The Perpetual NBA Thread

[pajerokid]

If malone can just concentrate on his fade-aways, pwede pa rin.

[kimpOy]

i think the spurs got deep with the acquisition of barry.
barry can play positions 123, can swish the treys, can slice up the middle
and the best thing spurs had done is they retain manu and bowen.
solid lineup for the spurs

as for the kobeshow, i think maski nandun pa si malone hindi sila masyado competetive,
with malone bum knee and all,

also may logjam sa forwards spot and can lamar odom be kobe's pippen?

[theveed]

Down with the Kings hehe... still don't like them... Not with Webber around, they'll never be a championship team...

As for MJ vs Kobe... Pretty pointless comparing players from different era, parang Tiger vs Jack hehe... Different sets of competitors, different set of rules.

[ownertype]

I think the Lakers is keen on keeping Horace Grant as another back-up for the center spot. You'll see a geriatric frontcourt with Divac, Malone and Grant.

[kimpOy]

pero ageing centers and forwards na sila, add brian grant to that mix, also dont forget brian grant is an overpaid rebounder, taling tali talaga ang lakers sa salary cap

24M odom, butler, grant
14M kobe
5M fox
6M george
5M divac
5M payton
59m na agad thats 14M for luxury tax
(8 players pa lang yan and all are long term contracts)

[empy]

Originally posted by aubimerc
MJ > Kobe

Kobe's 3 rings was mostly due to SHAQ
MJ's 6 rings was all due to HIS carrying the team as evidenced by his 6 NBA Finals MVP awards.

Kobe should not even be compared to MJ.

we will see when all is said and done. remember that (like Cleamons said), Jordan had not even sniffed the finals at age 25.

at the end of his career, Kobe can be more comparable to Jordan if by then he has some MVP (regular season and finals) awards, won a few rings with him as his team's main option, and shows some leadership and ability to make his teammates better.

the only thing i disagree with what you said is that Kobe's 3 rings were mostly due to Shaq. watch every single playoff game in the 3-peat seasons and there's no way that Kobe and his heroics don't deserve at least equal credit for those rings, imo.

[BlackMagic]

ako rin i agree. Shaq wouldnt have won without Kobe as Kobe wouldnt have won without Shaq.

Pero I like Kobe better than Shaq. Si Shaq sobrang arte specially with his "injured" toe. Nung finals tinitirahan lang siya ng lay up nina Billups at Hamilton. Di man lang maka block ng shots. If he made his presence felt inside the paint in defense, those guards would have thought twice in driving to the hoop.

Regarding the "lacking a center" eh nung panahon ni MJ, ni wala siyang matinong center na kateam. Yung Pistons nga nanalo kahit si Ben lang ang center/forward. Si Shaq pa ang kalaban at that. Nasa team talaga ang laban. IMO, yung pagtrade ni Shaq is just his way of lickin his wounds kasi kahit pag nagstay siya sa Lakers and they still dont win the title sigurado bagsak ang presyo niya sa free agency.

[mazdamazda]

M54, i'd agree with you on that... you can't solely attribute the 3 Laker wins on just Shaq or Kobe alone. they both did made it happen.

btw, Kobe still has a longggggggggggggg way to go while Shaq is already showing his age.

[baiskee]

Originally posted by theveed

As for MJ vs Kobe... Pretty pointless comparing players from different era, parang Tiger vs Jack hehe... Different sets of competitors, different set of rules.

agree!..agree!..agree! and so with M54, Blackmagic and Mazda2..

from my point of view...without shaq, fastbreak is now their game.

IT'S SHOWTIME!

now, lets wait for the 2004-2005 NBA Tipoff. :D

[ILuvDetailing]

Kobe and Shaq was the ultimate one-two punch, they were both the best in their position and when they put aside their differences where almost unstoppable. With shaq dominating early parts of the game and kobe as the closer. History will remember them as one of the best duos ever.

We'l see now if kobe can carry a team, assuming he is acquitted in Colorado, it will be interesting to see how he and Odom will play together.

[kimpOy]

sixers traded eric snow for kedrick brown and kevin ollie of the cavaliers

warriors' van exel shipped to portland for dale davis and dan dickau

[baiskee]

sabi na eh...duda ko talaga aalisin si van exel.

[ssaloon]

Ostertag leaves Jazz to become a King. Filling in the void left by Vlade.

[baiskee]

shaq's promise: "I'm going to bring a championship to miami."

nakow...nagyabang agad si kalbo.:mad:

[ssaloon]

hehehehe

[theveed]

Si Ostertag na ata ang pinaka bano na sikat sa NBA hehe

[mazdamazda]

Originally posted by baiskee
shaq's promise: "I'm going to bring a championship to miami."

nakow...nagyabang agad si kalbo.:mad:

hahaha...

balita ko si malone susunod sa kanya dun ha? :D

[ILuvDetailing]

A good read regarding shaq's promise:

Shaquille O’Neal stepped to the microphone Tuesday in Miami and answered a question about his feelings toward Los Angeles with this: “I was raised well, I was raised to be a professional.” What he meant was: “I hate Kobe.”

When asked if he had any comments about the Lakers, he said, “I’ll say something, but this is not the time.” What he meant was: “I hate Jerry Buss.”

And when asked about his outlook on a new start in South Beach, he answered: “I’m going to bring a championship to Miami. I promise.” What he meant was: “I hate Kobe and Jerry Buss.”

This sudden love affair with Miami is a shotgun wedding. Shaq demanded a contract extension, and when the Lakers balked, he demanded a trade. So I would warn the folks in Florida who gave him a hero’s homecoming Tuesday not to get too misty eyed. Shaq would have gone to Guam for a bump in pay.

But the nation is indeed in the midst of a Shaq renaissance. When he left L.A. for Miami, he took the high road, even though he probably needed a map to find it. During an ESPN interview right after the megatrade, he refused to take the bait when the topic of Kobe coddling was repeatedly raised.

And Tuesday, he kept his cool, his temperature spiking only when asked if he thought there was anyone in the East who could stop him. He answered most emphatically that there was no one, period, in any conference, anywhere. If you looked closely during that declaration, you could see both a “I hate Kobe” and a “I hate Jerry Buss” on the tip of his tongue.

Shaq is best advised to leave Los Angeles behind, and to continue to look ahead with his remarks. It is the best course of action to ensure his own productivity and the well-being of the Miami Heat. If he shifts into recrimination mode, it will only distract from the task at hand.

Success is the best revenge. Shaq is a big man, and if he continues to embrace a first-class attitude, he’ll be the bigger man in any perceived cold war with Kobe.

However, this New Shaq formula will only work if he drags himself into a gym and sheds about 20 pounds of Old Shaq.

One of the main reasons O’Neal is now a member of the Miami Heat is because he didn’t maximize his ability. That might explain why he’s so hesitant to blast his former employer or superstar teammate. Deep down, he knows it was wrong to blow off the summer of 2002 and wait until training camp began to get knee surgery, then explain it away by saying, “I got hurt on company time and I’ll rehab on company time.”

He also probably understands that yelling, “Pay me!” to the Lakers’ owner during an exhibition game last October probably was not the most diplomatic way of opening talks on an extension, especially when he had three more years left on his current deal.

And somewhere, beyond his zeppelin-like ego, he probably might admit to himself that taking a dig at Kobe during training camp last fall by saying, “The whole team is here,” even though Bryant was absent while dealing with an obligation in his ***ual assault case, wasn’t very sporting.

But from a basketball standpoint, his greatest transgression was ignoring the telltale signs of age. He’s only 32, but he has 12 seasons of wear and tear on his knees. There comes a time in the career of every professional athlete when the old regimen no longer is enough. For Shaq to turn the Miami experience into a rebirth, he has to make a commitment to physical fitness.

What’s past is past. That not only applies to verbal spats with teammates and contract tussles with the owner. It means tossing away old work habits and developing new ones. If Shaq doesn’t renounce his errant ways, he has little chance at making good to the Miami fans on the promise of a championship.

If the past is any indicator, the prognosis is bleak. When he played in the West, he competed against several quality big men. Even with that challenge before him, he approached seasons as if he expected to decimate opponents with his reputation alone.

Now he’s in the East, where the competition is diminutive by comparison. If he didn’t absolutely have to get in shape before, he has even less incentive now. This could result in pizzas during huddles and an open buffet at halftime.

Shaq should understand that Kobe and Buss win if he blimps out. If Shaq continues his pattern of playing like the most dominant center in basketball only when the mood suits him, he will make Buss look wise for shipping him out of L.A. He will also make Pat Riley look reckless for ripping up a rising contender in the East to build around a marquee superstar with declining skills.

Shaq is hinting that he will rip Kobe and Buss at some future date, but that would be a mistake. If he truly wants a fresh beginning, he needs to keep his ego in solitary confinement. The Kobe-Shaq rift — at the core of the Shaq-Buss divorce — was the result of two silly, immature, prideful and selfish stars who couldn’t iron out their differences for the greater good. If Shaq fires bitter salvos at his antagonists in L.A., it will only underline why the Lakers felt the need to get rid of him in the first place.

Right now, the Miami Heat probably is the second best team in the East, behind the Detroit Pistons — and that’s only because I assume Riley will surround Shaq and Dwyane Wade with enough complementary players to make a run at the NBA Finals. It’s a new day for Miami after so many years of disappointment, and also the dawning of the Shaq Era.

As long as their new center doesn’t celebrate by badmouthing his enemies while chomping on a bagful of burgers, the citizens of Miami should be hopeful.

[estong_bulutong]

I believe kaya pa rin ni Shaq magdala ng game.... especially ka tandem niya si Wade...

I'm looking forward to the first meeting between the Lakers and the heat....

hmmmmm

[baiskee]

i hate to say this pero... sorry shaq, my heart belongs to LA. hehe:D

I believe kaya pa rin ni Shaq magdala ng game.... especially ka tandem niya si Wade...

I'm looking forward to the first meeting between the Lakers and the heat....

kaya naman talaga nya magdala...di lang nya kaya ayusin free throw nya..

at gusto ko matalo si shaq...nayayabangan na ko dyan sa kalbong yan..