I wonder what you would say if T-mac demanded Scola to be traded now. By the way I don't buy the Scola is a European player of the year business. The NBA is on a totally new level. They let you get away with physicality that would be called at every level of basketball outside of the NBA. Its a adjusting level for him. Kobe has no right to throw anyone under a bus. In fact he looks like an idiot. He even admitted it himself by saying he was wrong. Bynum for Kidd would have done diddly squat. Devin Harris for Kidd has done jack all this season. Thats an insult? Im yet to see you praise a single player. You only seem to reply when you want to trash T-mac. Its my opinion and Im entitled to it. You consistently say your a team fan yet you rarely praise anyone. I wouldn't mind to be honest you making an honest assesment of EVERY play in the Rockets and come up with some kind of solution since you seem to have strong feelings about the issue of team makeup. Dwight Howard has no gurantee that he will win it eventually. Just like a Young T-mac had no gurantee he would win it eventually. Winning multiple times by the way suggusts nothing about their commitment to free throw shooting. Never seen Kobe get tired in a playoff game? Probably true I've seen him lose a ton of playoff games by shooting the game out of reach. Or passing it out of reach. Wait sounds familiar to a certain person on the Rockets. Sure Kobe was integral to those championships but it just proves he can't win it by himself. What makes you think that if Kobe can shoot himself out of a play off game then T-mac can't be tired in a playoff game. Last time I checked the scrubs on Kobe's team were alot better then the current scrubs on T-macs team. A player by the name of Lamar Odom played in the playoffs with Kobe. At the end of the day Kobe has proven NOTHING and his still PROVEN NOTHING about winning a championship by himself as the number one option. Until he wins one as the main man his not even worth talking about in this type of conversation. T-mac this season is stuck in the same abysmal situation that led to Kobe going TRADE ME TRADE ME. Shaq and Kobe was a perfect championship team. Sure no gurantees there but they would have been alot closer to a championship then Kobe and his other 4 seasons without Shaq. You just keep bagging T-mac with Kobe and he has't done crap. As of this moment Kobe hasn't exited the first round playing as the main man. He may exit this year but his supporting cast is WAY better then T-macs.
they did but it was because it was win or go home for them and we were pretty much out of pressure and looked like we just didn't care about that game.
I knew this was going to come up. First of all if you think Yao was in the Mavs series or in the Jazz series even half of what Shaq was in the Lakers run, you're delusional. Shaq would NOT get shut down by Mehmet Okur offensively and get torched by Boozer defensively. I don't blame Yao for the Jazz series because he was injured but the fact is we couldn't get out and he was a mismatch problem. I don't blame Yao for the Mavs series either, I blame everyone, T-Mac just as much if not more than anybody, but not only T-Mac. Second of all those Lakers had talent outside of just Kobe and Shaq. We had Ryan Bowen. Clarence Weatherspoon. LOL. etc. etc. etc.
Tmac has been a better playoff performer than Kobe. Kobe Bryant 23.6 ppg, 44.0% fg, 33.4% 3pt FG, 4.9 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.7 bpg, 2.9 tpg Here is T-mac's in the Playoffs T-mac's 28.4 ppg, 42.8% fg, 30.4% 3pt FG, 6.8 rpg, 6.2 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.1 bpg, 3.3 tpg
Excuses... Kobe didn't have anyone on his team the last couple of years when he averaged 30 per game...including 82 points in a game. Please. I like T-Mac. But he isn't Kobe. You think Kobe ever said when he was quadrupled team that he was tired after the game? Hey, how about Dream? He was tortured for years and carried a team to a title. Mac is 3rd tier. We shouldn't even talk about him in the same breath as Kobe (1st tier), or Reggie Miller (2nd Tier). These dudes wanted the ball and went after the ball no matter what.
I'm not trying to say T-Mac is Kobe. I have said multiple times he isn't. There's no point in defending that nor is there any need. However, my point is you can't do it alone or without good talent. Kobe needed a prime Shaq, etc etc etc blah blah blah. If T-Mac can't do it without talent, or even Kobe Bryant, what makes you think anyone else can? (Not you, Almu, just anyone in general)
Kobe is closer to Vince Carter than he is T-mac come playoff time. Playoffs Kobe Bryant 23.6 ppg, 44.0% fg, 33.4% 3pt FG, 4.9 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.7 bpg, 2.9 tpg Vince Carter 25.9 ppg, 41.8% fg, 33.2% 3 pt FG, 6.9 rpg, 5.2 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.9 bpg, 2.7 tpg
people listen up. Last year we had tmac and Yao, but the problem was coach and rest of teh team. We have no offense system input and we have no players surrounding Yao and Tmac. This year we have better supporting cast, a better coach, but our superstar was injured along with our PG. This is not an excuse but it is our fate. Next year hopefully Tmac is healthy, Yao would be healthy (he shouldn't be needed for summer with china as this should be his last) after this year hopefully we can do it. The power of the west will be changing again. Suns and Dallas will be in rebuilding mode. Dallas will fire Avery johnson overhaul the roster as having kidd was a mistake Suns shaq will go back to his injury self again along with hill. Nash is done
Kobe has Gasol, Odom, and a bunch of guys who can hit 3's. McGrady has Hayes, Scola, Battier, and guys who can hit 3's. Would you completely leave Gasol or Odom alone to double Kobe? Because that's what basically happens to McGrady off of Hayes.
i'm not saying he played the full game. what i'm trying to say he has to do too much, more than even what a superstar should. you can expect a guy to do every single thing there is out there on the basketball court for more than 2 quarters. that's just asking too much. that's why coaches put their stars on the best player usually in just the 4th quarter or tell him to do all of what tmac did in ONE quarter. nobody humanly possible could have done what tmac did for all 4 quarters (and that's what he has to do for us to win).
that's the thing that others tend to disregard with tracy and praise other team's stars. that's owning the OP right there. case closed. kobe AND gasol can take a rest and the lead increases. hell, tmac sits for one second and EVERYONE knows the deficit (we won't have a lead much my friend even with tmac playing) will be increasing.
um, you also forgot a guy named lamar odom who does the rebounding, passing, and defending. you also forgot they have shooters galore. um yea, we had 4 players scoring in a damn game last yr. this game is 5-on-5, not 2-on-5. lakers have more talent than every team except boston right now.
I think McGrady should be in facilitator mode in the 1st quarter. It establishes his teammates early (considering they hit their shots/layups), and frees him up a little more in the 4th.
what we also need to see is how sloan defends kobe. i doubt kobe will see the defense tmac is seeing b/c gasol and odom will eat them ALIVE. plus their shooters are just spot on right now (even luke walton for god sakes). why can't we just admit the lakers are STACKED? why compare our team, who's injured with a lot of young players who don't have the confidence right now or experience to play well in the playoffs v. a team with A TON of talent, kicking on all cylinders...
