As we near the 10th anniversary of the Pau Gasol trade...
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Before we got Pau Gasol, did you think Kobe would ever win another NBA World Championship?
Yes
62%
 62%  [ 31 ]
No
38%
 38%  [ 19 ]
Total Votes : 50

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slavavov
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 4:23 pm    Post subject: As we near the 10th anniversary of the Pau Gasol trade...

Who here honestly thought in the mid 2000s that Kobe would never win another NBA title? I was one of them. I never bought into the Kobe hate or vitriol, but I though his career was turning into a modern Greek tragedy. He seemed like one of those guys who was lucky, but not lucky enough to become his true or optimal self and reach his potential. Playing with Shaq was both a blessing and a curse for him, and when Shaq left the blessings left with him, but the curse stayed with him. I thought something was off about Kobe's karma back then, because when something bad happened (like blowing a 3-1 lead vs the Suns), the sky seemed to cascade down on him.

When Kobe demanded a trade, I thought it was the beginning of the end of Laker mystique. Instead, it seemed his karma turned around 180 degrees in a matter of months. When we got Gasol, and the Celtics got KG and Ray Allen the same season, I felt like destiny was right around the corner for Kobe and the Lakers. Every day I am truly grateful that we beat those bastards in the 2010 NBA finals in true Hollywood fashion.
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ReaListik
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 5:05 pm    Post subject:

I thought he would go to a different team and win after years of bs
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 5:34 pm    Post subject:

The emergence of Bynum and Sasha got me excited for sure. But I wasn't thinking about championships at all until we became legitimate with Gasol.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 5:49 pm    Post subject:

The only year I didn't think he had a legit chance was the one where Chucky Atkins was starting. 07-08 looked promising before Pau, and getting Pau to me nearly guaranteed at least getting to the Finals. I was a big believer in Pau at the time, even before he was a Laker. Thought he was wasted in Memphis.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 6:45 pm    Post subject:

I was at pau’s first game which was on a blizzard night in NJ. Was fortunate to be there.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 7:00 pm    Post subject: Re: As we near the 10th anniversary of the Pau Gasol trade...

slavavov wrote:
Who here honestly thought in the mid 2000s that Kobe would never win another NBA title? I was one of them. I never bought into the Kobe hate or vitriol, but I though his career was turning into a modern Greek tragedy. He seemed like one of those guys who was lucky, but not lucky enough to become his true or optimal self and reach his potential. Playing with Shaq was both a blessing and a curse for him, and when Shaq left the blessings left with him, but the curse stayed with him. I thought something was off about Kobe's karma back then, because when something bad happened (like blowing a 3-1 lead vs the Suns), the sky seemed to cascade down on him.

When Kobe demanded a trade, I thought it was the beginning of the end of Laker mystique. Instead, it seemed his karma turned around 180 degrees in a matter of months. When we got Gasol, and the Celtics got KG and Ray Allen the same season, I felt like destiny was right around the corner for Kobe and the Lakers. Every day I am truly grateful that we beat those bastards in the 2010 NBA finals in true Hollywood fashion.



When Shaq left, I remember Hunter on this board talking about how we might have a relatively rapid rebuild because we were starting with an mvp-level guy like Kobe. And we did have a pretty rapid rebuild. Even though it didn't feel that way at the time.

I don't assume a championship is ever given, so I never had any sense on whether Kobe would or would not win another one, but I thought he would have decent teams around him. I also thought there was a chance that Kobe would leave.

I was never a Kobe Centric fan, so I was more concerned about what happened to the Lakers than what happened to Kobe, so I can't say I ever lost any sleep specifically wondering whether Kobe would win another ring. If he had left, and we had one rings with someone else, that would have been just as good for me
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tox
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 8:31 pm    Post subject:

I was a 12 year old Kobe stan so nah, I was confident he'd win more rings. I was also sure he'd score 100 at some point.

Well, 1/2 isn't bad.
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Freddie Buckets
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 8:37 pm    Post subject:

10 (bleep) years already. I'm getting old.

I was working at a store back in college when this happened and one of my friends called and left me a voice mail telling me the Lakers traded for Pau.

I was so fired up haha
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 8:38 pm    Post subject:

On a side note:
I saw Kobe drop 60 on Pau & the Grizzlies in Memphis!
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 8:43 pm    Post subject:

Didn't the Lakers start well that year?
I thought bynum and LO could help Kobe get there.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 8:43 pm    Post subject:

It rather pisses me off the crap roster the front office put around Kobe for those wasted prime years between championships. It was ugly. Frankly I think we needed to switch upper management back then instead of waiting the 10 years.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 9:31 pm    Post subject:

epak wrote:
Didn't the Lakers start well that year?
I thought bynum and LO could help Kobe get there.


After starting 26-11, Bynum injured his knee during a home game against Memphis, and the Lakers went 5-4 in the nine game stretch from then until getting Pau.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 10:12 pm    Post subject:

CandyCanes wrote:
epak wrote:
Didn't the Lakers start well that year?
I thought bynum and LO could help Kobe get there.


After starting 26-11, Bynum injured his knee during a home game against Memphis, and the Lakers went 5-4 in the nine game stretch from then until getting Pau.


I thought Bynum was the next Duncan, only bigger. I had no doubt that Kobe would get a 3-peat with Drew. For 3 months, Bynum was the best C in the league.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 10:20 pm    Post subject:

Gellollo wrote:
The emergence of Bynum and Sasha got me excited for sure.


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 10:39 pm    Post subject:

I didn't think he would, but didn't think there was anything tragic about it. 3 championships is damn good. Glad he got 2 more though
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 10:48 pm    Post subject:

CandyCanes wrote:
epak wrote:
Didn't the Lakers start well that year?
I thought bynum and LO could help Kobe get there.


After starting 26-11, Bynum injured his knee during a home game against Memphis, and the Lakers went 5-4 in the nine game stretch from then until getting Pau.


Ah. Thanks.
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slavavov
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 12:41 am    Post subject:

Dr. Laker wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
epak wrote:
Didn't the Lakers start well that year?
I thought bynum and LO could help Kobe get there.


After starting 26-11, Bynum injured his knee during a home game against Memphis, and the Lakers went 5-4 in the nine game stretch from then until getting Pau.


I thought Bynum was the next Duncan, only bigger. I had no doubt that Kobe would get a 3-peat with Drew. For 3 months, Bynum was the best C in the league.

When we started 26-11 with Bynum, I thought we were good but not great. Bynum was still emerging and I thought a team like the Spurs would expose his still developing offensive game and put too much pressure on Kobe to score. I thought Bynum could eventually average maybe 17-20 a game, but he wouldn't have been enough, at least not that year. Besides, we got off to a similar start the year before.
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 7:00 am    Post subject:

slavavov wrote:
Dr. Laker wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
epak wrote:
Didn't the Lakers start well that year?
I thought bynum and LO could help Kobe get there.


After starting 26-11, Bynum injured his knee during a home game against Memphis, and the Lakers went 5-4 in the nine game stretch from then until getting Pau.


I thought Bynum was the next Duncan, only bigger. I had no doubt that Kobe would get a 3-peat with Drew. For 3 months, Bynum was the best C in the league.

When we started 26-11 with Bynum, I thought we were good but not great. Bynum was still emerging and I thought a team like the Spurs would expose his still developing offensive game and put too much pressure on Kobe to score. I thought Bynum could eventually average maybe 17-20 a game, but he wouldn't have been enough, at least not that year. Besides, we got off to a similar start the year before.


Bynum was 20 years old at the time, so IMO, even if they didn't get it done in 07-08, it was clear to me that he was developing into a monster. and no one had an answer to him. A shame about the injuries - he would've been great.
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 7:13 am    Post subject:

I'll never forget how smooth that first game was for Pau and Kobe. It was like they had been playing together for years. Also amazing that was the game when he lost the first of three fingers on his shooting hand. Still figured out a way to score and win- what a legend.
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 1:52 pm    Post subject:

Dr. Laker wrote:
slavavov wrote:
Dr. Laker wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
epak wrote:
Didn't the Lakers start well that year?
I thought bynum and LO could help Kobe get there.


After starting 26-11, Bynum injured his knee during a home game against Memphis, and the Lakers went 5-4 in the nine game stretch from then until getting Pau.


I thought Bynum was the next Duncan, only bigger. I had no doubt that Kobe would get a 3-peat with Drew. For 3 months, Bynum was the best C in the league.

When we started 26-11 with Bynum, I thought we were good but not great. Bynum was still emerging and I thought a team like the Spurs would expose his still developing offensive game and put too much pressure on Kobe to score. I thought Bynum could eventually average maybe 17-20 a game, but he wouldn't have been enough, at least not that year. Besides, we got off to a similar start the year before.


Bynum was 20 years old at the time, so IMO, even if they didn't get it done in 07-08, it was clear to me that he was developing into a monster. and no one had an answer to him. A shame about the injuries - he would've been great.

After we got Pau, I thought we had a chance to become as good a team as any in the past 20 years. Like I said, I thought Bynum could become a perennial All Star (but not a HOFer), and I also thought that Jordan Farmar had the potential to become a starting caliber PG. It didn't quite happen, but we didn't do too bad either with what we did have.

I'm not sure if we could've beaten the Celtics in 2010 with a healthy Bynum and no Gasol.
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 3:31 pm    Post subject:

You know those homers that blindly have faith in their team, and are annoying as hell because they always insist on sharing their "knowledge" as to why their crappy team is secretly awesome? I wasn't quite at that level but I truly believed that Kobe would stay on the Lakers to the bitter end and that he would indeed win another 'ship.

I was (probably unreasonably) high on Bynum and our young guys - Farmar, Sasha, Ronnie - and the nonstop trade rumors almost drove me mad lol. Ship Bynum a$$ out for KG? Move Odom for Artest?? GASOL?!?! tbh, the Gasol trade was such a pleasant surprise which I absolutely did not expect, especially not for what we gave up.

Everyone in high school talked so much trash when we lost in '08 after getting Gasol, but those suckers were no where to be found the following 2 years

Real pity about AB's injuries..
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 5:05 pm    Post subject:

Dr. Laker wrote:
slavavov wrote:
Dr. Laker wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
epak wrote:
Didn't the Lakers start well that year?
I thought bynum and LO could help Kobe get there.


After starting 26-11, Bynum injured his knee during a home game against Memphis, and the Lakers went 5-4 in the nine game stretch from then until getting Pau.


I thought Bynum was the next Duncan, only bigger. I had no doubt that Kobe would get a 3-peat with Drew. For 3 months, Bynum was the best C in the league.

When we started 26-11 with Bynum, I thought we were good but not great. Bynum was still emerging and I thought a team like the Spurs would expose his still developing offensive game and put too much pressure on Kobe to score. I thought Bynum could eventually average maybe 17-20 a game, but he wouldn't have been enough, at least not that year. Besides, we got off to a similar start the year before.


Bynum was 20 years old at the time, so IMO, even if they didn't get it done in 07-08, it was clear to me that he was developing into a monster. and no one had an answer to him. A shame about the injuries - he would've been great.


I remember the whole time period pretty well. He was never really the same player after his first knee injury-- slower and less explosive, whereas before he could catch the ball at the free throw line, dribble, and dunk over defenders. Combine that with the post game he developed after the injury, and he would have been the best center since Shaq.
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 5:09 pm    Post subject:

Staccatos wrote:
It rather pisses me off the crap roster the front office put around Kobe for those wasted prime years between championships. It was ugly. Frankly I think we needed to switch upper management back then instead of waiting the 10 years.


NBA Finals in 2004 and then 2008 NBA Finals again. It wasn’t a very long wait.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 7:32 am    Post subject:

venturalakersfan wrote:
Staccatos wrote:
It rather pisses me off the crap roster the front office put around Kobe for those wasted prime years between championships. It was ugly. Frankly I think we needed to switch upper management back then instead of waiting the 10 years.


NBA Finals in 2004 and then 2008 NBA Finals again. It wasn’t a very long wait.


Yeah. Before his Achilles injury, Kobe played 17 years, and only three of those years were with a poor team. All in all, he can't complain about the quality of teammates he had. He got dealt a very good hand
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 7:33 am    Post subject:

activeverb wrote:
venturalakersfan wrote:
Staccatos wrote:
It rather pisses me off the crap roster the front office put around Kobe for those wasted prime years between championships. It was ugly. Frankly I think we needed to switch upper management back then instead of waiting the 10 years.


NBA Finals in 2004 and then 2008 NBA Finals again. It wasn’t a very long wait.


Yeah. Before his Achilles injury, Kobe played 17 years, and only three of those years were with a poor team. All in all, he can't complain about the quality of teammates he had. He got dealt a very good hand


Yeah. 4 year wait in between FINALS.

Meanwhile, this will be our 5th year missing the playoffs.
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