It's on foxsports.com under braking news. Says he signed a 1 year deal. ------------------ And tonight...From the Bank United Center...Your Houston Rockets and Miami Heat in Game 1 of the 2004 NBA Finals!!!!!
err...breaking news ------------------ And tonight...From the Bank United Center...Your Houston Rockets and Miami Heat in Game 1 of the 2004 NBA Finals!!!!!
Now if that's not desperation I don't know what is. ------------------ Looking for next year's Dan Langhi? Draftsource.net Assimilate David Falk!!
hehehe.....maybe they didnt learn their lesson from Rodman. Thank God West retired. I know this couldnt possibly be his doing. ------------------ Fun Police Says: 1. Posting in stupid threads is not FUN! 2. Spelling, grammar, punctuation and sentence structure are not FUN! 3. Stupid BBS names are not FUN! 4. Conduct yourself in a FUN way! The Fun Police are Watching. Vote for the Rockets & Have FUN or be Assimilated.
I don't know what to make of this deal if its true. The addition of Rider could either further strengthen them to point where they're near unstoppable, or it could signify their self destruction and create team turmoil. Would this mean Rice would be dealt and a decent PF brought in? Oakley??? Azim da Dream ------------------ We don't live for the destination. We live for the journey.
Yeah, but Cat, how desperate is it really? They're the NBA champions. ------------------ Falk that Mo Fo!!!
Phil Jackson and crew (Jordan, Pipsqueak, et al) handled Rodman pretty well... maybe Rider isn't that big a stretch. ------------------ Falk that Mo Fo!!!
My guess would be that once Rider gets accustomed to the triangle and proves he can be a good little boy under P.Jackson, Kobe will move to the 3 - the position he played when he came into the league - and Rider will play the 2. Azim da Dream ------------------ We don't live for the destination. We live for the journey.
Damn! Where is the friggin justice? Can't we go out and just sign that MJ guy?!?! ------------------ Don't you have anything better to do?
Right, can't see Jerry West pulling the trigger on something like this. I wonder how much was actual need versus how much was just to keep him from signing with the Heat? ------------------ GATER
If the zen master can win rings with Rodman, I think Rider will be a breeze. They still need a 4. Though that didn't stop them last year. I'm sure Rice is being shopped hard for a PF with hope of Rider picking up Rice's slack. I wouldn't look forward to a series with them. ------------------
I think it's desperation in the sense that Portland has gotten better this offseason with Shawn Kemp, and Glen Rice is likely walk to Chicago now, or go to a team where the Lakers would receive very little in return. Personally, IMO I don't think the Lakers would be championship favorites if they lost Rice for nothing like it appears, and I think they realized that the odds were not in the Lakers favor to win a title next year with their current roster. They wanted and almost needed to take a risk with their current roster, and after watching how Portland, SA, and others improved while the Lakers sat still I feel like they felt they almost had to make a deal. ------------------ Looking for next year's Dan Langhi? Draftsource.net Assimilate David Falk!! [This message has been edited by The Cat (edited August 25, 2000).]
I've heard that the Lakers were planning on Kobe playing at the 3 more this coming season. Rider just happened to be a starting SG who fell into their laps. No, he's not a super-star, and yes he brings baggage. But, players will do strange things to achieve that elusive goal... the NBA Championship. I don't see the "desperation" on L.A.'s part. I also don't see how they would not be favored to win the title again. They haven't lost anyone from their squad and they have a year under the belt of Jackson's triangle offense. Adding Rider seems more like a cherry on top, than a desperation move. ------------------ I have a dream.........his name's Hakeem. DREAMer's Rocket Page
All teams have weaknesses and even if the Fakers don't go after a true 4, they still will be the best team in the West (next to us of course!!!... ) With the addition of Rider, it gives them an awesome weapon with the ability to create his own shot. Plus if Kobe has to sit down for any extended period of time either on the bench to rest or out with an injury they can go to Rider and expect him to do some damage and then some. Can you imagine kobe at the 3 and Rider at the 2. Talk about matchup problems!! ------------------ Be sure to water your grass
I think this signing is going to hurt the Lakers more than help them. When signing a player like Rider, its not as simple as saying "Well we added a nice talent so we're better." Rider's game just does not mesh well at all with Shaq and Kobe. The Lakers needed a swingman that is a defensive minded player and plays well w/o the ball in his hands. Rider needs the ball in his hands to be successful and just does not commit himself on the defensive end. His strength is isolating his defender, posting up and overpowering smaller guards. On the Lakers team, there is just not enough space, touches, etc for him to play this kind of game. A player like Kendall Gill who the Lakers targeted earlier would have been a much better fit as he defends well and plays well w/o the ball in his hands. I havent even gotten into potential off the court problems as that is not even necessary. This is just a horrible move chemistry wise which I could see leading to major struggle for shots. Rider likes to jack a lot of shots good or bad and that is not what the Lakers need at this point. If Jerry West was still with the Lakers, I seriously doubt this would have happened. ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net
Thats true DREAMer, they were talking about moving Kobe back to the 3 initially. But I just remembered, wasn't there also talk of playing him at the point? He did share a lot of the ball-handling duties as the play-offs wore on, so its definatley a possibility in the triangle that does not require a pure PG. Azim da Dream ------------------ We don't live for the destination. We live for the journey.
This will be an interesting test of Jackson's reputation of being so good with players. Folks point to him handling Rodman in Chicago as proof that he is really good with players, but I have to believe that had a lot more to do with Jordan keeping Rodman in line (no proof, just my opinion). Jackson did a poor job last year with Rice, whose behaviour caused a lot of distractions late in the playoffs. With the Kobe/Shaq relationship so fragile already, who knows. I have to wonder what got into Rick Fox last year too. He started to have a real attitude. I would love to see the "chemistry" of the Lakers to blow up in their faces. But having Rider's talent on that team is pretty scarry. --Drof ------------------
Manal, if that happens to be the case, the Lakers can cut him and risk nothing. Basically they got all star talent for chump change, not even the exception, which they should use to get the big man...plus they have more leverage with Rice. My only question is why didn't San Antonio attempt to sign Rider, who is better than Derek Anderson. Some teams just want to win with class I suppose. By the way, opening night, Lakers at Portland. Someone tell JR don't go 40 miles outta the area. ------------------
I would think that San Antonio still fills the sting of the Rodman years there. As long as that franchise is based on Duncan/Robinson/A.J., the likes of Rodman and Rider will stay out of town. Why add a clown to a team with so much character? Speaking of character, can anyone tell me where Mario Elie is going to end up this year? If he signed somewhere, I missed it. --Drof ------------------
