With rumors of the Lakers possibly acquiring Gary Payton and Karl Malone, San Antonio's reign as champs is in jeopardy. What do you think the Spurs should do to remain competitive and give themselves a chance to keep the title?
LAL are a little off on this one....... there is ONLY one ball... the worst case for SA is the ball in Kobe's hands outside....or, Shaq's hands inside.....any time it spends in GP's hands and KM's hands is actually helping the Spurs ..... except when Kobe or Shaq is out......about 4 min each in a tight game.......... No, LAL must beat SA as much as SA must beat LAL....... Now PJ Brown to defend TD and let Shaq rest a bit is much more of a threat than Malone..... and a great spot up shooter is more of a threat than Payton..... but, the biggest threat to the Spurs comes from Pop and the front office of the Spurs.......J-Kidd.....takes the ball out of TD's hands better than Shaq and PJ ever could....... another poor shooter allows doubles and triples on TD, and no shooters to pass to................. If someone was planning the destruction of SA they could not have come up with a better plan than getting SA to spend 92M on J-Kidd........ I truly suspect this is a plan by the L and especially Stern to put LAL back as champs and make more money......no SA......no NJ.....now if they could just get the Knicks back in contention.............anyone notice a lottery pick dropping to Knicks in the 2nd round???????...................ROTFLMAO!!!!
Just my own opinion, if those two go to La, i don't think there is a counter. I think with Shaq re-dedicating himself, i think that would be enough for the Lakers to overtake the Spurs, but not the Kings. I think if Minny makes 1 more move besides the Webber deal, they will be right behind the Lakers and Kings in the west. That Brandon contract can get them something really nice that can really help them out. Minny with Howard,Cassell,KG and maybe Wally looks really,really good. Once they admit they'll always be close to or over the cap because of Garnetts contract, the better off they'll be.
I agree with the first part--with Payton or Malone I doubt there is a counter. Certainly last years Spurs team would have gotten beat by that team--they had enough trouble with a sucky trifecta of Fisher at PG, an injured George at the 3 and Horry/Madson/Walker at the 4 around Shaq and Kobe. Malone and Payton are vets who want nothing more than to win rings--I think the only one ball/bajabill argument doesn't hold water. Also, the difference from the "reloaded" old teams in recent years--e.g., Rockets with Barkley, Blazers with Smith/Pippen--is those teams superstars were well on their downside. But this Laker team has a Kobe who is still getting better and a Shaq who win healthy the the 1st or 2nd most dominant player--GP and Malone will know they are come as support players. A Shaq, Kobe, GP, Malone & Fox Laker team if it stays healthy could make a run for 70 wins--I doubt anyone could give them much a series--IF healthy of course. I disagree about Sac too. I think they are very good, and could make a run for the WC finals, but no way that Sac can hang with that Laker team. Though I do agree that Minn will be a top 4 team and is one to be concerned with, unless you are the Lakers. Also, if Dallas gets Zo they are formidable too. If all these things happen the Spurs are a longshot for next years title--but what they can do it put themselves in the best position to win 2-3 years down the line with Shaq, Zo, Malone, Webber rapidly deteriorating. That is why the Spurs should target a foil to TD that you know will be very effective for at least another 5 years--Kidd, Oneal, Brand, Miller, Arenas, Maggette--all fit that bill. The Spurs should not put most their eggs into next year--mid range (3 years min, up to 6 years) is how they need to play it.
I see the "disagree".....but no logic....unless you think they actually do play with more than one ball....... it's in Kobe's hands or GP's hands....simple.......it's in Shaq's Hands or Malone's ...... simple.....Fisher, Fox and Horry play their roles....which on O is to spot up and make open Js created by Kobe penetration or DTs on Shaq................. Oh, maybe a great defender shuts down Shaq and you give the ball to Malone against THAT guy 'cause he won't spot up as well as Horry.......or maybe a great defender takes Kobe out of the game and you give the ball to GP against THAT guy's team, cause Fish is probably a better catch and shoot option.........ROTFLMAO!!!!!!............ 2 options is all one ball supports...and you may slow Kobe and Shaq.....but stopping is out of the question.....and a slowed Kobe is more dangerous than GP all alone.......a slowed Shaq is more dangerous than Malone all but undefended.......Malone cannot replace even Horry....except in Hype......Payton as a Fisher catch and shoot guard......yeah, that will work.............. no, other than ESPN hype the LAL with Payton and Malone are more likely to be worse......but, then again the Spurs with JKidd are more likely to be worse.....
Lakers have Payton according to ESPN. And bajabill, please use some sentences - those posts are painful to read.
Doesn't matter if there's one ball. Shaq and Malone are still great rebounders. All four have been on the league's defensive teams. With a healthy Shaq, they can shut down any team when they feel like it. Phil will have to rein in on Kobe and GP for different reasons, but come playoffs, they should be prepared. I think they have every reason to work towards the title. Malone and GP are hungry, and Shaq and Kobe feel humiliated from being owned by the Spurs.
Payton would help the Lakers a lot and Malone would be an upgrade at power forward. But the thing to worry about is Shaq. If Shaq comes back hungry this season he is going to be difficult to stop.
No logic huh? I didn't realize the Spurs will get multiple balls and the Lakers only 1. Oh I see now. GP and Malone have done pretty much everything they can as individuals--except that Karl will probably break Kareem's record whichever team he plays on. The one real big thing hanging over both of them is no team championship. Given health, honestly I think there is no stopping this Laker team--it is pretty close to Dream Team 1. Maybe if the Spurs could get Kidd + a center (Miller, Kandi, Rasha) but that ain't going to happen.
Not too mention that GP and Malone despite their age are good-great defensive players. This team will have the best defense in the league next year for sure.
Several reasons why this will work... most important being that GP and Malone would be in LA for the sole goal of winning a championship. They are career winners without a ring and they know their legacy will be greatly enhanced with a one. They know how to play the game. The mismatches will be endless. Kobe, Shaq, GP, and Malone all can post up and draw double teams. Even in his advanced age, Mailman still gets a guy from the weakside to double him. People forget that GP is the best post up PG in the game today. Can any one player guard Kobe, Shaq, GP, Malone on all parts of the court? No way. Shaq in the paint is a must double. What "great defender" can shut down Shaq one on one? Kobe on the wings or in the post commands a double. GP in the post is a double against smaller PGs. And Mailman, if he gets the ball down low, is automatic. Not only can they all post up, but they are also all top 5 passers at their positions. How can you afford to double team any one of them with 3 other studs out there? Zone up? Their passing and finishing skills would slice up any zone. Your one ball argument would be a valid concern, but each has a brilliant basketball mind focused on winning. That matters. That said, each guy *is* used to being a focal point in the offense. Each will need to have his touches. Therefore, I don't think Phil Jackson would have all 4 of them running around on the court together for 36-38 minutes a game. I think you'd see a combination of 2 or 3 of them on the court at all times. Still devastating, especially against 2nd units. Additionally, this means less wear and tear on each player over the course of the year, leaving them fresh for the playoffs. And Malone cannot replace Horry? Are you f***** kidding me? Horry is on his last legs, as last season proved. We are talking about one of the 50 greatest players in the game who is a couple marginal seasons from breaking the all time scoring record. Fisher is getting up in age and you overestimate his shooting prowness. He only took 2.6 3 pt shots last year. Payton is not a classic jump shooter, but you don't average 20 pts. per game over your career only by making layups. He can knock down the open shot. The Lakers won't beat you by shooting 3s, but with Payton and Malone they will win but battering the opposition in every other conceivable way.
Nice moves by LA. The Payton acquisition concerns me far more than Malone. Payton fits right in with their system. He's the 3rd scorer they haven't had before. For SA I would say that Kidd and a decent big would be the best way to go. SA has the perimeter horses to play Kidd's game and Kidd would give the Spurs the playmaker they need. Spurs had PJ Brown in for a visit today and it went well. It would be hard for the Spurs to offer a MLE-level contract unless the cap came up between $42.5 and $43 mil according to the calcs I've seen. This juices up LA for the next couple of seasons, no doubt about it.
