The Glove joins the Lakers ... is The Mailman far behind?

[Craptacular]

Payton to 'follow dream' with Lakers (http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0708/1578233.html)

This now officially makes the Bucks - Sonics trade a total disaster. :(

[cmp]

Just great. I don't want to go through another year of Laker dominance. I enjoyed last season with them not on the top of the standings.

[Franklinnoble]

Kobe Bryant could be in prison next year. And if Shaq decides to "play himself into shape" again, they could very well be off to another poor start.

[dawgfan]

Originally posted by Craptacular
Payton to 'follow dream' with Lakers (http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0708/1578233.html)

This now officially makes the Bucks - Sonics trade a total disaster. :(

What, you don't think Desmond Mason and a half season of Payton was worth Ray Allen, a 1st round pick and a half season of Ollie?

[MylesKnight]

SWEET! The Lakers are going to go for the Title with the '90's NBA All-Western Conference Team.

Now all they need is to get Hakeem and Chuck Barkley to come out of retirement and maybe grab a Dan Majerle as well to play the "Token White Guy" role.

What a excellent concept L.A.

(Look for the Nets to counteract these moves by picking up Scottie Pippen, Reggie Miller and possibly ex-Cav/current ESPN Analyst Brad Daugherty)

[heybrad]

Memo to Gary Payton,

Prepare to be hated on FOFC.

[tucker342]

hahaha:D

Egos are going to get in the way, Payton has a huge ego, and it's going to be tough for him to not be the go to guy. I'm still really happy with the pick up though, cause something tells me that Payton is a little bit better than Fisher:D

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by heybrad
Memo to Gary Payton,

Prepare to be hated on FOFC.

Believe me, FOFC hardly holds a monopoly on Laker-haters.

[bbor]

I'd like to see Malone get a title.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by bbor
I'd like to see Malone get a title.

Why? You a Jazz fan? Because if he wins a title, it won't be in Utah...

[Kodos]

I would like to see Malone and Payton not get a title. Now (assuming Malone also goes there).

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by Kodos
I would like to see Malone and Payton not get a title. Now (assuming Malone also goes there).

You Lakers fans should curb your enthusiasm. If they DO sign Malone in addition to Payton, I think the Lakers are going to suffer the same fate that Danny Snyder's Redskins did the first year he owned the team and signed every big-name-over-the-hill-free-agent available.

[Kodos]

I hope you didn't just mistake me for a Lakers fan. :eek:

[Daimyo]

This sort of reminds me when Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, and Hakeem Olajuwon teamed up to win multiple titles in the late 90's!

[dawgfan]

Originally posted by Daimyo
This sort of reminds me when Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, and Hakeem Olajuwon teamed up to win multiple titles in the late 90's!

Not quite comperable. The Lakers have arguably the top player in the game in Kobe and, if he's healthy, the most dominating force in the game in Shaq. That Rockets team had no one on the team that was equivalent to these 2.

I'm not saying the Lakers are shoo-ins to win a title, but when you're building around Kobe and Shaq it doesn't take a hell of a lot more. Payton should still be quite effective, and Malone is still better than 75% of the 4's in the NBA.

The possibility for clubhouse chemistry issues are huge though...

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by dawgfan

The possibility for clubhouse chemistry issues are huge though...

My thoughts exactly.

[Eaglesfan27]

True the potential is there for major clubhouse chemistry issues, but I think the one thing Phil Jackson does better then any other coach is deal with these sort of potential clubhouse chemistry issues. He managed to mesh Rodman, Pippen, and Jordan. Also, he managed to get Kobe and Shaq to get along for a few titles despite their personality clashes. I think he can pull this off. However, I hope he can't as I don't like the Lakers :)

[TroyF]

Originally posted by heybrad
Memo to Gary Payton,

Prepare to be hated on FOFC.

Don't worry Gary, you weren't ever really liked on FOFC anyway.

Also, some of us don't have a problem with the Laker players, we have a problem with how said players get treated by the refs.

I think it's funny myself. The Lakers need to get quicker. They need to add more athletes. They need to find more players who throw the ball into Shaq as a first option. They need to find BETTER role players, not add wannabe superstars.

Instead, they get older and slower. They sign two guys whose #1 priority is to generate stats for themselves. Whatever they want to do. I don't consider it a lock they'll win anything next year.

I do consider it a lock that between Karl Malone and Shaq dropping their shoulders game in game out, that I'll like watching Laker basketball even less than I do now. Even Kobe's game won't be enough to save their enjoyment factor in my eyes.

TroyF

[alterra]

Gary Payton and Karl Malone are just about done anyway. They USED to be awesome - although Malone was always overrated. Neither one plays any defense anymore.

[tucker342]

They aren't anywhere near as good as they used to be, but by no means are they washed up. Malone is still probably one of the top 10 power forwards in the league(maybe top 5). While Payton is also probably in the top ten. That's a whole lot better than Fisher and Horry. But as other people mentioned, chemistry is going to be a huge problem for them....

[SteelerFan448]

They used to be awesome but are still very good. The Lakers, if they also add Malone are going to storm through at least the regular season next year.

[bosshogg23]

Kobe has been considered the best defensive player in the league at times.

Payton has been considered the best defensive player in the league at times.

Shaq has been considered the best defensive center in the league at times.

If those 3 can provide quality defense then Malone & ToBeNamed can focus on offense.

I agree offense and egos are going to be an issue but this HAS to be a better team than they had last year. Subtract Robinson from San Antonio and LA is right there. Sacramento could make a move to improve themselves but they havent yet.

At the very least LA should be fun to watch next year. Who is gonna pass the ball of the big 4(Shaq, Kobe, Malone, Payton). They could certainly use a SF who doesnt demand the ball and passes alot.....

[heybrad]

Troy,

Are you suggesting this doesnt make the Lakers better? If so, what was the alternative? The only thing different I would have done is if Kupchak knew Payton and Malone were coming he could have taken a shot at a project athlete like Barbosa in the draft.

Do I think this means an automatic title for the Lakers? Not at all. They got better for the short term, which is probably the plan since I dont think Shaq will be around 4 years down the road. My fear right now is that the Lakers will be in for a long rebuild when this run is over... (ie: the Bulls).

Heres my prediction and its not exactly going out on a limb. The Lakers will go as far as Shaq will take them. If he gets in shape and is committed to the entire season, I think the Lakers win. If Shaq is content to sit back and watch Kobe, Payton and Malone the Lakers dont win.

[TroyF]

Originally posted by heybrad
Troy,

Are you suggesting this doesnt make the Lakers better? If so, what was the alternative? The only thing different I would have done is if Kupchak knew Payton and Malone were coming he could have taken a shot at a project athlete like Barbosa in the draft.

Do I think this means an automatic title for the Lakers? Not at all. They got better for the short term, which is probably the plan since I dont think Shaq will be around 4 years down the road. My fear right now is that the Lakers will be in for a long rebuild when this run is over... (ie: the Bulls).

Heres my prediction and its not exactly going out on a limb. The Lakers will go as far as Shaq will take them. If he gets in shape and is committed to the entire season, I think the Lakers win. If Shaq is content to sit back and watch Kobe, Payton and Malone the Lakers dont win.

HeyBrad,

No, they had to do what they did. They couldn't have handled the publicity had they refused Payton and Malone.

Still, the last thing they needed were two more guys who were aging and need to have the ball in their hands as often as possible.

Payton was a great defensive player once. He isn't now. He'll do nothing to stop the Tony Parker's of the world from driving down the middle of the lane. Malone is a good low post scorer, but how well will he do in a set up role?

Many people are acting as though this will seal the deal. The Lakers will now run through the league uncontested. While I can see some ways this can improve the team, I can see many ways this can hurt them.

I'll agree on Shaq to a point. They certainly need him to be better than the guy who plays on one end of the court. Still, their season now hinges on Karl Malone and Gary Payton accepting the fact they'll be role players. Accepting the fact that they'll get 10 shots a game, not 16-20. Accepting the fact that at the end of the game, they are options 3 and 4, not one and two.

They can say that they are fine with it now til their blue in the face. We'll find out the first time the Lakers hit a 3 game skid. We'll find out come playoff time.

I don't think they'll be a much improved team. They'll still be one of the top 4 teams in the west. When I look at the matchups, however, I think the Mavericks with a healthy Alonzo Mourning gives them fits. Karl guarding Dirk? Nash running around Payton? Mourning taking Shaq out of the paint?

We'll see what happens. It'll be interesting if nothing else.

TroyF

[JeeberD]

Originally posted by bosshogg23
Shaq has been considered the best defensive center in the league at times.

:confused: :confused: :confused:

Sure.....


Anyways, this makes me really hope that the Mavs get Mourning now. The Mavs had enough trouble in the post against the Lakers to begin with, and now if Malone goes there...Yikes.

[korme]

sweet

:rolleyes:

i hate the lakers *SHAKES FIST* HOW I HATE THEM

[daedalus]

I absolutely agree with Troy. The collection of talent is impressive, I just don't think it's a great mix. They already had a problem with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal fighting for the ball. Payton is similar to Bryant in that he likes to stand at the top and pound the ball into the ground. Malone is similar to O'Neal in that he likes to have the post to himself. How does this match?

heybrad . . . I thought Kupchak did an outstanding job at the draft. Cook is similar to Horry as a player except he has a more well rounded offensive game with less range. Walton is an outstanding passer who would be a good complement to the Bryant-O'Neal mix and his defensive shortcomings could be covered up by O'Neal. A better addition at power forward would have been PJ Brown. He's nowhere the talent that Malone is but he's happy to play without the ball and would've been able to defend the West's list of power forward. With Walton's and Bryant's ability to handle the ball and run the offense, they can afford to have a shooting point guard. Speedy Claxton is a free agent at the moment and would have made a solid fit. Steve Kerr is available and seem to show that he can still fill the role in he previously played in Phil Jackson's offense. Like him or not, Jon Barry can hit the outside shot, he plays hard and is available. Alternatively, they could acquite one of the draft's supposed shooters like Kyle Krover who is said to be limited as a player but most seems to agree that he can shoot.