I think I have a pretty good grasp of the situation and I don't see Shaq holding all of the cards, either. The Lakers have Shaq's contract for at least one more season. Afterward, Shaq leaves $30m on the table to sign for someones' MLE for 2005-06. I don't exactly call that holding all of the cards. If Shaq walks in '05-06, they have $30m in cap space which is much better than Okafor, Howard, Gooden and Lue. They can get 2 max proven players and then some with $30m.
Getting T-Mac was a long shot to begin with, but if T-Mac ends up going to SA, I will be one pissed off Rocket fan. I'm tired of seeing good teams making drastic improvements, while the Rox seem to be standing still. LA added 2 hall of famers last year, IF SA gets T-Mac-you can say goodbye to any chance of championships the next 3 years, atleast. I'm not saying with T-Mac we would have won championships right away, but I need to see this team make MAJOR improvements this offseason, and I don't mean Wilks and MJ. PLEASE CD, GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND DO SOME WORK THIS SUMMER.
If this has been posted, my bad, but it sounds like Tmac wants to trade the pick... By Darren Rovell ESPN.com As for using its No. 1 pick on Howard, if the Magic is looking for an immediate impact player, religion won't define its selection. Connecticut junior center Emeka Okafor is thought to be ready to play right away at the NBA level, while Howard might need time to develop. Another factor to consider is a quick turnaround in the standings might give the Magic a better chance to re-sign Tracy McGrady, who has the right to exercise an option in his contract that will make him a free agent after next season. "The dilemma for the franchise is, 'Do you want to try and win now or wait two or three years for a guy to develop?'" McGrady told Florida Today. "I'm just saying, I'm not trying to wait that long to win. I was in that situation last year and I just can't see going another couple of years losing and waiting on players to develop. ... I just think that it would be best to go get a guy ready to fill a role and contribute right away." "At the end of the day, when this kid works out, he's clearly going to be the No. 1 pick on talent alone," said his agent Aaron Goodwin, who also represents last year's top pick LeBron James. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2004/columns/story?id=1811526
I've seen a couple people talk as if Shaq has only one more year remaining on his deal. Do I have something wrong here? I see him having two more on the table: 04-05: $29 mill 05-06: $32 mill While bringing it up, I honestly feel Shaq is pushing so hard for an extension now because he probably has a feeling no one would sign him for big money two years from now. The train is pulling into the station and he knows it. Evan
1) Nobody can pay Kobe more than LA. 2) Only under the cap teams can offer Kobe more than the MLE. 3) Under the cap teams consist of the Clipps, the Jazz, the Suns, the Hawks and the Nuggets. If you think Kobe is going to leave the LA limelight for PHX we'll have to agree to disagree. If you think Donald Sterling is going to pay Kobe $13+m/yr for 7 years, again we'll agree to disagree. Kobe will take LA's big bucks and wait until Shaq is gone in one or two more seasons. He's only 24 (25 in August).
The X factor is Kobe's trial, appoximated to take place in August. I personally think Kobe will walk, but wouldn't the uncertainty hold up any deal from the Lakers' end? If Kobe is convicted, and they have have already done this deal, with the result of having no Shaq and no Kobe, then they will be as bad as Orlando was this past year. But then again, Shaq with no Kobe will not win the title, so why not blow up the team, anyway?
This thread is making me nervous. I mean, if we don't get T-Mac, we are screwed; we'll be a good team, but never one that can actually challenge the Spurs, Lakers or Wolves. Hell, even vs Melo's Nuggets. I see them maturing faster than our team. We'll have the defense. We just need that superstar offense! Sigh...
I think a lot of you overestimate Shaq's trade value. All over-the-cap teams have to match Shaq's contract. That means they have to gut (I mean REALLY gut) the team to have Shaq. That means they'll have to take at least a couple of years to get enough role players to win championship with Shaq. By then, Shaq will be at the end of his career. I wonder how many teams are willing to do that. From the Lakers point of view, trading Shaq makes a lot of sense. They've already won a lot of championships. Kobe might leave if Shaq stays. They are in rebuilding mode. They can get good value for Shaq now. The longer they wait, the less they'll get. The only thing that keeps Shaq from being traded is his huge contract. Can the Lakers get better deals than Orlando's #1? I don't know. As I said, the market for Shaq is not as big as many think. Having a top pick to team with Kobe, together with a truck load of role players whom they can consolidate through other deals is not a bad proposition for them.
Shaq and Kobe will remain lakers. Rudy T will replace the disgruntled Zen master, Phillip. I said it first.
