so it's pretty obvious that there are alot of hate for the lakers and kobe on this forum, almost to the level of mavs or jazz, i am just curious why? lakers don't any bitter rivalries with rockets nowdays and have not eliminated rockets from playoffs since the Francis days, only connection between the two teams is the constant comparison between t-mac to kobe by many members, so why so much hate?
Because we'll eventually play them in the playoffs. They, along with the other 29 teams in the league stand in our way to glory, so I hate them all. But the Lakers more so because Kobe cried and whined, and went from 7th-8th seed bottom feeder to 1st seed ESPN darlings with one lopsided trade.
This guy alone makes me dislike the Lakers. Then you add the likes of Vlad Rad, Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar, & Derek Fisher & that dislike turns into hate.
show me a team that no one hates, i'll show you one you a doormt that nobody cares. in the toy department that is sports, envy is the highest form of flattery. the overwhelming success of the Lakers and the Celtics makes other NBA teams look like doormats. the Lakers lost game 7 of the NBA finals seven times, how many other NBA teams have been to the finals seven times ? with sucess come the resentment from the fans of the doormats. if you're a fan of those doormats, what options are available to vent your frustration. These deprived fans (of the doormats) would make seize every opportunity to belittle / ridicule the Lakers and Celtics. that's all they got. just my humble opinion.
Get this in your head: The Lakers are the evil empire of basketball. From top to bottom, including the owner, the coach, the players, the fans (and especially the "celebrity" fans), to the ball boys, they believe that the league exists for the Lakers. All the other teams exist because they serve the ego of the Lakers. They think they can just grab any players they want where other teams have developed just because they are LA. (Exhibit A: Shaq; Exhibit B: Pau... and there are countless lesser players) This air of entitlement, snobbishness alone is reason enough to hate them. There is not enough space here to give you even a fraction of how snobbish Lakers fans are. If you live in the LA area, you can experience this. Phil Jackson, Kobe, and Shaq are all epitomes of the giant ego the Lakers represent.
all that whining is bad for your health. Not only are the Lakers a great organization, they are classy. just compare the Lakers and the Rox, on their way they treat their players, past and present. look at the acrimonious way in which the Rox show Hakeem out the door. more than anyone, Hakeem was responsible for the Rox winning the only 2 rings in its history. The Dream deserved better. contrast that w the Lakers, who ==> as a show of appreciation, sold 5% interest in the team to Magic Johnson. ==> built a Hawaii home for Kareem, and afterwards guided him thru some trouble times personally. ==> paid for the heart operation for an unsigned 2nd round pick, Turiaf ==> along w Shaq, picked up the medical bills for 75+ yr old George Mikan, the first NBA MVP from the 1940/50s, who was not eligible for NBA retiree medical plans if you're an NBA ballers, all things being equal, who would you play for ? one deprived fan's evil empire is another fan's classy, well-run and successful organization. While the Lakers have an owner commited to winning the ring and good people running the organization, many NBA teams have owners more interested in making $$$ (such as Les Alexander and his unwillingness to pay Deke) and incompentent people running the team. The Lakers are subject to the same rules ( Salary Cap, Luxury tax, etc.) as all NBA teams. Smart GMs make good trades The Pau Gasol and Garnett trades; the Kobe trade the not-so-smart GMs make not-so-smart trades Richard Jefferson and 2 others for Eddie Griffith; Rudy Gay and consideration for Battier
Sure, with the owner who drives drunk and picks up prostitutes. The daughter of the owner who poses naked for magazines. Shipping Shaq out of town, the man who brought you 3 championships in a row, because another one of your players and him were being adulterous whiny babies. I don't hate the Lakers but they're not any classier than anyone else.
their personal life, apart from what the organization does. don't think you know all the details. it was 2 years before his contract (on that already is the highest in the NBA) expires, Shaq was maneuvering for a 3-5 year extension. Shaq, while in training camp, in front of all the players and coaches, was yelling at Dr. Buss calling him "Cheap Skate". Shaq wanted out. believe what you want.
Rockets donated millions toward Dikembe Mutombo's hospital organization. Lakers head coach ripped his players in his book, all the while sleeping with the owner's Playboy posing daughter. Lakers are a top 1/3 run organization I guess, but how can you really tell they're any better from the 10th place organization?
To me personally, it's because of people like you. When it comes to the NBA, there may be only one or two things I hate more than delusional fanboys (you) and extreme homers. I just can't stand (and understand) people not being objective. So really, it's not that I have anything against the Lakers but thinking about their fans just makes me want that team to fail.
What bugs me most about the Lakers is all the bandwagon fans. Half the people that wear Kobe jersey's have never been to LA.
I've seen a lot of games where it sure as hell didn't seem like the Lakers were subject to the same rules as the team they were playing. Yeah, and the Caron Butler for Kwame Brown trade? I would say that was a worse trade than Richard Jefferson for Eddie Griffin . And the fact that you mention the Gay/Battier trade shows you have no idea what you're talking about.
I would say that Shaq, the player who made the Lakers relevant again, deserved better than to be run out of town for having the nerve to want to get paid for winning three titles and leading a team to the finals four times. But, believe what you want.
ah, typical of the whines of the doormat fans. both are bad trades. the Lakers had no center; they needed a Center; a 1 for 1 trade The Rox traded 3 to get one Eddie Griffith. i like Battier; but a non-starter doesnt warrant the price tag that Rox had to pay those who actually make a big deal out of th 22 game winning streak, when it is not even 70% of the NBA record wishfully think that the Rox, as currently contituted (w the non-committed owner (to win the ring) can actually go all the way, when they have never advanced past the first round this century
obviously, ur quite un-informed about the the Lakers. the Lakers follow this recipe. trade starting center for Kobe go over the salary to sign FA Shaq pay top $ to get Chief Triangle ignorance is giving credit to only Shaq, even Shaq would not do that.
Not Shaq but BOTH Shaq and Kobe griping with the Lakers front office in separate instances? Maybe Kobe saw Shaq was perhaps, kinda correct? What was Phil Jackson's excuse for leaving a classy run organization? I havent heard a story from Yao or McGrady yet talking bad about the Rockets front office. Even Steve Francis who they gave a very Merry Christmas by booting him out the door didnt lash out negatively at the Rockets FO. Derek Fisher finding his way out of Utah to rejoin the Lakers, Kobe lighting a fire under Bynum and the whole Laker FO. They get credit for the Ariza trade and the Gasol trade, but half the GM's work was done for him. Ray Allen and Garnett didnt make up reasons to get released, Boston's GM actually had to work hard to convince other GMS to get them.
