I understand they had to trade Shaq UKfan4Life. There is a huge difference between "trading" a player and "giving him away". The Lakers got nothing in return when compared to what they gave up. Additionally, none of this would have happened if Mitch & Jerry would simply have kept their mouths shut after the Detroit loss. They created this mess.
Kobe & Shaq never got along, so that wasn't new. But they got the job done on the court. Laker management created this mess all by themselves.
Riley took them to the cleaners on this one. If that's all the Lakers can get for, what is still, the most dominate player in the game then they are in need of a management change. And this basically falls squarely on the shoulders of the owner. Mitch is just doing what he's told. Jerry single handedly destroyed this team, mostly with his mouth. This move wasn't a business decision by Jerry. This was personal, which is bad business.
Not that I mind. It's all good as far as the rest of the Western conference is concerned. We only have to face the big guy twice now. This trade didn't change a team it's changed an entire conference. Hey, I'm happy about it. The Lakers go from a power to an also ran. They lose the most dominate player in the game, They get their pocket picked by Riley. And they get a chance to play the lottery. So, whats the down side? If your a Grizz fan, none that I can see, aside from the fact we didn't get Shaq.
Now, if Kobe signs with the Clips, or is found guilty, this really turns into the biggest fiasco in sports history. Better them than us.