Hypothetical: Shaq/Kobe/Van Exel/Jones Championship :)

The Nightbringer

1998 was the last year that Shaq, Kobe, Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones played together on the Lakers. I don't remember too much from those years as I was still in grade school, but I do remember Kobe wowing me with his energy when he came into games and Shaq's dominance. My early years of watching Lakers games in the 90s was of seeing Nick the Quick and Eddie out there on the floor, and when we added Shaq I definitely thought we'd be a sure contender.

The Lockout season came and went, and during that year we broke up these 4 and Eddie and Nick went their separate ways to other teams. The next year we would go on to win a chip. But something that always stayed in the back of my mind was, if we had somehow kept Eddie and Nick, would we still have had the threepeat from 2000 to 2002? What strengths did they give us and what would they have taken away from those teams?

Also, if the 98-99 lockout didn't happen, could that have hypothetically been the Laker's first championship season with Shaq and Kobe? Or were we still missing some pieces/experience?

JPaulK0n · Star Player Joined: 06 Feb 2018 Posts: 2478

I still say to this day that the 97/98 team was more talented than the 3-peat Lakers. Shaq, Eddie, Nick, Kobe, Fox, Horry, Fisher, & Campbell on paper from top to bottom was the most talented team in the league, but team was viewed as "soft" and "chokers" with how badly they were eliminated in the 97, 98, & 99 playoffs. Plus, after Nick's cancun line, no chance he could really stay on the team after that.

If Phil would have gone straight to the Lakers during the lockout year instead of taking a year off, things could have gone a bit differently. If Phil was coaching instead of Del Harris for those teams, Lakers probably get over the hump imo, as I still say Harris was a solid to good coach for a young team that he can turn into a playoff team, but badly struggled with getting the team to that next level as real title contenders. Also, trading Eddie who would become an All-NBA caliber player the year after being traded for a washed-up Glen Rice, which Lakers probably would have hoped to have gotten better returns for Nick & Eddie, but Shaq & Kobe was so dominant it didn't matter much. It showed that fit matters just as much as talent, as Fisher, Fox, & Horry may not have been as talented as Nick, Eddie, & Campbell, they didn't need the ball in their hands, did all the little things, were able to spot up as floor spacers, sacrificed for the team without complaining about their roles, etc. Overall, Lakers needed to go through those failures from the late 90's in order to become champions and three-peat.

epic_ · Franchise Player Joined: 23 Jan 2020 Posts: 11310

I'm grateful that Robert Horry threw that towel at Danny Ainge's face so that they would trade him to us for Lake Havasu Ceballos
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MookieBetts50 · Star Player Joined: 22 Jul 2020 Posts: 1943

Ugh I remember I was totally on board with Glen Rice for Eddie deal, had always been my favorite non Laker of that era (along with pre-chunky Kemp). Well at least we got a title out of that has been. Also no way Kobe was gonna be held down as 6th man since Eddie played his position so big picture I understood that trade was necessary for the future. Even if we matched up better with the Last Dance Bulls we were getting Pn'R to death by the Jazz so our core needed some tweaks and vet precense.

NVE trade I was pissed the moment the LA Times reported it, Battie and Lue were the only returns, what the (bleep) were the Jerrys thinking then, one of their rare gaffes.

activeverb · Retired Number Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 37470

On paper, the crew from the 97/98 team was more talented than the threepeat team, so it probably would have won it we kept it together.

That said, what works on paper doesn't always work on the court.

LakerDynasty6.0 · Star Player Joined: 12 Jan 2009 Posts: 4655

The one that got away: 1989: (bleep) Riles overworked everyone to exhaustion.. (and injury)
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MookieBetts50 · Star Player Joined: 22 Jul 2020 Posts: 1943

lar9149 · Star Player Joined: 10 Jul 2010 Posts: 2367

I remember the Nick Van Excel, Jones, Shaq, Kobe days...they were quite talented.

I also remember that Utah would run the pick and roll with Malone and Stockton over and over in the playoffs and the Lakers couldn't stop it.

Than when they dump the ball into Shaq, Utah would wait for him to make his move (rather than double team right away) and really frustrate the Lakers offense.

I just remember how frustrating it was to watch the Lakers-Utah playoff series in 1997 & 1998. Utah just kept milking the same pick and roll over and over. And the Lakers had no one to guard Malone.

Than in the lockout year of 1999 they run into the twin towers of the Spurs of Duncan and Robninson. 2 bigs were just a lot for Shaq to handle. And Kobe wasn't ready to pick up the slack.

2001 in the rematch was a totally different story. Kobe just went nuts on the Spurs and they had no answer. They even got a guy named Bruce Bowen, known as a Kobe stopper. But when Kobe is in a zone, "Kobe stopper" doesn't really exist.

kwase · Star Player Joined: 21 Mar 2008 Posts: 3069

Dull Harris ruined our changes of winning a championship with that roster. Those Kobe airballs were not his fault. He played Nick Van Exel the first 3 quarters, then got into a petty argument with him on the bench and threw Kobe in the game even though he was being stupid and stubborn with Kobe's minutes the entire season trying to I guess "Teach the youngster a lesson". Phil comes in and in his first year wins a championship with a lesser roster.

CRoost · Star Player Joined: 21 Mar 2017 Posts: 4791

The Nightbringer · Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 10:28 am Post subject:

Runway8 · Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 12:15 pm Post subject:

Runway8 · Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 12:20 pm Post subject:

dcastillo · Star Player Joined: 20 May 2009 Posts: 2172

I was in grade school during those years but I never understood why Eddie Jones never played like regular season Eddie Jones. As I got older I realized dude just wasn’t a postseason player.

Runway8 · Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 1:50 pm Post subject:

jonnybravo · Retired Number Joined: 21 Sep 2007 Posts: 30678

danzag · Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 3:01 pm Post subject:

Del (bleep) Harris

SuperboyReformed · Star Player Joined: 07 Oct 2012 Posts: 4083

npz will have some interesting thoughts on this.

I also feel on paper this team was more talented. But there's the Kobe factor. Would you rather have kobe over nick and eddie etc? Most people now would laugh at that, but at the time it was a totally valid question and I may have sided with the nick eddie team.

These guys, without Shaq, beat the sonics who were in a finals series with MJ. Very underrated squad, and again most people forget they were very very popular. I remember people asking if the BI /Lonzo squad was similar....no.

yes i place most of the blame on Del also.

kwase · Star Player Joined: 21 Mar 2008 Posts: 3069

yinoma2001 · Retired Number Joined: 19 Jun 2010 Posts: 119487

Crazy fact. I never knew that Nick Van Exel was born and raised in Kenosha.
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