I love NBA basketball. But good God. Go back to the 1970s and then start to ask, “how did every great player seem to end up on the Lakers?” It’s not a league. It’s a cabal.

Points at Lakers current bench.

Kareem Rush and Slava Medvedenko were featured options during the playoffs. At least we have some proven guys on the bench in this year’s version.

Also, Malone was 41 years old, Payton did not fit in the triangle (unlike Nash, who will get more leeway running the offense), and Kobe was at his worst in every way possible (shooting too much, mind made up about leaving Shaq, being an egomaniac, etc). That was a pretty dysfunctional team once Malone went down after the 18-3 start.

Dwight’s numbers are pretty phenomenal considering he played with mostly scrubs his entire career.

True, but for a while there he had a roster and scheme that fit together perfectly.

Man, you guys need to stop forming opinions based on Twitter. It just makes you stupider.

I live in Boston, I formed my opinion inside the Garden. Fucking meatballs.

The bench was also terrible.

Points at Lakers current bench.

So what does this roster cost them in luxury taxes?

Something like $50 million next season on top of the ~$100 million in salary

In 2004 GP and Malone were no longer great, and Shaq and Kobe hated each other.

The bench was also terrible.

I think this trade is going to put the same sense of desperation on Gasol and Kobe that they possessed during the 2008-2009 season. Winning one for Nash especially is probably going to kick Gasol into gear…they seem like they’d get along quite well.

BTW, Antawn Jamison can still score. I think people forgot he’s on the Lakers, and that he averaged 17 a game last year (granted at an alarmingly low percentage).

He can score, but as you point out, his eFG has dropped 5 straight years and last year it took the highest usage rate since the 00-01 season to get to that output. He also played 33 mpg last year and with Gasol and Howard playing near 38 minutes, that leaves only 20 minutes total per game (not counting minutes for Hill and McRoberts).

I know this comes as a shock to Celtics fans who have convinced themselves KG has played his entire career there.

Just like Ray Allen is a traitor, how dare he not be loyal to the team he spent 5 whole seasons with!

Man, you guys need to stop forming opinions based on Twitter. It just makes you stupider. Look what it’s done to J-Mac.

With a nice class of rooks and a few super teams, the NBA has earned my money for the Ticket this year.

Now they have three first rounders to go with a couple years of lotto picks.

Check back in four years and all will be well in Orlando.

Of course the nation doesn’t have the patience to wait that long.

Antawn Jamison can still score

Just dont ask him to score in the playoffs.

/Cavs fans’d

I know this comes as a shock to Celtics fans who have convinced themselves KG has played his entire career there.

Just like Ray Allen is a traitor, how dare he not be loyal to the team he spent 5 whole seasons with!

BTW, Antawn Jamison can still score. I think people forgot he’s on the Lakers, and that he averaged 17 a game last year (granted at an alarmingly low percentage).