Ballscientist

Could you imagine if the Clippers made the playoffs and the Lakers did not?

rynobot

no, Clippers as a team have been very inconsistant and Shaq and Kobe are too good not to turn things around for the Lakers.

__________________

Dynasty Raider

Yes, I can. The Clippers should have made the playoffs last year, and would have had it not been for Kandi, IMO.

The Lakers have no motivation and plenty of reasons not to make the playoffs:

* They have more than enough rings

* Shaq and Buss, for whatever reason, have not shown that cared for Chick at all ... so, that's not a motivation. Neither attended his funeral, memorial or street dedication.

* Kobe did not sign the extension on his contract and is tired of hearing that he is Shaq's Pippen, so he wants to go somewhere else (Grizzlies?) to prove that he is all that he believes he is. His only motivation is personal stats, and ocassionally demostrating to interested management of other teams that he is capable of being a teamplayer

* Kobe wants to have his own team, e.g., Iverson, T-Mac, KG, SFrancise, etc.

* Shaq has never had any real interest in basketball because there has never been any competition for him (no imposing Centers and Refs allow him to do whatever he wants to do). His only claim to fame is his bigness (some choose to call it dominance).

* Shaq wants to retire and buy the Magics. In his mind, he has given the Laker organization what they've paid for (3 rings) and is content to ride out his contract with this annual "invisible" injuries until the end of his contract.

The Clippers on the other hand have a lot of motivation:

* New contracts

* Respectability (their home games now match the Lakers in sellouts)

* They know they should have been in the playoffs last year.

* Each player is competing for playing time which makes them verrrrrry dangerous.

I'd better make this short because I could go on and on and on.

Dynasty Raider

And WITH that inconsistency, they have a better record than the Lakers. So, with them gelling as the season moves forward ... you still don't give them credit?

rynobot

Are the Clippers good? Yes. I still feel that the Lakers will find there groove and make it to the playoffs.

__________________

absolutebest

Pacers are more dangerous. Plus, we re-sign our young studs.

__________________
"His position is probably on the floor, playing basketball." - Indiana Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle on newly-acquired Pacers G/F Marquis Daniels

JGKoblenz

Do you really think the Lakers won't make the playoffs?

__________________
[Welcome to the FreeSide]

[Movies] [Books] [Poetry] [Videos] [Eye Candy] [Brazil] [Hoops]

Devestata

Do you really think the Clippers are sad that they didn't resign Taylor and DA, now?

__________________
My avatar is none other than the best Decepticon of all time: Devastator.

Separated at birth by 79 years: Devestata and ***Finch***

Dynasty Raider

I believe the question was, "imagine"? And my answer is YES, I can imagine them NOT making the playoffs.

R-Star

I can imagine them not making it as well. I put it at 50/50 right now. Or I guess 51/49 because I have a feeling they will make it because they always spurn me (they took out my pacers in 2000). But if they dont, I dont want to sound too biased, but I will dance for at least a day. Maybe even have tears of joy.

Dynasty Raider

You and about 2+ million others.

The OUTLAW

Only because they might implode at any moment.

Well I expect them to be better in the second half of the season once everyone knows what their role is, and they get used to playing together. But, they still might not make the playoffs.

__________________
One thing a non-conformist can't stand is another non-conformist who doesn't conform to the prevailing standards of non-conformity.

compsciguy78

This is in response to Dynasty Raider....

I agree with a lot of what you said, but some of it is wrong.

You said " Shaq has never had any interest in basketball. His only claim to fame is his bigness."

I can see where this comes from but its wrong. He likes basketball a lot and works on his game. He has a lot of skill for how big he is, I think a lot of people understimate how skilled he is. Have you ever seen him try to run the fast break? Sometimes he pulls it off, and sometimes not. But this shows that he likes to play basketball. He hits his free throws come playoff time. That shows an interest also. Shaq has excellent timing...he can block shots with the best and when he wants he can put spin moves on smaller defenders and post moves on taller guys. Nobody can be as successful as Shaq and win on being just big.

Maybe you were playing devils advocate but you also said the lakers have no motivation. How about coming back from 30 down against Dallas. Anyone who has watched the lakers win all 3 championships know that this team will not die easily. You can say what you want, but they will be back in the playoffs and they will make their run. They might not win the championship but I wouldnt bet against them either.

A lot of what you said had to do with Shaq's and Kobe's internal reasons, which I do not know. They sound kind of right but I dont believe these are their sole reasons not playing well. A lot of it has to do with their teammates and the fact that they arent playing as hard as they should.




Peace out