vj and KC, In looking back at what I said about Rudy, I admit that I was too harsh and I apologize for that. There is no doubt that he is a legend, but I guess I have a hard time stomaching how his last couple of seasons went here. It really looked like me that the inmates were running the asylum and he had lost control of the team. That is all I really was trying to say. You know that Kobe is going to demand the ball all the time and if you go by appearances, why would Rudy stop him from doing what he wants when he (apparently) never stopped Francis and Mobley?
I think it has more to do with the relationship that he and Kobe had and the Lakers wanting to keep Kobe at all costs. Phil actually likes Shaq but L.A. management has let it be known that they want Kobe to be their go to guy in the future.
His last couple seasons weren't optimum, but I'd really say that Yao's rookie year was the only one in which we really should have made the playoffs(And that year, he missed a boatload of games due to his illness, leading to Mr. Mean taking the reigns for a while...not good, not good at all). The other years, we were pretty undermanned. We had some good complimentary players(Alot of the same ones we have now...); Mo was a good scorer, Cato was less motivated, but was still a decent rebounder, especially in spot minutes, and then we had Posey/Thomas. Those teams were essentially Steve, Cuttino, and a bunch of rookies, projects, and has-beens. Steve and Cuttino on the ISO, even with the zone in place, were our best options. Mo and KT could take a few spot post-ups, but they were even more reluctant to pass than Steve. I think he had decent control over the guys. He certainly didn't have JVG's grip, but the type of control JVG exercises is not the norm. I think he(Rudy) was about average. He's not JVG, but he's not Tim Floyd either. I suppose he could have switched the focus, but we still wouldn't have made the playoffs. First, the rest of the team wasn't ready for it. It would have made for a faster adjustment period this season, but it wouldn't have helped out last year. If Kobe stays in LA, I doubt the rest of the Fantastic Four will. Kobe and Shaq wiill not play together this season. And if that plays out, Payton and Malone are out as well. So, the team will be left with few options outside of Kobe. I could see him putting up Jordanesque numbers(Without the %'s) this coming season. The reasoning is to go with your best option. Kobe from 20 with a hand in his face really isn't that much of a lower percentage shot than, say, Slava from 10 loosely-guarded. So, you're right...it will be Kobe's team. I really could see him averaging a good 32-33 points in that situation. I'd hate to see Rudy coach the Lakers, though it would be a good opportunity for him. He'd be very hard to hate.
