60% of GM's think LA repeats

[Traceman]

EVERY GM said that Kobe is top 5. EVERY ONE! As good as Duncan is, only 88.5% of the GMs said that he is top 5. That alone ought to be CLEAR evidence of just how good everyone but you thinks Kobe is. Only 61.5% said T Mac was top 5 and less than that said KG or GP are top 5. ALL GM's including Jerry West and Geoff Petrie are wrong and you are right.

If that's not enough, I'll bet that you can't find a single person on this board who would take GP over Kobe. Not one!

Where's Kobe when the game is tight? Usually making the play that wins the game. He is a tremendous clutch performer but you are too blinded by your obvious hatred for him that you can't see it.

Did you see the great All Star game when the East beat the West 2 years ago? Did you see how unstoppable Kobe was? Did you see the big shot after big shot he hit in the clutch with the game on the line and both teams desperately wanting to win? The game in which all the best players in the NBA were playing?

Did you see Kobe take Scottie Pippen and Bonzi Wells to school and lead the Lakers from the jaws of defeat in one of the greatest 4th quarter comebacks in NBA playoff history? You have never seen KG or T mac do that because they have never been there!

By the way, if you think LA can lose Shaq to an injury in the middle of the season and then Kobe can just immediately step up and take up all that slack by himself you are crazy. Shaq is such a dominant force that ALL of the Lakers have to readjust their games when Shaq is out. Since Shaq won't begin this season healthy, it will be interesting to see how the Lakers perform since they have had some time to prepare for his absence. Minus Shaq, they are not very talented so they will have to play team ball to be successful. I think Walker, Horry, Fox, Kobe and Fisher will be a .500 team at best without Shaq but Orlando has been no better than that with T Mac in the weak EC.

[Diesel]

Keep telling those Jokes... Because they damn sure are funny.

Yeah, with each word you type, Your Kobitus gets the best of you.

Just wait to the Season cranks up and Kobe can carry the Lakers for S---.

Here's their first few real games...

In reply to:

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29 Tue San Antonio

30 Wed @ Portland

Nov 1 Fri @ L.A. Clippers

3 Sun Portland

5 Tue @ Cleveland

7 Thu @ Boston

8 Fri @ Washington

12 Tue Atlanta

15 Fri Golden State

17 Sun Houston

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IF Shaq doesn't start the first 10 games, this is what will happen.

San Antonio = Win.

Portland = Loss

Clippers = Loss

Portland = Loss

Cleveland = Win

Boston = Loss

Washington = Loss

Atlanta = Loss

Golden State = Loss

Houston = Loss

So, without Shaq... The Lakers will go 2-8 to start the season. That's with Kobe being their Leader? Top 5?

Better than Tmac?? Better than KG ???? Better than Duncan????????

Get a clue.

[Traceman]

I simply was making the point that EVERY GM thought Kobe was top 5 while apparently, not all of them thought Duncan was. Don't put words in my mouth Spin Doctor!

As for LA's start, why do you think they will beat SA without Shaq? I think they will lose to SA without Shaq but I think they will probably start out around .500 in their first 10 without Shaq.

[Guest]

Diesel -

the Lakers are built to around Shaq first, Kobe second. Taking Shaq out of the picture on a moments notice, and you're left with Kobe and a bunch of nobodies...

You want to start talking about TMac having a bunch of nobodies on his team...but at least they're nobodies that were placed there to build around him/Hill (and Miller's better than a simple role player - not by a ton, but he is). I really don't think there's anyone on the Lakers that's as good as Miller (with Shaq out of the picture) on a consistent basis, esp. in the regular season. You can't expect a Kobe led team that's built around a SHAQ 1st Kobe 2nd pecking order to thrive on a consistent basis.

[Diesel]

You say that without Shaq, Kobe is supposed to fail because the team was built around them?

However, Tmac is running around with Mike Miller, Horace Grant, Pat EWing (in his old age), and always tired Darryl Armstrong and you say that he has a team built around him??

Orlando was built for one purpose...

Tmac, Hill, and Duncan. That's why they have no frontcourt now. However, for the past 2 yrs, Tmac has been doing the job all alone. Gabrielle has brought in role player after role player. Tmac has made the playoffs with the likes of Garrity and Declerq.

However, if you take Shaq away from Kobe... Kobe still has Fox, Horry, Fisher, Murry, George. Why can't he do the same or better than Tmac if He's BETTER than Tmac.

I mean all the GM's believe he's better. Why can't he prove it.

The same goes for Kobe vs. KG.

KG has really had nobody but Wally. I mean, Terrell Brandon plays about 20 games per yr. McHale brings in every retread he can find. Joe Smith (wasn't anything but a bust before going to Minn), Chauncey Billups (bust), Felipe Lopez (Bust), yet every Yr, KG is at least in the playoffs. Why can't Kobe do the same?? Especially if EVERY GM agrees that Kobe is better.

[Diesel]

First off...

How do you say ALL GMs say Kobe is top 5 and only 83% say that Duncan is top 5 and not expect anyone to draw the conclusion that you're saying that the GMs say that Kobe is better?

But I guess it wasn't personal enough. I mean, you have been hiding behind the words of the GMs all this time... So let's put it to you. what's your top 5?

Secondly. Why would an LA team without Shaq beat San Antonio?

Well for various reasons..

1. San Antonio's gaurd play will be bad this yr. Smitty's old. Parker's good but everybody knows about him now. Losing Daniels is a bigger blow than one might have expected.

2. Home Opener IN LA. Emotion alone will fuel the Lakers.

3. San Antonio normally gets the season off slow.

4. Refs will favor Lakers.

However, those 8 losses. Teams that are more talented and more athletic than the Lakers. In the first 10, if Shaq doesn't play.... Lakers go 2 for 10.

[Guest]

"KG has really had nobody but Wally. I mean, Terrell Brandon plays about 20 games per yr. McHale brings in every retread he can find. Joe Smith (wasn't anything but a bust before going to Minn), Chauncey Billups (bust), Felipe Lopez (Bust), yet every Yr, KG is at least in the playoffs. Why can't Kobe do the same?? "

Wally was an All-star last year, his third year, in the "talent-laden Western Conference." He's an outside player to compliment KG's "inside" game. For Billups to be a complete bust, Detroit seems really excited to be adding him and everyone's talking about how good of an acquisition it was; they broke the franchise for Smith - apparently they saw something there.

I'm not saying that KG has the best team in the world, and I realize that Brandon going down last eyar really hurt that team, but he's got a solid group and second all-star (those things aren't just handed out - and Wally was an original if I recall, not a replacement) to compliment him...did GP have he same? Did Duncan?

[Traceman]

In response to Shaq, Duncan, Kobe, T Mac and Kidd, I said:

"I agree with that top 5. KG, Pierce, Payton, C Webb, Nowitzki, Francis, etc are just a notch below that group in my opinion."

[Guest]

The same goes for Kobe vs. KG.

KG has really had nobody but Wally. I mean, Terrell Brandon plays about 20 games per yr. McHale brings in every retread he can find. Joe Smith (wasn't anything but a bust before going to Minn), Chauncey Billups (bust), Felipe Lopez (Bust), yet every Yr, KG is at least in the playoffs. Why can't Kobe do the same?? Especially if EVERY GM agrees that Kobe is better. "

Here is the back breaker.....

The Wolves were 17-16 without Brandon last year.You

know what that means?Without Brandon there were

about as good as we were the second half of the season.

KG didn't carry Minnesota to anything.