7 boards in 30 minutes a game. He didn't average 9 points. He didn't average half a block. Sure, that's better than what either Bradley or Laettner did, but I believe that either could have matched and exceeded the same output given the same amount of minutes. Plus, Bradley can be a game changer. Grant simply can't peform at the same level. I think Grant's a pretty good player, but he is a guy that I'd like to see logging about 20 minutes a night. I don't see him as a heavy minute center in this league.

So, it's just about a push in my opinion. The Lakers are better defensively, but the Mavs are superior offensively. With Payton headed downhill, it definitely narrows the defensive gap even more.

[V2M]

Originally posted by: kg_veteran
Laettner
Nowitzki
Finley
Stackhouse
Daniels

vs.

Grant
Odom
Butler
Bryant
Payton

Which starting lineup is better?

It depends on which Payton shows up. If it's the one who showed up in Playoffs, then the Mavs by a good margin. If he's anything close to what he was the year before, then Lakers would have the edge.

But these starting lineups may total only about 160min. The other 80min may be played by the second units:

Bradley
Walker
Najera
Howard
Harris

vs.

Medvedenko
Brian Cook
Devean George
Luke Walton
Kareem Rush

Who'd you pick between these two lineups?

I'd go with Dallas by a big margin!

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally posted by: kg_veteran
Kobe is all about Kobe. He cost the Clippers Ely and House. He cost the Lakers Phil Jackson, Shaq, and oh yeah, Jamal Sampson.

Kobe can wreck a team almost as fast as Isiah Thomas.

brilliant