Official 2013-14 Los Angeles Lakers Thread

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
Both of you make valid points. On one hand, while it's admirable what Dirk did, he just took less money so the Mavs could go out and pay Chandler Parsons $15M. Point being, I don't think his sacrifice is going to lead to a championship contender for the Mavs. It's a little different in Duncan's case, where you're asking him to take less so they can pay Manu & Parker...two guys that he'd actually won championships with before. I think Dirk's going to end up taking less money and end up still falling far short of achieving the goal that you'd take less money to achieve, if that makes sense.

On the other hand, Kobe is a brand. There's only one other player in the league right now that you can say that about. Internationally, I think Kobe would make up say a $10M difference by being on a contender. He also presents himself as someone who's obsessed with winning, but I think this contract shows that he's obsessed with winning as long as he's the man. That was the main friction between him and Shaq. It's a quality that I respect, but it's not going to serve him well as he's entering the twilight of his career. We've basically entered the Jordan on the Wizards portion of his career, just without the retirement and uniform change.

Pretty sure Kobe just knows the steroid abuse is gonna catch up to him and he is gonna blow out a major body part every season, never play and might as well collect big checks while doing so.

Or that.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
Or that.

lulz

Originally posted by StOnEy333:

Who is your NBA player to compare him to?

I see his physique and his game and reminds me a lot of Jermaine O'neal. I hope he develops a jumper and gets more aggressive.
You can clearly tell he has got some tremendous skill with that type of ball handling. I'm hoping he can get nasty down the paint while relying on his Guard skills.

I don't want Boozer, unless it's 1-2 w an option. Guessing he heads to a contender that needs a piece tho

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by 4ML:

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by 4ML:

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

What is pretty clear is that Kobe will never again win a title in LA. His last 2 years of his deal will pay him over 48M but he wont have anyone good to play with because of the amount being spent on him. I just wonder what the Lakers would have been able to do if Kobe had signed a deal like Dirk just signed with the Mavs. Hell, how much money does he really need in this lifetime anyway? He made 34 million just from endorsements in 2014!!

Hope he enjoys sucking the next 2 years.

After the Clippers got sold for $2B - I say f**k the owners and players should take the max money they can get. Why should the players be the only one sacrificing money to win chips...? They're the ones with limited years of career.

Kobe Bryant didn't put ridiculous salary cap and repeater tax rules. Players agreed to a 50-50 CBA deal because owners lied to them. So, if owners want to win - don't look at players to take a below market contract.

If this was MLB with no salary cap I might agree with you. BUT.. it isnt. Kobe Bryant made 34 million from endorsements alone in 2014 and could easily have taken less money to help put a championship team together.

I get that but owners introduced the salary cap and cap structures. Not only that...in the last CBA they reduced players share to 50 cents on a dollar when it used to be about 58 cents - thus reducing the increases in salary cap. Cap could have about 70+M if they hadn't done so. My thing is - don't just ask the players to take less. If owners want to win - they need to step up to the plate too.

Hey. The players agreed to it. Now they have the CBA until 2021. In the meantime, if someone like Kobe truly puts winning ahead of making the most money in the league he could take less so that other great players can come to the team. He will never be able to spend all of the money he has made in his lifetime.

I guess I am saying that I admire someone like Dirk who understands that he is already rich, doesnt need a max deal, values loyalty and winning, and doesnt have to be the highest paid player on the team at this point in his career. And, unlike Kobe, we know he can still play at the highest level. If I was a Laker fan, I would have hoped that Kobe had taken this kind of stance.

Originally posted by 4ML:

I get that but owners introduced the salary cap and cap structures. Not only that...in the last CBA they reduced players share to 50 cents on a dollar when it used to be about 58 cents - thus reducing the increases in salary cap. Cap could have about 70+M if they hadn't done so. My thing is - don't just ask the players to take less. If owners want to win - they need to step up to the plate too.

Yes, Kobe makes 34M in endorsements. Lakers make 100s of millions from TV deals...and every NBA franchise has seen their valuation go by up ridiculous numbers since the new CBA. So, I hope top players stop giving these greedy owners discounts.

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by 4ML:

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by 4ML:

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

What is pretty clear is that Kobe will never again win a title in LA. His last 2 years of his deal will pay him over 48M but he wont have anyone good to play with because of the amount being spent on him. I just wonder what the Lakers would have been able to do if Kobe had signed a deal like Dirk just signed with the Mavs. Hell, how much money does he really need in this lifetime anyway? He made 34 million just from endorsements in 2014!!

Hope he enjoys sucking the next 2 years.

After the Clippers got sold for $2B - I say f**k the owners and players should take the max money they can get. Why should the players be the only one sacrificing money to win chips...? They're the ones with limited years of career.

Kobe Bryant didn't put ridiculous salary cap and repeater tax rules. Players agreed to a 50-50 CBA deal because owners lied to them. So, if owners want to win - don't look at players to take a below market contract.

If this was MLB with no salary cap I might agree with you. BUT.. it isnt. Kobe Bryant made 34 million from endorsements alone in 2014 and could easily have taken less money to help put a championship team together.

I get that but owners introduced the salary cap and cap structures. Not only that...in the last CBA they reduced players share to 50 cents on a dollar when it used to be about 58 cents - thus reducing the increases in salary cap. Cap could have about 70+M if they hadn't done so. My thing is - don't just ask the players to take less. If owners want to win - they need to step up to the plate too.

Hey. The players agreed to it. Now they have the CBA until 2021. In the meantime, if someone like Kobe truly puts winning ahead of making the most money in the league he could take less so that other great players can come to the team. He will never be able to spend all of the money he has made in his lifetime.

I guess I am saying that I admire someone like Dirk who understands that he is already rich, doesnt need a max deal, values loyalty and winning, and doesnt have to be the highest paid player on the team at this point in his career. And, unlike Kobe, we know he can still play at the highest level. If I was a Laker fan, I would have hoped that Kobe had taken this kind of stance.

Lakers can beat Dallas so he took less money for other reasons. Either he is comfortable with Dallas and that's what they can offer him or go to another team for more money, but try to reestablish a new start. I doubly Dallas Mavs offer the Dirk $20Mil and said no thanks I'm an honorable guy and value loyalty. Lol

Furious that they didn't make a run at Lance at that price.

Originally posted by DynastyChile:
I don't want Boozer, unless it's 1-2 w an option. Guessing he heads to a contender that needs a piece tho

Boozer would just be here for one year if they place a bid on him.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Furious that they didn't make a run at Lance at that price.

You really think the lakers will be contenders in the next 3 years?

Originally posted by 9erReign:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
Furious that they didn't make a run at Lance at that price.

You really think the lakers will be contenders in the next 3 years?

Probably not, but I don't know what that has to do with Lance.

All I've wanted is the Lakers to assemble young talent prior to '16 FA. As I've said before, we've been sprinting toward Knickdom for quite some time, and the finish line's getting closer an closer.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
Furious that they didn't make a run at Lance at that price.

Woahh, me too. I thought he was gonna get 15 per, thats why I wanted to stay away. He is making the same amount of money as Jordan Hill.................................................................

And actually this is one of the bigger FA's we had a good chance at. He wants a short deal with considerable less money so he can shoot for a max in 2-3 years...How does he do that? A. go to a team where he will be a key option (ours), B. big market to showcase abilities and that he has matured and will cut out antics(ours), C. have a locker room with an alpha to shut him up (ours)...guess it makes sense to me but not to Mitch

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by 9erReign:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
Furious that they didn't make a run at Lance at that price.

You really think the lakers will be contenders in the next 3 years?

Probably not, but I don't know what that has to do with Lance.

All I've wanted is the Lakers to assemble young talent prior to '16 FA. As I've said before, we've been sprinting toward Knickdom for quite some time, and the finish line's getting closer an closer.

I know its the Lake Show, but didn't he have interest from several teams? "Better" markets than Charlotte? If that's the case, maybe he wouldn't have gone to the Lakers anyway. Seems like he wants to go somewhere to be the primary wing option, try and average around 20 ppg and cash in next time around. He is obviously their primary wing scorer over Kemba right?

Originally posted by DynastyChile:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
Furious that they didn't make a run at Lance at that price.

Woahh, me too. I thought he was gonna get 15 per, thats why I wanted to stay away. He is making the same amount of money as Jordan Hill.................................................................

And actually this is one of the bigger FA's we had a good chance at. He wants a short deal with considerable less money so he can shoot for a max in 2-3 years...How does he do that? A. go to a team where he will be a key option (ours), B. big market to showcase abilities and that he has matured and will cut out antics(ours), C. have a locker room with an alpha to shut him up (ours)...guess it makes sense to me but not to Mitch

I doubt it really makes sense to Lance though. There is no real reason to come to LA. Charlotte is a great spot for him. Enough help that can make him look better but enough room to be the man and inflate his stats. Learn from Jordan. What does LA offer? No teammates and Kobe stealing all his shots to increase his point total before he retires.

Originally posted by 9erReign:
I doubt it really makes sense to Lance though. There is no real reason to come to LA. Charlotte is a great spot for him. Enough help that can make him look better but enough room to be the man and inflate his stats. Learn from Jordan. What does LA offer? No teammates and Kobe stealing all his shots to increase his point total before he retires.

Lakers had more money and shots to offer, in a much bigger market. Charlotte has Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson, who are going to require more touches at this point than Kobe will. When was the last time someone became a star in Charlotte?

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by 9erReign:
I doubt it really makes sense to Lance though. There is no real reason to come to LA. Charlotte is a great spot for him. Enough help that can make him look better but enough room to be the man and inflate his stats. Learn from Jordan. What does LA offer? No teammates and Kobe stealing all his shots to increase his point total before he retires.

Lakers had more money and shots to offer, in a much bigger market. Charlotte has Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson, who are going to require more touches at this point than Kobe will. When was the last time someone became a star in Charlotte?

But you always talk about people making others look better. Who is gonna make Lance look better in LA? I think Kemba and Al are perfect teammates for him. Hard to be a star when you are playing 1 on 5. And if he can't look like a star he isn't going to get his desired monster contract at 26. He needs SOME help in order to shine. Plus now he has Jordan whispering in his ear, saying people don't believe in you, learn from me.