Comments on: Shaq says the pressure is on Howard to win in L.A.. Related: Obvious former Lakers center is obvious.

By: mytthor

mytthor — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 20:10:31 +0000

Why does drafting Bynum and making a smart trade for Howard after developing Bynum not count as building a team the traditional way? How about a draft night trade for Kobe Bryant. How about drafting Marc Gasol and using him to get Pau? How about drafting guys like Jerry West, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Vlade Divac (who was later traded to get Kobe)? In fact, Shaq was really the only big, crucial free-agent signing that comes to mind. And guess what? Free agency is part of the game. ANY other team that claims they wouldn’t use free agency to build a contender if they had the Lakers resources is full of it.

And even with Shaq, it’s not like they signed him and won a championship. Shaq came to LA with power and athleticism, and developed (there’s that word again) into a great passer who could score without pure power. If they can do the same thing with Dwight he’ll end up one of the top 5 centers of all time, possibly. When the Lakers did try and buy a championship, 2004, it didn’t work.

The Lakers are the best organization in basketball, and yes, they’re also one of the richest, but if that was all that mattered, New York would be swimming in banners, too.

By: miamatt

miamatt — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 18:46:11 +0000

Miami’s gonna have something to say about it before it is said and done, but I actually agree with just about everything you say. If you think about the way last offseason ended with David Stern veto-ing that CP3 trade and then look at what the Lakers have done this summer, you really have to give Jerry Buss and the entire Lakers front office credit. They ended the season a team with an aging core, no draft picks, and no cap space, and they end the offseason with the best center in the game as well as one of this era’s premier point guards. Even the Jamison signing was solid, diminished he may be.

Heat-Lakers would be a scintilating finals and an intrigueing chess match between the coaches. Miami’s versatiility and speed versus the Laker’s size and incredible starting backcourt.

Let the new national nightmare (dwightmare?) begin!!!

By: 6thsense79

6thsense79 — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 15:53:34 +0000

I would think part of building a championship team is being able to not only draft but keep your franchise players. Dwight Howard was willing to ditch the Magic for the Nets. The Nets. Shaq took a one way ticket out of Orlando the first chance he got.

By: manchestermiracle

manchestermiracle — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 15:43:51 +0000

raidmagic: Funny. Your handle says “Magic,” yet you seem to be clueless about what went down in ’96. Have you forgotten the polls that the team ran asking fans if Coach Hill should be fired if Shaq wanted it? 82% said no. How about the follow-up poll asking fans if Shaq was worth the $115M it would take to re-sign him? 91% said no. Shaq’s “teammates” in Orlando rode him pretty hard about those “polls.”

Hardaway considered it his team, not Shaq’s. The fans obviously didn’t think Shaq was worth keeping. The Lakers offered $121M. Last time I looked 121 was more than 115, not less. L.A. wanted Shaq, Orlando did not. L.A. thought he would help them win titles, Orlando was preoccupied with thinking Shaq was a poor role model because he (gasp!) had a child out of wedlock with his girlfriend. And didn’t plan to marry her! For shame!

Not much has changed in 15 years. The parochial pukes running the Magic are still clueless and the Lakers are still taking advantage of them. L.A.-16 titles and counting. Orlando-0 and no chance in the foreseeable future.

By: tigershark49

tigershark49 — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 14:26:20 +0000

Shaq is an idiot!

By: shockexchange

shockexchange — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 14:19:46 +0000

Of course the pressure is on Pau Gasol / Dwight Howard at the same ____ time, Mike Brown, MWP, and Nash. Because when the Lakers lose, everybody gets thrown under the bus except Horry Jr. When the Lakers underachieve again this year, the media and fans should point the finger where it belongs – at the guy shooting 30 times/game at a 40% clip.

By: cantonbound13

cantonbound13 — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 14:12:38 +0000

Howard will win not 1, not 2, not 3…..

By: omniusprime

omniusprime — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 13:50:45 +0000

Shaq knows what the pressure is like in LA to win titles and now Howard will have to step his game up to be favorably compared to Mikan, Chamberlain, Jabbar and O’Neal. Of course the Lakers manage to put a great team together, something the Orlando Tragic never did with Shaq or Howard.

The Tragic fans only have the upper mismanagement to blame for Howard leaving without a title, just like with Shaq. So which future great center will the Tragic draft next as they become a cellar dweller again?

Go Lakers!

By: anarchopurplism

anarchopurplism — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 13:04:05 +0000

Shaq gave himself 100 nicknames. Yeah it was funny, but is he really going to claim them all?

By: kinggw

kinggw — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 06:44:35 +0000

Otis downgraded the team? Your delusional. The Magic would’ve never made it to the Finals without the moves Smith made. He made moves for Glen Davis and Gilbert Arenas at the request of Howard. Orlando’s main problem was that Howard was and is best served as being the number two guy on the team. He is not the dominant center that Shaq was in his prime and he’s not a team leader type. He doesnt have the chops to be the man.

Please stop referencing the fact that the franchise was started in ’89. What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? The Heat were started in ’88 and have two titles whats your excuse for that?

By: magicbucs

magicbucs — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 04:48:53 +0000

@lakerluvr… Yes you’re correct that was a veteran LA team with “magic” (which is ironic) as a rookie that won….
thats why I said the magic franchise started in ’89. A lot less experienced franchise trying to win titles and build championship teams. Rookie management mistakes you can say.
Otis downgraded the team every year since ’09. Should of been fired for even thinking about trading for Gilbert arenas. We lost 2 years with dwight cause of him and that falls on front office.

By: scalfor3

scalfor3 — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 04:40:04 +0000

also you really need to stop capitalizing “lakers” every time you type it. its probably the douchiest thing on the planet

By: scalfor3

scalfor3 — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 04:39:02 +0000

lakers front office has obviously done a good job, but dont be so delusional to act as if they operate on a level playing field as other franchises. it takes so much more for a small market team to build a contender (ex: okc needing to get and nail three top 5 picks in a row, san antonio somehow getting and keeping duncan for over a decade, etc)

By: monkeyhateclean

monkeyhateclean — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 03:47:27 +0000

As you have demonstrated zero functional understanding of NBA history. It would be better for all of us if you’d confine your opinions to message boards about knitting, basket-weaving and recipes for meatloaf. It will be less embarrassing for you.

By: monkeyhateclean

monkeyhateclean — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 03:42:37 +0000

As you have never heard of David Robinson or Tim Duncan, no one needs to hear your worthless opinion on anything related to basketball…

By: monkeyhateclean

monkeyhateclean — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 03:40:00 +0000

@itsthemelman82

San Antonio is a rare exception. The Spurs star player David Robinson happened to become injured, allowing SA to win the “Tim Duncan lottery”. not unlike OKC winning the Durant lottery, than hitting on draft picks Westbrook and HArden.

In each case, small market teams beat the odds by assembling a collection of talent around their key player, and faced substantial pressure when those contacts came time to re-up…

By: shzastl

shzastl — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 03:34:20 +0000

Unnecessary (and not funny) snark in the headline

By: timb12

timb12 — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 03:10:56 +0000

I’m just glad someone had the guts to call out Bill Plaschke. That two timing, Fred flintstone lookin, glasses wearin, goatee havin, wet sandwich smellin piece of crap.

By: davincizsp

davincizsp — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 02:36:04 +0000

So LA got a super center from Orlando AGAIN. History’s been circle all the time… Another thee-peat LOL

By: itsthemelman82

itsthemelman82 — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 02:10:34 +0000

I wouldn’t say small markets are farm clubs, not when San Antonio has been winning or competing for titles, OKC will be in contention, Cleveland would’ve been if somebody didn’t skip town. However, most of the big markets have rich legacies full of championships & winning. Portland is the best example of reality as a small market, they won in the 70′s, were contenders in the late 80′s & early 90′s as well as in the early 00′s. You just gotta have management that knows when to pick its spots.

By: sourcesclosetothesituation

sourcesclosetothesituation — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 01:50:36 +0000

Lakers could sit their starting 5 and still win. Well as long as Blake dosen’t get much playing time.

By: lakerluver

lakerluver — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 01:20:31 +0000

I understand the angst towards the LAKERS. I’ve often felt the same way about the Yankees. I hate them!! But the biggest difference in the two franchises is, because there is not salary cap in baseball, the Yanks have literally bought their titles. The LAKERS, on the other hand, have the best ownership in sports and have simply made shrewd moves. Sucks for the rest of the league but for LAKERS fans it’s a beautiful thing!!

By: nolakrlvr

nolakrlvr — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 01:17:12 +0000

Odds are good that D12 will turn out to be a rentacenter, they won’t tolerate someone who quits on his team two years in a row, especially in the playoffs.

By: raidmagic

raidmagic — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 01:10:20 +0000

Yeah he really wanted to when he left a more lucrative contract on the table in Orlando to go to LA because Orlando was a “little pond”. Shaq has stated he wishes he’d have stayed in Orlando but at the time he was getting the hell out regardless of what happened.

By: lakerluver

lakerluver — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 01:02:25 +0000

@magicbucs, oh, btw, the LAKERS did draft Magic Johnson and James Worthy. And if I’m correct Magic led the 79-80 team to a title WITHOUT Kareem.

By: lakerluver

lakerluver — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 00:57:30 +0000

@magicbucs, all I’m saying is the Magic had two of the most physically dominant centers in the last 20 years and they won ZERO titles. The Shaq led Magic were good but lacked experience. Right when he was poised to dominate they let him sign with the LAKERS. Shaq has gone on record to say he never wanted to leave Orlando. As for Dwight, the Magic never put the right players around him, though I’m sure they tried to.

By: manchestermiracle

manchestermiracle — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 00:53:53 +0000

It’s still better than when the Celtics won the title every year, year in and year out.

By: manchestermiracle

manchestermiracle — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 00:53:13 +0000

Another filler article and the title says all you need to know: Pretty damn obvious. When has there not been pressure to win in L.A.? You don’t get 16 titles (and counting) with low expectations. It happens to be one of the reasons high-quality players want to go there, to prove themselves worthy while playing under those banners.

By: monkeyhateclean

monkeyhateclean — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 00:37:04 +0000

Don’t feel bad for Orlando. Like the other small-market NBA teams, their fans realize that they are simply a “farm club” for the 8 or so “real” NBA teams who will systematically get the best FA’s, and compete for championships.

It may not make for a competitive league, but at least the TV ratings will be good.

By: bigdeuceuno

bigdeuceuno — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 00:35:32 +0000

Who really gives a f@@k what Shaq has to say he has always hated on Kobe since he left cuz he saw kobe out shining him and now he’s gonna hate on D12 cuz he’s faster down court more athletic and has a better team around him then when he was in LA and last I thought his name was The Diesel laker fans let’s not forget how Shaq acted when Boston best us F@@k Shaq !