If the Lakers didn't trade Shaq, their starting 5 would have been...

Dennis_D

Assuming Kobe would have left as a free agent, the Lakers starting 5 would have been Shaq, Medvedenko, Walton, Rush, Payton with a bench of Cook and Vujacic (George didn't recover from his injury until late in the 2004 season). It's hard picturing that team making the playoffs.
_________________
<-- My avatar is Margaret Nolan from one of the Carry On films. She was the girl who got painted gold in "Goldfinger". Thanks to CaliRyderX for identifying her.

Aphex Twin · Starting Rotation Joined: 31 Aug 2004 Posts: 853

They would have acquired Michael Redd. Line-up would have been:

Payton
Redd
Cook
Walton
Shaq

ocho · Retired Number Joined: 24 May 2005 Posts: 53796

not very fair to say this. if kobe walked and we still had shaq...we would have had all that kobe money to spend. you're assuming that the lakers wouldn't make any moves after kobe walked.

having said that....i'm glad we traded him.
_________________
14-5-3-12

oldschool32 · Franchise Player Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 20032

Malone would have been there for a year or two. With Shaq's extension due, and some of our other contracts we wouldn't have been able to sign a max player, at least i don't think so.

Dennis_D · Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 1:56 pm Post subject:

We would have been able to offer only the MLE:
Shaq $29,464,288
Payton $5,408,700
Fox $4,928,625
George $4,500,000
Medvedenko $3,000,000
Rush $1,172,446
Cook $809,300
Walton $620,046
Vujacic $846,840

Total $50,750,245
link and link

Malone never played a NBA game after that season even though the Spurs tried to recruit him.
_________________
<-- My avatar is Margaret Nolan from one of the Carry On films. She was the girl who got painted gold in "Goldfinger". Thanks to CaliRyderX for identifying her.

Mailman04 · Starting Rotation Joined: 25 Jun 2005 Posts: 904

They wouldn't have been able to take the money they were going to pay Kobe because Shaq's salary would have eaten up much of the salary cap.

wolfpaclaker · Retired Number Joined: 29 May 2002 Posts: 58336

Shaq was a great player.

But he is no longer the best bigman or even the most dominating player in the NBA.

The talent he has around him is MORE than what he ever had in LA with Phil minus the Malone/GP season.

Yet, he's still struggling to make that team a top 5 team - let alone a champion.

That speaks far more volumes than any kind of hypothetical roster.

Dennis_D · Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 2:34 pm Post subject:

oldschool32 · Franchise Player Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 20032

Malone would have stayed if Phil, Payton, and Shaq were still here. He was contemplating coming back with just Rudy and Kobe here. He just didn't want to go to a 3rd team, or a Lakers team he was sure wasn't competing for a ring.

iml84myd8s · Starting Rotation Joined: 06 Aug 2005 Posts: 598

I'm surprised they haven't shut this thread down yet. However, I'll throw my two cents in before it gets moved or locked.

If Kobe chose to leave the Lakers, Kobe would have worked out a sing and trade so he could have received the max 7-year contract. Kobe's contract was done before the new collective bargaining changed the max to 6-years.

Lakers would have received other players and picks for Kobe in a sign-and-trade.

Therefore, there is no telling what the Lakers would look like except Shaq would certainly be on the Lakers roster.

Aloha · Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 2:44 pm Post subject:

wow? now it makes me think...

...Life without Kobe & Shaq (Nightmare...)
Purple N Gold wouldnt be the same...

Or is it red, white, blue...

Would that mean Kobe may get 2 rafters in Staples:

1) LAL and LAC

But then the Clips:
---------------------
Kobe
Q
Maggette
Brand
Kaman

--------------------
_________________

Dennis_D · Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 2:50 pm Post subject:

kobe_somebody_odom · Star Player Joined: 02 Feb 2006 Posts: 1661

senator kobe · Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 3:03 pm Post subject:

Geeze that fantasy Spurs team would rip NBA a new one.
_________________
What? Never mind...

Bergamotichek · Retired Number Joined: 02 Sep 2007 Posts: 16777206

Malone would not have stayed. His injury was career-ending.

And that comes from a source a heck of a lot more in-the-know than you, oldschool32.

KoolMo · Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 3:22 pm Post subject:

Why are we assuming Kobe left?

orwell · Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 3:28 pm Post subject:

Supa · Star Player Joined: 08 Dec 2004 Posts: 2210

The Spurs had the cap space to sign Kobe, but couldn't have signed Ginobili if they did. Ginobili would have went to Denver. But Kobe wasn't even considering them.

wolfpaclaker · Retired Number Joined: 29 May 2002 Posts: 58336

Dr. Laker · Franchise Player Joined: 12 Apr 2002 Posts: 17106

Sage_10 · Star Player Joined: 24 Dec 2005 Posts: 6668

Dr. Buss made the right decision.

Dr. Laker · Franchise Player Joined: 12 Apr 2002 Posts: 17106

raffi · LG Contributor Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 9987

You guys are really confusing several issues that don't match:

Malone was not coming back (he was limited physically and mentally).

Kobe was not going to agree to a sign and trade.

You wouldn't have had any cap room in yr 1, but would have had cap room in yr 2 assuming Shaq had opted out and signed for less (like he did in Miami).

90% of the members on this board aren't arguing whether it was better to keep Kobe or Shaq. The clear majority agree that Shaq had to go. The problem many of us have (and that number has been steadily increasing as wisdom and reality seeps in) has to do with what we got back in the trade and why. It is clear that we acquired pieces that didn't realistically fit any long or short term plan to become championship caliber (the entire 07 plan was about one guy . . . Amare. And he ain't coming.).

We didn't get expiring Ks, we didn't get impact players, we didn't acquire athleticism we could keep, we didn't get young cheap talent that could play (Haslem), we didn't get players with trade value (Eddie Jones) and we didn't get better. And it isn't just the money - the real killer is having to wait until 07 (now 08 if we have indeed guaranteed Kwame's 3rd year) to have any chance to add to the roster.

And I don't care if we had gotten a sack of potatoes for him - but not at the cost of tying up my cap for 3 years. Instead we added overpaid junk, and overpaid not-so-junk to our roster, while adding a year of cap inflexibility. And that's a good thing? You've got to be kidding me.

And if you're telling me that was the ONLY way we were keeping Kobe, then I wish everybody would please stop whining about Kobe's lack of help. He did it to himself.

And by the way, the infamous "time constraint" was self-imposed. Shaq had zero leverage. The timing issue had more to do with Kobe - which is truly unfortunate, because he's now left with a talentless roster. They should have promised Kobe that they would move Shaq, but only at the right time and on the right terms. This would've been in the best interests of the team and Kobe. Instead, they panicked. They acted in haste and got a bunch of waste.

My proper contention is that it didn't need to be this difficult - we've made the job of rebuilding much tougher on ourselves. Despite the past successes (for which I am eternally grateful), it doesn't excuse such a horrifically stupid and one sided transaction. And having Kobe and nothing else on the horizon doesn't make me feel any better - we're a lot further than one player away. Because if this is about winning championships, it's the wrong way to go about it.

gdballa03 · Starting Rotation Joined: 02 Jan 2006 Posts: 263

Cassell/Livingston
Kobe(no mobley)
Magette
Brand
Kaman

Parker/Van-Exel
Ginobli/Finley/ Brent Barry
Kobe/Bowen
Duncan/Marks
Rasho/Muhammed

[/b]That Clippers squad is sick...but that SA squad is even sicker!

Would SA have had enough to sign both Finley and Van-Exel if Kobe signed with them? How much are they making?

Exick · Site Staff Joined: 17 Mar 2005 Posts: 15880

No (bleep)ing way the Lakers or Kobe agree to a sign-and-trade.