Uh-ohhhh. Will the Lakers be even more dangerous this year with Ronnie Ron? Will they be just as effective when the had Ariza? Will they be worse(doubt it)? Artest is a better all around player, but I miss Ariza. Especially since he was beastin' on the court this post-season. Well, best of luck to Trevor.
I sure hope so! Yes. As long as Ron plays his part in the Triangle Offense, they will be, if not, more effective. Nah. Agreed. As much as I'd like to agree w/ this last statement, Ariza was mislead by his agent and they both turned their backs on the Laker organization in exchange for a paycheck and the opportunity to play on a team that will never be in the Finals any time soon. And for that, fuck them.
Artest is a better player, but the Lakers will miss Ariza. Number one, Ariza is a superior hustle player or "intangible player." Ariza comes up with timely/clutch steals, rebounds, 3 pointers, etc. Artest is a little more consistent, but Ariza is more clutch. And number two, Ariza was shooting like 50 percent on 3's in the playoffs. Ron usually hovers around 38-40 percent, which is still good, but Ariza was just shooting LIGHTS OUT. I'm really interested to see how it plays out for the Lakers.
I think there's more to the story my friend. If you look closely, Ariza signed with Houston for the exact same amount that he would of signed for in L.A. What that tells you is, he felt as though the Lakers did not want to resign him, because they probably already had a deal in place with Artest. The Lakers wanted Artest all along, and Ariza probably knew it, hence, why he signed for the exact same dollar amount with another team. The plot thickens, now that Kupchak says negotiations with Lamar Odom are going nowhere. Lamar is holding out to see what Portland does. If Utah matches Portlands offer for Paul Millsap, they will turn their attention towards Lamar Odom. Wow, i can only imagine Lamar Odom in Portland....the Lakers hated rival. That would be awesome.:smt025
LA, as someone who has worked with pro athletes in the past, it is important to keep in mind that ALL of these guys are one play/injury away from being out of the league. Even if they avoid that pitfall, their playing careers are short, they really do have to take care of the business side and go for every dollar they can make in such a short period of time, as the vast majority of them will never come close to making that kind of money again once their playing days are over. Remember, only approximately 10% of pro athletes are still millionaires 10 years after their playing days are over. I understand that from a fan perspective why you say he and his agent are greedy traitors, but I can't find fault, there is a great book called "40 million dollar slaves" that you might find interesting.
C'mon L.A, i wanna see the demise of the Lakers because they win too much. They need to let some other people get some rings lol.
It looks like things are getting really interesting on the Lamar Odom front. The Lakers have pulled their offer, and Odom is in talks with the Miami Heat about signing with them for the midlevel. http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers-odom16-2009jul16,0,7776937.story
Oh, and Satyricon, stop lurking. No need to lurk, and dish out neg rep because i'm giving my opinion about your team. Lighten up dude.
Aww come on man. They hadn't won for like 7 years since then. It was just time for LA to reclaim some of that glory they had during the Shaq, Elden Campbell, Robert Horry, and Nick Van Exel days.
Honestly Ajax, i was a fan of that Lakers team. Shaq is one of my fav players of all-time, and i was a big fan during their 3 peat. The real reason why i dislike the Lakers is because of Kobe Bryant. Not because i don't like him, but because i can't stand when people like Satyricon overrate him. Kobe will go down as the second greatest SG of all-time, but that's it. Kobe is not better than Michael, and never will be. I don't want them to win any more rings because it'll give stans like Satyricon more ammunition to claim that Kobe is better, which he isn't.
YAO MING - OUT !!! Yao Ming to have foot surgery By CHRIS DUNCAN, AP Sports Writer 1 hour, 2 minutes ago FILE - In this May 8, 2009, fi… AP - Jul 17, 1:53 pm EDT HOUSTON (AP)—Houston center ***********0069aa]Yao Ming[/COLOR](notes) will have surgery on his broken left foot next week and will likely miss all of next season, the latest blow to the Rockets’ faltering bid to return to the NBA’s elite. The team said Friday that there is no timetable set for the return of the 7-foot-6 Yao, a seven-time All Star, but that he is “expected to be available for the team’s training camp in 2010.” That camp is in October—16 months away. The 28-year-old Yao chose a surgery that will involve a bone graft to promote bone regeneration, the team said. He’s also hoping to reduce the arch in the foot by realigning and restructuring the bones. “This surgery will allow me to continue my career playing basketball and I look forward to returning to the court,” Yao said in a statement. “I would like to thank everyone who sent me their best wishes. I am very grateful to have the support of teammates, friends and fans as I dedicate myself to making a completely successful recovery.” The decision for surgery was expected. Yahoo! Sports first reported on June 29 that Yao likely would not play this season and team officials were worried the injury could threaten his career. The Rockets applied for a disabled player exception from the NBA a few weeks ago, betting that their center will miss next season as he recovers. The NBA agreed that Yao’s return is unlikely and approved the request. The Rockets signed free agent ***********0069aa]Trevor Ariza[/COLOR](notes) from the Lakers and have scrambled to find a center. This week, they acquired 6-foot-11 ***********0069aa]David Andersen[/COLOR](notes) in a trade with Atlanta. Yao has been consulting with doctors since late June, when the Rockets said he would be out indefinitely. He suffered a hairline fracture in the foot in a playoff game on May 3 and the team initially said Yao would miss only 8-12 weeks. When doctors re-examined the injury about seven weeks later, they discovered that the injury had not healed and amended the prognosis. Dr. Tom Clanton, the Rockets’ team doctor, will perform the surgery. “This combination of procedures should not only allow healing of his navicular stress fracture, but also improve the mechanics of his foot to reduce the stress on that bone and give him the best long-term prognosis,” Clanton said in a statement. He also said ***********0069aa]Cleveland Cavaliers[/COLOR] center ***********0069aa]Zydrunas Ilgauskas[/COLOR](notes) had a similar procedure in 2001 that allowed him to return to action. Ilgauskas missed 58 games in the 2000-01 season with the same injury and had surgery on Feb. 7, 2001. He returned to action on Dec. 4, 2001, after missing the first 17 games of the season. Yao started 77 games in 2008-09, his most injury-free season since 2004-05, when he played in 80. He sat out one game in November with soreness in the foot, but didn’t have another problem with it until the playoffs. He led the Rockets past Portland in the first round—Houston’s first playoff series win since 1997—before hurting his foot late in Game 3 of the second round against the ***********0069aa]Los Angeles Lakers[/COLOR]. Yao said two days later that the injury wasn’t as severe as other ones and that he wasn’t overly concerned. He had missed the last 26 games of the 2007-08 with a stress fracture in the same foot. He had pins inserted and rushed his rehab to play in the Beijing Olympics. Yao is due to make about $16 million next season and holds the option of returning to the Rockets for 2009-10. General manager Daryl Morey called Yao the “cornerstone” of the franchise before the team changed Yao’s prognosis in June. Yao recently purchased his former team, the financially troubled Shanghai Sharks, but said this week that was not an indication that he was planning an early retirement. “I do not have any plans to retire and my doctors and I are very confident that I can fully recover and return to the stadium; the team and the acquisition has nothing to do with my injury,” Yao said in an interview Friday with Xinhua. Houston drafted Yao with the No. 1 overall pick in 2002. He averaged 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds as a rookie and quickly established himself as a perennial All-Star. The injury issues began in the 2005-06 season, when he sat out 21 games with an infection in his left big toe. He broke a bone in his left foot near the end of that season and had surgery. Yao then broke his right leg early in the 2006-07 season and missed 32 games, then suffered the stress fracture in his left foot in 2007-08. The latest injury likely drops the Rockets out of contention next season. Houston acquired ***********0069aa]Tracy McGrady[/COLOR](notes) in June 2004 and envisioned the two-time scoring champion joining Yao in a devastating inside-out threat. The Rockets went 146-74 when Yao and McGrady played together, but it happened so rarely over five seasons that it never mattered in the end. McGrady ran into as many injuries as Yao. He underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee in February and was expected to miss up to 12 months. His contract expires after next season. The Rockets acquired forward ***********0069aa]Ron Artest[/COLOR](notes) last summer with the hope of creating a “Big 3” that would vault Houston into championship contention. But now McGrady and Yao are out for months to come and Artest bolted for the Lakers a few weeks ago.
It sure is! Second greatest SG is phenominal! I would just like to appreciate Kobe's greatness for what it is. He is one of the top players of all time, and a hall of famer. I would like to remember him as that.
Looks like Lamar Odom resigned with the team. Congrats. Lakers are clear favorites to repeat, but that's why they play the games. Anything can happen.
