Shaq calling for Payton and Malone

...and of course Kobe. from today's Daily:

"I think it's keeping Kobe happy," Shaquille O'Neal said Wednesday as he began to speak of the keys to maintaining a championship-quality team, "getting some more proven veterans, getting guys like a Gary Payton that's got three or four more years, haven't got a championship ring and are hungry to get one. A Karl Malone.

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Thoughts?

I agree that the Lakers do need to improve at both th PG & th PF positions. But I do not think that GP and Malone on this team with Kobe and Shaq is a good idea. How do you distribute the ball?? How do you keep the EGOS in check? I say bring in Pippen and Malone. Pippen already knows the offense and teaching Malone would be alot easier than trying to teach two new starters.

Its pathetic to see
such a talented player, malone has no ring yet
he certainly deserves one
but he wont get one while the laker reign is still on

Don't think Malone would be a good fit, his 'J' disappeared a long time ago, we should go for someone younger...
Pippen's knees are shot...and unless we trade George or Fox we'll be almost TOO stacked at SF...(Fox has already said he'd retire if he gets traded, so it'd have to be George?)...
GP makes for an interesting possibility, but what about Arenas or Terry? (or trading for another one in the draft)

What players are the Lakers willing to give up, and what kinda money are they willing to spend? Money shouldn't be a thang for GP and Malone, the ring should. They know just as well as we do, that if somehow they become Lakers, we'll have many more people that are gonna hate on the 2nd most sucessful team in franchise history!

I actually like Malone as Laker, he's at the stage where he just wants the ring so he won't be beggin for the ball constantly..he'll know he'll be the 3rd go to guy...and he does still have his jumper

Are ya'll the same people who want Horry outta here cuz ya'll are lookin towards the future? If memory serves me right, both are older than Rob

Nope, I lov Rob and pray that he retires a Laker. Horry could be coming off the bench if we aquire Malone, and Rob himself said he prefers coming off the bench

Malone and Pippen have atleast 2 good years left.
Having them both is all I want and I'm satisfied with that scenario.
If we can get Payton or possibly Stockton, then that's just cherry on top.

Pippen and Malone have 2 good years left? have u been watching the playoffs? first of all, Pippen knows the offense like his knees know surgery. his knees are shot & his 30+ min. per game r done. i see him in a Ron Harper role. Second, let's not 4get that Malone is chasing the scoring record. He's not gettin that being the 3rd option on the Lakers. if he wants a ring, i would welcome him. if he wants the record, stay in Utah and retire with no bling bling. bottom line, i'll take 1 or the other. but definately NOT both.

And ya'll know Payton is callin out too...He wants to play where there's a dominant big man...

In response to guest user:

Sorry, I mean atmost, not atleast, 2 years left

While I admit Payton would be a valuable addition to our team, I think that we need to think about the future so I think that we should focus our attention on the much younger Gilbert Arenas.

payton plays no defense pippen is the guy the lakers need...letr rob come off the bench.....by theway shaq screwed this whole season up........kobe is the only one who workedhard in the off season and that is why he will leave the lakers........

lakerrings wrote:payton plays no defense pippen is the guy the lakers need...letr rob come off the bench.....by theway shaq screwed this whole season up........kobe is the only one who workedhard in the off season and that is why he will leave the lakers........

Yea...Kobe was the one who worked the hardest this offseason. But mostly all the Laker hatas dont see that. While Shaq came overweight, Kobe was training for a new season, bulking up, and breaking tons of records. Too badd Shaq didn't get his surgury sooner... Dayam his lack of motivation sometimes upsets me!!!

lakerrings wrote:payton plays no defense pippen is the guy the lakers need...letr rob come off the bench.....by theway shaq screwed this whole season up........kobe is the only one who workedhard in the off season and that is why he will leave the lakers........

i agree and disagree with you here. first, payton plays no defense?? why do you think they call him "the glove"? second off, we don't need pippen at all; he is getting way too old and plus, we would gain the reputation of being the "L.A. Bulls." also, shaq did NOT screw up our season. the reason we got off to a bad start was that he wasn't healthy (which you can't blame on him cuz he gets POUNDED every game), but more importantly we were terrible because our role players began to suck. fisher lost his outside shot, horry went ice-cold this entire season, and fox was an on-and-off player offensively. however, i do agree that kobe was the only one who seemed to have worked on his game over the summer (other than devean george). if shaq lost some weight, he'd get injured less and would be more quick on his feet. i was watching some early footage of shaq the other day and he was in top shape. now he seems to have put on a lot of weight. still, shaq did not screw up our season. as for kobe leaving... i don't think it's going to happen. i just think that he wants much more money and this is his way of negotiating. After all, he deserves it because he's basically the best player in the league.

With Fox likely out all next season one would expect Devean George to start at small forward, and who better to back him up but Pippen. His pressence alone is enough to boost morale. As for Payton and Malone, they're welcome to come aboard also. The more hall of famers the better.

Danny Ainge wrote:With Fox likely out all next season one would expect Devean George to start at small forward, and who better to back him up but Pippen. His pressence alone is enough to boost morale. As for Payton and Malone, they're welcome to come aboard also. The more hall of famers the better.

fox is out all next season???????????
REALLY??????????

I think to rebuild you need a little explosive players that can make a statement. Jason Terry, Teo Ratliff and Stro Swift. But to add Malone or Payton would be WWIII in the locker room and much difficult for Phil to control all the EGOS :man7:

Golden Child wrote:I think to rebuild you need a little explosive players that can make a statement. Jason Terry, Teo Ratliff and Stro Swift. But to add Malone or Payton would be WWIII in the locker room and much difficult for Phil to control all the EGOS :man7:

Hmmm...good point... Cuz they all played a while, so they have these super star egos as in Terry, and Swift dont.... Hmm... see that's a thought.....

True...we dont need anymore conflicts about whose team the lakers are. Too many egos = big problems.

HOLLLLLLLAAAAA

See I disagree with Y'all. I think it is the young guns that are egotistical not the veterans. Actually I feel it is the players that are in the middle of careers that pose the most threat. Take Jerry Stackhouse for instance, the guy is a cancer and thinks he knows it all. The calm and collected veteran (MJ) tries to control Stackhouse and in doing so gets himself canned. Go Figure :man7:

It seems to me that bringing in Payton and Malone will enhance the quality of our team. Whether they're old and bitter is not relavent. They are proven guns in this game and thats all that really matters.

POST REPLY 2 ZENMASTER:
NO NO NO NO NO!
I DON'T THINK THATS GOING 2 HAPPEN TRADE DEVEAN UHH UHH!
DEVEAN IS DOING JUST FINE IN LA.
SO NO WE SHOULDENT TRADE DEVEAN.

Hey D.G. #3, my bad, you're right....we should hang on to Devean, I was just thinkin' out loud...everyone was talking about Pippen coming here and all that was before Fox got hurt, that would have meant we'd have 3 SF's. I was just wondering who'd be the 'odd man out'. But even though Fox's surgery went well, who knows when he'll come back, so yes I definitely think we should hang onto Devean. So far it looks like he's worked on his overall game and his outside shooting, and the way he came back from that ankle injury shows how much heart he really has. At first I wasn't sure about him but it looks like he proved me wrong, big-time. Way to go Devean, keep it up.

I agree D.A. about Stackhouse, too, he IS a cancer. No wonder Detroit wanted to get rid of him...But as far as Malone, don't forget deep down, he still wants to finish as the top NBA scorer all-time, passing Kareem, and that would mean he'd have to average something like 20+ points for the next 2 years....the way he talked in some interviews, for some reason, that seems to mean more to him than a ring. I just don't think L.A. is the place for him. Like Deeohh512 said, he has GOT to figure out what it is he really wants. Also I am still not sure on Pippen...it all depends on Fox's condition...I think we should spend the $ on another PF, like P.J. Brown or J. Howard, and solidify our PG spot w/GP or Arenas.