Payton to 'follow dream' with Lakers

[Guest Polish_Rifle]

^ I stopped reading after you wrote the best player in the game at 2 guard.

[Guest Ripper]

Its sad to see how much Malone and Payton are getting praised due to past accomplishments.

 

Karl malone...they guy stayed in blow out games until the end last year to boost his scoring so he could closer to the scoring title. Gary Payton has never been able to stop allstar level Points...there are about 8 of them in the West. Shaq needs the ball every play to be effective...Bryant needs the ball every play to be effective. Payton, as teh point guard, will need the ball to be effective. Shaq stays in the paint area, Paytons abilities have mostly depended on noone being in the paint and using his size over smaller guards inside. Malone is a jump shooter now(there is a reason he only average 7 boards last year. He is 18 feet away from the basket all the time now.) that can't defend. Last time I remembered, the Lakers have a couple of power forwards that shoot jumpers and can't defend.

 

Anyone that still creams over Malone obviously haven't watched him play in the past few years...when he still had the most unselfish point giving him the ball EVERYTIME DOWN THE COURT and watching him take bad jumpers so that he can boost his scoring.

 

Payton is a slasher. Pippen was a slasher. The reason the Barkley, Olajawon, Pippen (drexler had retired before pip got there) thing didn't work was because he had guys that needed the ball on the box clogging the lane and couldn't get inside to be productive(in Chicago, the Centers stayed near the top of the key, or on the baseline for little jumpers). The same thing will happen to payton with the Lakers.

 

Derek Fisher is actually a better shooter than payton, and SHOOTERS are what the lakers need more than a bunch of names. So now, they upgrade to a couple of guys that still can't streach the D. When you can easily get 30 from Kobe AND Shaq everynight, you need spot up shooters. Not past their prime hall of famers whose skills don't match the triangle offense, and don't match the talent the lakers have. AND they are going to lose Robert Horry, Samaki walker. They will have a bench of Pargo, Rush, Medvedenko, Madsen, and Fisher... Rick Fox will still be out until allstar game next year, so one of these guys will have to start at the SF...With these two additions, it is still a weak team. Most teams in the West will still be starting better players at 3 positions while the Lakers still will only have the advantage at two.

 

Everyone can keep thinking 72 wins all they want. If the Lakers get 55-60, I will be suprised.

 

Knowing basketball and looking at this strickly as the players and what talents they can bring, Malone AND Payton would be a bad idea. Payton and defender at the 4 and a shooter or two to play the 3 or bench role would put the Lakers back near the top. This does not. At this point the Suns, Spurs, Kings, and Wolves will start better players at the Point, SF, and PF positions (if the Wolves sign Howard). The Sonics, Rockets, and yes people I am about to say it...Warriors will have better players at the PF, SF or Point.

 

The lakers are going after the names and not the talent that they need. It is stupid and will probably bite them in the ass in the end.

[Guest Polish_Rifle]

I think they got Payton and Malone 5 years too late. I'm just sad that I'm going to have to listen to all the Lakers are the favorites bullshit here in LA from now until they get bounced in the playoffs again next year.

 

No way are they going to win 72 because Shaq is plumping up as we speak and Kobe will be incarcerated shortly.

[Guest Hass of Pain]

The Lakers are losing Robert Horry?

[Guest Ripper]

He is a free agent and if the Lakers do sign Malone, they would be done in the market. So unless he was going to take league minimum, he will be playing elsewhere.

[Guest Choken One]

and who will take him?

 

Seriously...His stock went down when he bombed in the Spurs Series...

 

His best attiribute is "Clutch" ability...and that seemed to go away this year...

 

I'm thinking Horry takes an Leauge Minimum or small contract with Miami. Dunno why but

 

With Miami gun-ho to get O Neal or Maggette...Put that with Wade and Butler...

 

Horry would serve well there.

[Guest Polish_Rifle]

I think Horry will end up in Houston or Dallas close to his ailing daughter.

[Guest The Grand Pubah of 1620]

I think they got Payton and Malone 5 years too late.  I'm just sad that I'm going to have to listen to all the Lakers are the favorites bullshit here in LA from now until they get bounced in the playoffs again next year.

 

No way are they going to win 72 because Shaq is plumping up as we speak and Kobe will be incarcerated shortly.

Actually Shaq isn't "plumping up". He started an exercise regement right after the season ended just so he would be in shape for training camp, for once.

 

And Kobe is the best 2 guard in the NBA right now.

[Guest Polish_Rifle]

I think they got Payton and Malone 5 years too late.  I'm just sad that I'm going to have to listen to all the Lakers are the favorites bullshit here in LA from now until they get bounced in the playoffs again next year.

 

No way are they going to win 72 because Shaq is plumping up as we speak and Kobe will be incarcerated shortly.

Actually Shaq isn't "plumping up". He started an exercise regement right after the season ended just so he would be in shape for training camp, for once.

 

And Kobe is the best 2 guard in the NBA right now.

He hired a trainer before all this talk about Malone and Payton joining up with the Lakers. He's probably back to his old lazy self by now.

 

You're right Kobe is the best 2 in the NBA right now, if T-Mac, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Vince Carter, Desmond Mason, Rip Hamilton, Eric Piatkowski, Cuttimo Mobley, Allan Houston, Sprewell, Kerry Kittles, Doug Christie, Anthony Peeler, Eddie Jones, Jon Barry, Allan Iverson, Corey Maggette, Bruce Bowen, Reggie Miller, Ron Artest, Bonzi Wells, Ron Mercer, Wally Szerbiak, Quentin Richardson, Jason Richardson, Michael Redd, Jalen Rose, Michael Finley and Jason Terry(just to name a few) were all in a coma.

[Guest goodhelmet]

PR- some of those guys you mentioned are more natural 3's than 2 but point well taken.

 

Read Ripper's post and my first post. The team looks nice but three of them are PAST THEIR PRIME and one guy (Kobe) is injured.

 

Think about it... Kobe may recover from the shoulder surgery just fine, never miss a beat... or he could be the next Grant Hill and have a nagging injury that jeapordizes the rest of his career.

 

Shaq hired a trainer... big fucking whoop! He is also injured (BIG TOE!!!!)and may not be able to grind out the entire year.

 

Ripper dissected Malone earlier.. and Payton.

[Guest Ripper]

I think they got Payton and Malone 5 years too late.  I'm just sad that I'm going to have to listen to all the Lakers are the favorites bullshit here in LA from now until they get bounced in the playoffs again next year.

 

No way are they going to win 72 because Shaq is plumping up as we speak and Kobe will be incarcerated shortly.

Actually Shaq isn't "plumping up". He started an exercise regement right after the season ended just so he would be in shape for training camp, for once.

 

And Kobe is the best 2 guard in the NBA right now.

He hired a trainer before all this talk about Malone and Payton joining up with the Lakers. He's probably back to his old lazy self by now.

 

You're right Kobe is the best 2 in the NBA right now, if T-Mac, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Vince Carter, Desmond Mason, Rip Hamilton, Eric Piatkowski, Cuttimo Mobley, Allan Houston, Sprewell, Kerry Kittles, Doug Christie, Anthony Peeler, Eddie Jones, Jon Barry, Allan Iverson, Corey Maggette, Bruce Bowen, Reggie Miller, Ron Artest, Bonzi Wells, Ron Mercer, Wally Szerbiak, Quentin Richardson, Jason Richardson, Michael Redd, Jalen Rose, Michael Finley and Jason Terry(just to name a few) were all in a coma.

I wouldn't go that far. But T-mac, Paul Pierce, and Allen Iverson are all definately better.

 

I will also give the nod to Ray Allen as he absolutly owns Kobe's ass every time they play. What did he average, 38 against the Lakers this year.

[Guest AlwaysPissedOff]

Some of those players Polish mentioned have no business even being considered for that list.

 

As much of a Kobe-hater I am, there's NO WAY IN HELL Bowen(who's basically a 3 now), Jon Barry, Reggie Miller(8 years ago, maybe, but not now), Wally World, Mobley, Piakowski(?), Kittles, Houston, Spree, Doug Christie, Anthony Peeler, Desmond Mason, Rip Hamilton, Ron Mercer, or Michael Finley could, would, or should EVER be considered better than Kobe at this point. Hell, throw in Vince "I only play when I'm not at a concer... errrr injured!" Carter, too.

[Guest Polish_Rifle]

I had to throw in a Piatkowski reference since he is the inspiration for my user name.

[Guest The Grand Pubah of 1620]

He hired a trainer before all this talk about Malone and Payton joining up with the Lakers. He's probably back to his old lazy self by now.

 

You're right Kobe is the best 2 in the NBA right now, if T-Mac, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Vince Carter, Desmond Mason, Rip Hamilton, Eric Piatkowski, Cuttimo Mobley, Allan Houston, Sprewell, Kerry Kittles, Doug Christie, Anthony Peeler, Eddie Jones, Jon Barry, Allan Iverson, Corey Maggette, Bruce Bowen, Reggie Miller, Ron Artest, Bonzi Wells, Ron Mercer, Wally Szerbiak, Quentin Richardson, Jason Richardson, Michael Redd, Jalen Rose, Michael Finley and Jason Terry(just to name a few) were all in a coma.

Shaq is still witht he trainer as of last week, so it's seems as though he's serious about staying/getting in shape.

 

And that list was ridiculous. None of those guys are as good as Kobe. T-Mac is the only one on that list that should even be mentioned in the same sentence as Kobe. But I did get a good laugh out of that list though.

[Guest Dangerous A]

I think on any given night, Kobe and T-Mac are the two best shooting guards. You could pick one on any given night to be the best 2 guard and you probrably wouldn't be wrong.

[Guest The Grand Pubah of 1620]

I think on any given night, Kobe and T-Mac are the two best shooting guards. You could pick one on any given night to be the best 2 guard and you probrably wouldn't be wrong.

I will agree with that DA, but Polish was just being ridiculous. He must have been dipping in raz's Laker flavored hateraid.

[Guest AlwaysPissedOff]

No Paul Pierce? Hell, he's basically Kobe without Shaq to help out.

[Guest Dangerous A]

No Paul Pierce? Hell, he's basically Kobe without Shaq to help out.

Yes and no.

 

Offensively, he's as dangerous as Kobe or T-Mac.

 

But defensively, he's the weakest of the three, although some of that is Jim O Brien's insistence of running and gunning and don't worry about stopping a team mentality.

[Guest The Grand Pubah of 1620]

I think Pierce would be the natural third choice, but he'll never be on the same level as T-Mac and Kobe.

[Guest Polish_Rifle]

He's not in T-Mac's league athletically and he's not in Kobe's league because he does not prefer the company of underaged teens.

[Guest Mr. Slim Citrus]

... arguably the best power forward ever...

Arguably?

[Guest Zero_Cool]

I think that the four of them will not work well as a collective unit, and will struggle to gel, since they've all been #1's or have been fighting with said #1 to be the man (Kobe).

 

But as for the bench, lets not forget that the Lakers had a good draft this year, picking up Brian Cook, who, I believe, is a four year Illinois forward who can bang and put up some points, and Luke Walton, who could be the starting small forward in that whole mess for all we know.

 

48-34

[Guest Dangerous A]

He's not in T-Mac's league athletically and he's not in Kobe's league because he does not prefer the company of underaged teens.

 

 

 

PR tossing out the zingers!!

[Guest Spicy McHaggis]

Shaq, Kobe, GP, Mailman, and DG3 = 73-9

 

Kobe Bryant is the best 2 guard currently and will be the best 2 guard of all-time when he retires.

[Guest AlwaysPissedOff]

But defensively, he's the weakest of the three, although some of that is Jim O Brien's insistence of running and gunning and don't worry about stopping a team mentality.

T-Mac plays defense? Coulda fooled me.

[Guest Dangerous A]

T-Mac is only a better defensive player than Pierce because of his physical gifts.

 

T-Mac moves better on D and has a longer wingspan which help with steals and blocks and such. When T-Mac wants to, he's a damn good defender. The problem is he has to carry the Magic on his shoulders so much that a lot of his energy is put into offense while he kind of cruises along on D. He was a great defender his last year with the Raptors, where he didn't have to carry the team.

[Guest Redhawk]

You could split hairs between Kobe, McGrady, Pierce and Iverson, but the bottom line is Kobe Bryant is -- at the worst -- one of the 10 best players in the League.

 

Even when he's out of shape, Shaq is still the most physically dominating player in the League and causes the most problems for other teams.

 

Gary Payton might not be the same guy he was in 1996. Karl Malone might not be the same guy he was in 1998. But both of them are still elite players, and there's a reason why they get the numbers they do and why other teams wanted to sign them. They're not washed up, a la Hakeem Olajuwon with Toronto or Patrick Ewing with Seattle.

 

You can hate on them as much as you want, but you cannot deny that the Lakers are now the favorite to win the title. Listen to what every other coach, player and front office guy is saying.

[Guest Polish_Rifle]

I think its a big conspiracy and that payton will resign with the Bucks and Malone will resign with the Jazz. By the time, the Lakers realize this, Howard and PJ Brown would have signed with other teams and Kobe will be charged with raping a poor, innocent teenager.

[Guest alfdogg]

Remember back when Houston had Drexler, Pippen, Barkley, Olajuwon ?

They never had all four of them at the same time.

 

His best attiribute is "Clutch" ability

 

You mean his ONLY attribute.

 

And I'm pretty sure Polish was exaggerating with his list.

[Guest The Grand Pubah of 1620]

I think its a big conspiracy and that payton will resign with the Bucks and Malone will resign with the Jazz. By the time, the Lakers realize this, Howard and PJ Brown would have signed with other teams and Kobe will be charged with raping a poor, innocent teenager.

Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars Polish.