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May 7, 2003: As I was finishing up some site updates and picture additions last night, I got an idea that I thought could be a big addition to this site if I got a Lakers Diary going so that I could express my thoughts on the NBA team that I have loved and followed since the early 90's when guys like Cedric Ceballos, Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Sedale Threat, and Vlade Divac donned the purple and yellow. While those players are long gone, as well as the days of playoff heartaches like the year the Lakers blew a 2-0 lead over the Phoenix Suns in the 1993 Playoffs, the Lakers are currently forming what could be one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history. Right now, we have what every team wants, and that is a dominant and great all-round player in Kobe Bryant. Kobe is playing at such an unbelievable level right now that people say they "contained" him after he pours in 27 points. We also have, in my opinion, the most dominant big man the league has seen in the past 25 years in Shaquille O'Neal. When Kobe & Shaq are on the same page, it's almost like watching poetry in motion. No combo that I've seen, and that includes the tandem of Jordan & Pippen, is as impressive and dominant when they are both clicking. We do have some fairly solid role players in Derek Fisher and Rick Fox as well. Derek can hold his own against any point guard in the league, and Rick Fox is like a hound on defense who rarely gives the opposition a chance to breathe. I'm also a big fan of Devean George and the athletesism and energy he brings to the table. It's been a joy to watch this young player from D3 Augsburg College in Minnesota continue to improve on his game and become a solid NBA player. The rest of the cast that has been around for awhile like Robert Horry, Mark Madsen, and Brian Shaw also provide an interesting flavor to the game no matter if they are playing or cheering from the bench. It's very rare to find three guys who are willing to sacrifice individual praise for the good of the team. Well, that's enough about my long standing following of the Lakers. Now, it's time to talk about the here and now, and the now may not be for too much longer because as it stands, the Lakers are currently staring a 2-0 hole right in the face that has been inflicted at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.
Right now, the Lakers are not playing very good team basketball, and I think that is pretty obvious to see to anybody who has followed this team as much as I have. Granted, injuries to Rick Fox and Devean George are playing a big factor in this lack of offensive flow, but the five guys who are out on the court have to at least make an effort to try and play together if they hope to come back from this 2-0 mountain that is in front of them.
 Not So Fast Ginobili!
We've come out very flat on the offensive end to start out Games 1 and 2, and Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal seem to be our only hope for a source of offense. In the first two games, they've accounted for nearly 2/3 of the Lakers points, and while Shaq has handled himself very well down low in terms of scoring and rebounding, Kobe has been playing a little too aggressive and is forcing the issue from time to time. Robert Horry is very hesitant to even catch a pass, much less shoot, and he has to return to his old self if the Spurs are going to acknowledge him on the court. Derek Fisher and Brian Shaw can be an efficient backcourt, but ball distribution is key, and that isn't happening right now. The Lakers just haven't been spreading the ball around on offense, and too much one-on-one play is killing a TEAM that has won the past three NBA Championships.
Heading into Game 3, I've never been more nervous prior to a Laker game than I am now. We are down 2-0, and in those two losses, the offensive output has been terrible, and you can credit the Spurs' defense for much of those problems. They just never seem to be out of position, and it's very unlikely that a solid defensive team like San Antonio is going to have a game where they totally lapse for the entire 48 minutes to give the other team a chance to win. It's going to take Shaq hitting practically 55% of his shots down low, Kobe to get 30-35 points on quality shooting, and guys like Derek Fisher and Robert Horry double-digit scoring nights just for us to have a chance. It's not like we played the Spurs well during the season and are just now running into problems with them in the playoffs. The Lakers are zero for six against the Spurs this year, and two of those losses have came where it counts the most. It's unlikely that Bruce Bowen and the rest of the Spurs will be able to duplicate their red hot shooting of Game 2 when it comes time to play tomorrow night, but the Lakers are going to have to play one of their best team games of the season. The series is shifting back to home, and Kobe & Shaq seem to play more energized and more like themselves within the confines of Staples Center. As it stands, in about 24 hours, either I'll be breathing a sigh of relief after we cut the advantage to 2-1, or I'll be bouncing my head off the coffee table and shaking my head in disgust as I was during the entire course of Game 2. We may be down, but never count out the heart of a champion, especially when the force that pumps the heart is a duo like Kobe & Shaq. While the rest of the world has all but given up on you, I'm still 100% confident that we can come back and win this series.
May 9, 2003: At last, finally a victory! When I tuned into the game tonight, I fully expected to see Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal attempt to take over and dominate like they have never done before, but I was surprised. While both players did have sensational games, it was the play of guys like Robert Horry, Derek Fisher, Mark Madsen, and Devean George that put the Lakers over the hump tonight. I didn't even expect Devean to play for the rest of the series, and not only did he play, but he started Game 3 and provided a much needed spark for the Lakers. He hit four out of his first five shots and tallied 9 points in the first half. Robert Horry started off a little sluggish, but once he got into somewhat of a rythem, he was able to drop in 13 points to complement George's 13, and Derek Fisher had a strong performance with 14 points. Shaquille O'Neal had a quiet, but dominating showing yet again in these playoffs. He finished his night with 21 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists. He sacrificed some scoring chances tonight by setting up near the free-throw line so that more space could be opened up in the lane for other players to cut through, and that idea seemed to work very well. This just goes to show how much Shaq is willing to sacrifice to improve his team's chances of winning.
 Kobe Slashes Past Bruce Bowen For 2!
And what else can be said to possibly describe the play of Kobe Bryant? He's only shooting 42% in the playoffs this year, which is a bit down for him, and he's still scoring over 30 points per game! Tonight was no different, as he shot 10-23 from the field and erupted for 39 points to tie his playoff high for this season. He started off the fourth quarter on a total tear, and he ended up scoring something like the Lakers' first 12 points of the period, including 8 in the first minute. His ability to take over a game in the fourth quarter and dominate when his team needs it is unmatched by any current NBA player, and may only be matched by Michael Jordan in terms of all-time greats. Kobe knew that it would take a big effort from him to get the job done tonight, and that's what he gave, in a 110-95 trouncing. Hopefully, come Sunday, the Lakers can come out and once again defend their home court and come out with the same intensity and team play that helped them tonight. Tonight's game showed that when the Lakers play as a team and get away from the one-on-one game, that there is not a team in the league that can contend with them.
May 11, 2003: Well, we got some pretty bad news yesterday that coach Jackson had to have an emergency angioplasty done to clear 90% blockage in one of his arteries. Apparently, he had been experiencing some tightness in his chest during Game 3, and was complaining about similar trouble during Saturday's practice. Without coach Jackson, today's game against the Spurs would be an even tougher task. Assistant coach Jim Cleamons was the acting coach for today's game, and I think he did a great job of keeping the players' heads in the game after they got off to a rough start in the second quarter and weren't shooting the ball as well as they could have. He was able to motivate the team to stick together and to play through the bad stretch, and they showed a great deal of courage by coming back from 16 points and winning Game 4 by the score of 99-95 to even the series at 2-2.
After Wednesday night's loss, on various polls that I saw over at ESPN and CNNSI's websites, it asked whether or not the Lakers could come back, or whether or not the injury bug would be too much for them to overcome. To my surprise, something like 75% of the people who voted thought that the Lakers were finished, simply because they were down 0-2! Kevin Garnett learned in the series before that no lead is safe against the defending 3-time NBA Champion Lakers, and I think Tim Duncan and the rest of the Spurs are starting to figure that out as well. In order to win a best of seven series, you have to win four games, not two. Definately not a good idea to get visions of playing in the Western Conference Finals when you're only up 2-0, especially when the team you are facing has the two best players in the league and has won the past 3 NBA titles.
Today's game was a contrast of halves. Kobe & Shaq basically provided all of the scoring for the Lakers in the first half, and that was not a good sign because neither man was shooting that well. In the second half, Derek Fisher and Devean George knocked down some outside shots, and Brian Shaw's huge buzzer-beating bankshot at the end of the third quarter sent us into the fourth with a four point lead and a lot of momentum. Kobe & Shaq did a great job of hurting the Spurs in other ways than from the field. The two of them got to the line quite a bit; and nailed their shots. Kobe went 14-17 from the line, while Shaq was an impressive 17-23.
 Kobe Drives Baseline On The Spurs!
Shaquille O'Neal finished with amazing stats of 29 points, 17 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots; continuing to impress and dominate down low against the league MVP, Tim Duncan. While Duncan scored 36 points, Shaq has completely owned him on the glass and has been more of a presense on defense than Duncan has in this series.
Kobe Bryant continues to put up big scoring numbers against the Spurs, as he shot 10-24 and scored 35 points. The biggest turning point of the game, in my opinion, was when he received a pass from Devean George after a steal on Emanuel Ginobili, an then threw down a jaw-dropping slam at the end of the third quarter. That was the spark that the Lakers needed, and that is when Kobe started to become more aggressive in taking the ball to the whole and getting to the line more and more. While Tim Duncan has had more support from the guys around him, Kobe and Shaq have basically had to rely on each other in this series, and they are neck and neck with the Spurs thus far. After Duncan's turnovers at the end of the game, and the way the Spurs have fumbled around with what was once a 2-0 series lead, I think some journalists are beginning to see what a big mistake it was to cast Duncan as the NBA MVP on their ballots, when in reality, it should have really gone to either Kobe or Shaq.
Game 5 is definatley a game to either put up or shut up. Both teams have gone 2-0 on their home courts in this series, and each team has won both a close game and a blowout as well. Game 5 will be played in San Antonio, where the Lakers are 0-4 this year, and where the Spurs' fans will be as fired up as ever. It's going to be a tough task to defeat a team like the Spurs three games in a row, but we did it last year, and I don't see why it can't be done again. Kobe & Shaq are playing like men possessed, and the heart of the Lakers has never been stronger. Look for this Laker team to come out and totally take the wind out of the Spurs' sails early in Game 5, because I think that will be crucial if they hope to win. If they let the Spurs hang around for too long on their home court, it could spell trouble in the end.
May 13, 2003: Considering the fact that the Lakers showed a lot of courage in battling back from an 0-2 hole to even the series with the Spurs at 2-2, I can't help but be disappointed with the effort the team put in for the first three quarters of the game. Down 29-18 after the first quarter and 56-38 at the half is definately not the way we wanted to start off. I could tell kind of early that it would be somewhat of an off-night when Shaq was setting up so low in the post and struggled to get going on offense. His poor play caused Kobe to try and do a little bit too much, and although he was on for most of the game, he and the rest of the team made some costly decisions towards the end of the game.
One good thing to take away from this loss is the fact that we came back from being down by as many as 25 and only lost by 2, and we even had a chance to tie or take the lead at the end. Robert Horry's shot was 3/4 of the way from going down, and it popped out at the last second. Had that shot gone in, everybody would be talking about how great the Lakers are and praising their determination rather than bashing them and saying that their season is all but over. We outscored the Spurs 56-40 in the second half and proved that we can put ourselves into a position to win a game in the SBC Center. Going 0-4 in the prior four games, there may have been somewhat of a psychological block for some of the players in regards to winning a game in San Antonio, but the way we were able to come from behind and almost win should give the guys a lot of confidence when the series goes back there for Game 7; and trust me, this one is going the distance, folks.
 Kobe Torches Bowen For 2 Of His 36 Points
I think that we found a player who can put in positive minutes at the #4 spot, and that man is Stanislav Medvedenko. He may not be the solid defender that Horry is, but he holds his own down low, and is more of an offensive threat than Mark Madsen is. Medvedenko played 17 minutes, went 5-6 from the field, and finished with 13 points. He wasn't hesitant to pull up and drain shots from the baselines and the elbows, and I don't know why Phil Jackson took him out of the game during the stretch run of the fourth quarter and put in the ice-cold Robert Horry. Horry has shot terribly this entire postseason, and now Medvedenko has the confidence that he can contribute to the team. I'd still start Horry at the #4 spot to get him into the flow of the game somewhat and to try and fluster Duncan on defense, but other than that, I'd split the playing time between Medvedenko and Horry evenly; with Mark Madsen playing limited minutes off the bench at the end of the second or third quarters.
Game 6 is coming back to Staples Center, and with all the Lakers have been through in their three prior NBA Championship runs, I don't see them bowing out just yet; especially at home. Shaq always plays tough after a bad game, and he played pretty poorly in Game 5. Look for him to tear stuff up come Game 6, and you know that Kobe will be in his typical mindset and find a way to somehow score 30-plus points, no matter how he's shooting. If Medvedenko can contribute like he did the other night, Devean George can stay in the game, and Derek Fisher is on, the Spurs are in trouble. We faced a 3-2 situation last year against the Kings, and we were able to win Game 6 at home and then steal Game 7 in Sacramento at Arco. This is pretty much the same Laker team except for the fact that Rick Fox is hurt, and this Spurs team is nowhere near as tough as the Kings were last year, and the SBC Center isn't as difficult to play in as Arco. I've got a pretty good feeling about the last two games of this series.
May 16, 2003: Just like that, the run is over. The Los Angeles Lakers' run of three straight NBA Championships came to an end on Thursday night with a 110-82 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. It was the worst loss in NBA Playoff history for a defending champion in an elimination game, and marked what some are calling the "end" of the Laker dynasty that began three years ago with their NBA Finals win over the Indiana Pacers.
What is even more heartbreaking is that the Lakers suffered this loss on their home floor and never really got into the flow of the game at any point. Having your championship run ended would be bad enough, but I don't know how the players feel about having their run ended without having the chance to defend their title in the Finals itself. When you think of all the wars that the Lakers have had over the past few years in the playoffs with teams like Sacramento, Portland, Indiana, Philadelphia, and New Jersey; it's kind of ironic that a team that the Lakers used to handle with ease, the San Antonio Spurs, were the ones who would bring an end to the triumphant reign of the Lakers. The Lakers went 67-15 in the regular season en route to claiming their first NBA Championship, went an impressive 16-1 in the 2001 NBA Playoffs as they claimed their second title in a row, and then swept the Nets 4-0 to win their third straight title in 2002. In the past two Laker championship runs, they had beat the Spurs eight out of nine games; which was a total contrast compared to this year, where the Lakers went 2-4 against the Spurs and were demolished in three out of the four losses.
 A Teary Eyed Kobe Bryant Accepts Defeat At The Hands Of The Spurs
All of the sudden, now that the Lakers will be heading into the 2003-2004 season without the claim of being the defending NBA Champions, there are all the sudden doubts and questions facing this great team. Shaquille O'Neal has questions about his future in regards to injuries. Kobe Bryant has been faced with questions as to whether or not he'd like to play for another team. Will Rick Fox be able to rehab quick enough for the start of next season following foot surgery, and if he does, how affective will he be? And lastly, will the team be without the likes of Robert Horry, Samaki Walker, Mark Madsen, Tracy Murray, and Brian Shaw? It is very likely that Horry, Madsen, Murray, and Walker will be gone after this season due to the fact that they did not produce much this past season and played a major role in the collapse of the Lakers in the playoffs because of their lack of skill at both ends of the court. Derek Fisher is a solid point guard, and with Jannero Pargo showing signs of being a solid contributor in the future with a little bit of work, I think keeping a veteran like Brian Shaw around could be to the team's benefit. He showed that he can still handle the ball and shoot during his playing time in the playoffs, plus he is unselfish; definately a skill needed in order to be a great point guard. I think that with increased playing time and improvement on his shooting, Kareem Rush could step up and be a productive shooting guard for the Lakers in the future, but he has to improve his defensive skills a great deal. With Rush & Pargo being the only rookies on the team this past season, it's important that they two of them see the court more in the coming year so that they can learn their roles and develop their confidence so that they can contribute to the team like they are capable of.
Right now, there are rumors going around as to who the Lakers are looking to sign in the off-season from the free agent pool. Karl Malone and Scottie Pippen have been popular names, but Malone's skills are quickly diminishing and Pippen's career has been marred by injuries the past couple of seasons. Another name floating around to be brought in as the starting point guard next season is Gary Payton of the Milwaukee Bucks. He was doing great in Seattle and held his own in Milwaukee after the trade, and I wouldn't mind seeing "The Glove" in a Laker jersey. He's a little more offensive-minded than you'd like a point guard to be, but he is one of the best defenders in the league; and defending the other team's starting point guard has not been one of Derek Fisher's strengths, and if you need any proof of his, check out some tapes from the Lakers' opening round series with the Timberwolves when he guarded Troy Hudson. A guy that has been talked about a lot in regards to taking Robert Horry's spot on the team and being the starting power forward is P.J. Brown, who finished up a great season with the New Orleans Hornets. Brown averaged 10.7 points and 9.0 rebounds a game. While those numbers alone are not eye-popping, collectively, they add up to having close to a double-double a night out of your starting power forward. Brown is a better rebounder and more aggressive player down low than Horry, Madsen, or Walker are, and isn't afraid to get banged around in the paint on defense. Adding P.J. Brown to the starting rotation to play alongside a starting five that could consist Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton, and Rick Fox could prove to be dangerous for any team to go up against in the NBA. Bring in Devean George off the bench as the sixth man, along with Jannero Pargo, Kareem Rush, and Stansilav Medvedenko, and I think those are all the more ingredients you need to build up an NBA Championship caliber team once again. In any event, whenever you have two players like Kobe Bryant & Shaquille O'Neal on a team, the rebuilding process doesn't need to be that long or that extensive. When it's all said and done, your stars determine whether or not you win or lose games.
April 18, 2004: It's been nearly an entire year since the Above The Rim: Kobe Bryant site was last updated. With a hectic schedule in my first year of college, what is free time anymore? I tried to get as many new pictures up and other things on the site updated as quickly as I could last night, and what better time than to do so during the playoffs? This is what NBA basketball is all about! This was definately an up and down year for the Lakers to say the least. Tons of turmoil and animosity amongst the players, inconsistent play, and countless injuries to key players such as Shaquille O'Neal, Karl Malone, and the man himself, Kobe Bryant. With that in mind, the Lakers somehow managed to pull together a 56-26 record for the season, won the Pacific Division crown, and locked up a #2 seed in the Western Conference for the playoffs. This team hasn't even reached it's full potential yet heading into the playoffs, but as the playoffs get underway, Kobe has an injured left wrist, Karl Malone has injuries to his knee and ankle, Shaquille O'Neal has a lingering injury to his knee, and Derek Fisher has a groin problem. Now, if that wasn't enough, Gary Payton suffered some sort of injury to his lower back in Game One against the Rockets and did not score a single point afterwards in a sloppy 72-71 win for Los Angeles. A win is a win, and you have to take them any way you can get them in the playoffs, but the Lakers will have to play much better basketball if they hope to advance to the NBA Finals and win their fourth NBA Championship in five years.
 Kobe Slashes To The Basket For Two
May 1, 2004: Well, the first bump in the road for the Lakers in the playoffs has been disposed of. I thought the Houston Rockets would be a very solid opponent for the opening round, and although the Lakers did win the series 4-1, the Rockets were far from pushovers. Two of the four wins came in the final seconds and I think that the Rockets will be a very competetive team in the NBA next year with their great young nucleus and dedication to defense. Steve Francis definately proved that his is worthy of being mentioned among the upper class of point guards in the league.
Up next are the San Antonio Spurs. While the Lakers were able to win the season series 3-1, the Spurs are the team who won the fourth game of that series and are also the team that knocked the Lakers off the top of the NBA mountain last year. These two teams have won the past five NBA Championships and many people, myself included, feel as though this year's NBA Champion will emerge from this series. In the past few seasons, the Spurs swept the Lakers 4-0 en route to their NBA title back in 1999, while the Lakers came back in 2001 to sweep the Spurs 4-0 in the Conference Finals. The following year, the Lakers handled the Spurs 4-1 as the Lakers won their third straight NBA Championship. Last year, the Lakers' quest for four in a row was haulted by a 4-2 series defeat to the Spurs. In the past series, the outcome has not been close and the team that emerged victorious did so convincingly. This year, however, there is just something about these two teams that I think will make for a memorable series. The Lakers have flashy offensive firepower, while the Spurs are a scrappy team that rely on tough defense. Two very big contrasts in team principles, and as a hardcore Laker fan, I can openly admit that this series is not going to be easy and I am fully expecting it to go the full 7 games. I think very highly of Tim Duncan and the Spurs, and with good reason. Afterall, they are the only team in the past five years that have proved that they are capable of beating the Lakers in the playoffs. This will be the fifth time in six years that they've played in the playoffs, and each time before, the NBA Champion has emerged from the series. This is very compelling and has all the build-up on paper to make what could be one of the best NBA playoff series of all-time; or at least in recent memory.
 Two Modern Day NBA Warriors Will Play Their Hearts Out To Advance
This series is filled with very intriguing match-ups to say the least. While there is a lot of talk about Shaq and Malone going up against Duncan in the post and the always interesting duel between Kobe and Bruce Bowen, I think the most important match-up will be at the point guard position between Gary Payton and Tony Parker. Tony Parker is very key for the Spurs. When he is running on all cylinders, they are a very dangerous team and they feed on his energy at both ends of the court. Tony Parker playing at a high level in this series is something that the Lakers can not allow to happen if they wish to extract revenge for what took place last year when they were knocked off their throne. Karl Malone came to the Lakers and was willing to accept any role given to him if it would somehow help his quest for an NBA Championship. Gary had the same mindset when he joined the team, but it seems to have changed of late. I don't know where Gary's head is at here lately and he looked less than stellar in his match-up with Steve Francis in the opening round. Now is the time, Gary. Step up and show why you were once considered to be the protocol of NBA point guards in the 1990s. This is why you came to the Lakers, and the toughest obstacle in your way of reaching your career goal is not the Kings, not the Timberwolves, or any of the other teams from the Eastern Conference. The toughest obstacle is right here at hand with the San Antonio Spurs. The outcome of this series will be decided largely in part of how Gary plays. Hopefully, we get the defensive demon who was known as "The Glove" and not the guy who gave up repeated drives to the basket against Steve Francis for five games.
May 15, 2004: The series with the Spurs is now complete, and I really think that we are seeing just how great this Laker team can be and just what exactly they are capable of. When they got down 0-2 in this series and their backs were up against the wall, it was almost as if somebody just pressed a switch because the Lakers looked like a totally different team in Games 3-6. It was a pretty crazy series to say the leats. When the Lakers got down 0-2, I knew they could at least come back to tie the series because they had done it last year, but I honestly never thought they would rattle off four straight wins. This was a huge obstacle for the Lakers to overcome and it really tested the very fiber of their team, and it's a great accomplishment for them to be able to put personal differences aside and play at the level that they played at for that stretch of games. A true sign of professionalism.
As Game 5 progressed and the lead grew bigger, I was feeling very confident that this was going to be the knockout punch for San Antonio. But, they slowly started to chip away at the lead and before I knew it, Tim Duncan's miracle bank shot had put them up. Before Kobe made the shot that gave the Lakers a 72-71 lead, I just had a feeling that he was going to step up and nail it, and he did. Once the Spurs took the ball out and I saw that the Lakers had successfully denied the handoff, I was pleased to see that Duncan had the ball in his hands and was going to be forced to create a shot off the dribble as time expired. As he went to his left, he was off balence and threw up a prayer at the basket that just narrowly missed Shaq's hand. The odds of making that shot are slim enough, let alone when you have a guy like Shaq in your face. Major props to Duncan for making that shot, it was very clutch of him. However, at the time he made the shot, my house went into an uproar and my can of pop hit the deck. I couldn't believe it. The Spurs were going to get lucky and bounce us out again this year! It couldn't happen! We acquired Payton and Malone. The "Big Four" was suppossed to be unstoppable, there was no way the Lakers were to accomplish anything less than an NBA Championship this year. For the first time in a long time that I can recall, I actually prayed before the Lakers took the ball out of bounds; just hoping for a miracle to happen. I wasn't paying too much attention to Shaq peeling out for the lob, but I thought the Lakers were in trouble when I saw two Spurs flock to Kobe right away. Then when Fisher broke out and caught the ball, there was just something about how he turned so quick and the release (with him being a lefty) just looked perfect from the start. The ball went in, and by getting that shot off in under .4 seconds, Derek Fisher probably won the series for the Lakers a game early with that shot. Now, the Spurs were coming off of two devestating losses to the Lakers at Staples Center and now just had one robbed from their grasp on their home court. It was going to take a valient effort to bounce back in Game 6, and as we all know by now, it didn't happen for the Spurs and the Lakers have advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
 Kobe And The Lakers Elevate To New Heights
The recent cover of Sports Illustrated recently had the title "Lakers Last Stand" on it. Well, if this season is the Lakers last stand for their current unit and they win an NBA Championship, it will be a fitting closure to the dynasty. People can say what they want about the Kobe & Shaq rivalry, but Kobe would never have won an NBA Championship while playing for the Lakers without Shaq and Shaq wouldn't have won one either without Kobe. While they, along with Rick Fox and Derek Fisher, struggled to get over the playoff hump before Phil Jackson arrived, it felt pretty cool as a fan to know that our team was on the verge of becoming something really special. When Phil came & got the Lakers on the right path and we started to win multiple championships, it gave you a real deep sense of pride as a Laker fan that our team was untouchable and that nobody could bring us down. It felt like the reign of dominance would last forever.
The additions of Karl Malone and Gary Payton this past off-season, probably Malone moreso than Payton, were really key in the Lakers getting past the Spurs this year. Without Malone, I honestly don't think the Lakers would've won that series. He might've only averaged 10.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG, but his hustle, desire, drive, and defense as a 40 year old really sparked the fire in a lot of the younger guys on the team. It appears as though this will be Karl's last year in the league whether the Lakers win the title or not, and it also seems like Gary Payton will not be back next year either. More importantly, there are rumors circling around that Kobe and Shaq only want to come back to play for the Lakers if the other one isn't back next year, and the coaching future of Phil Jackson is up in the air. Plus, while all this goes on, a key contributor to those past championship teams, Rick Fox, watches from the bench and isn't in on the action all that much anymore. It seems like only yesterday that the Lakers, under the leadership of Kobe and Shaq, were staking their claim as the elite team in the NBA when they were beating the Indiana Pacers down in the 2000 NBA Finals. Hard to believe it's been four years already and now the team and a lot of players are at a fork in the road. Whether this is the last stand for the Lakers or not, I just want to thank Kobe, Shaq, Derek, Rick, Devean, Karl, Gary, Phil, and even Robert Horry for the memories of this great run. The team might only be put together for a temporary basis, but the memories and the legacy will live on forever. Go out on top and win another NBA Championship to put a stamp on it all.
June 27, 2004: It's almost two weeks since the Detroit Pistons handled the Lakers with ease in Game 5 in their 4-1 series win in the NBA Finals, but the sting of the loss is still there. It is starting to sink in that a majority of the players from the Laker dynasty that began in 1999 will not be a part of the team next year. The most influential figure, Phil Jackson, has already been let go as the head coach. Shaquille O'Neal stated before that if Phil Jackson was let go as the coach of the Lakers, then he would request for a trade out of Los Angeles. It appears as though he is living up to that statement and the Lakers are willing to grant his request apparently. Early reports have Shaquille being traded to the Dallas Mavericks or the Sacramento Kings. Aside from Dirk Nowitski, I don't see any real member of the Mavericks being able to come to the Lakers and help the team out in a trade. The key name brought up on behalf of the Kings is that of Chris Webber. Chris Webber is a great player and despite the fact that he is coming off of injury, the guy can still play. He averaged something like 21 points and 11 rebounds a game after he came back and people were saying that he didn't look himself, which was true. That just shows what kind of player Chris Webber is when he can average 21 and 11 and people say that he is playing "bad." Ironically, 21 and 11 is roughly what Shaquille O'Neal averaged this past season.
 My Gut Says That Kobe Will Be A Laker Forever
Obviously, the key name for the Lakers that I do not want to see leave is Kobe Bryant. The attention that the Pistons gave Kobe in the NBA Finals along with the subsequent collapse of the team show just how much of a vital part he is to the team's success. Kobe opted out of his contract, but has stated that he would like to remain a Laker for life. Now that Phil Jackson is out and Shaquille O'Neal appears to be headed elsewhere, I take that as a good sign that Kobe will eventually resign with the Lakers and be a member of the team for the rest of his career. Obviously you just can't replace a coach like Phil Jackson or a player like Shaquille O'Neal, but if everything goes as what I expect with Rudy Tomjanovich being brought in as the coach and Chris Webber & maybe Mike Bibby being added to the team after the Shaquille O'Neal trade, the Lakers will still be a very solid team that Kobe would enjoy playing for. Gary Payton is already guaranteed to be back for next year. He claimed that his lack of success was due to Phil Jackson's offensive system and that he still can play at a high level in the NBA. I'll take his word for it, and hopefully Gary will be able to contribute to the Lakers the same way he did during the regular season as oppossed to what he did in the playoffs.
August 19, 2004: The NBA season starts in just a little over two months from now. When it does, the Los Angeles Lakers will have a load of fresh new faces on their roster. When the season starts, there will be four popular Laker faces missing. Those being Shaquille O'Neal, Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, and Gary Payton. O'Neal, Fisher, and Fox were all vital components of the Laker championship teams from 2000-2002, and it just won't be the same without those true, battle-tested warriors on our team any longer.
It looked as though Gary Payton would be a key player in the rebuilding process of the Lakers & life after Shaq, but that was not to be. Gary gave the Lakers his vote of confidence for the future when he decided to stay with the team this summer. The Lakers thanked him for his quality regular season services of last year & loyalty by cutting him loose to Boston along with Rick Fox. To be quite honest, I feel as though the Lakers were in the wrong as far as their handling of the Gary Payton situation. Gary was the only Laker starter to appear and start in all 82 games last year. He averaged over 14 points to go along with 5.5 assists. His name was dragged through the mud because of his playoff decline, but I think that had more to do with Phil Jackson's system rather than Gary's play. In one of the games against Minnesota in the Western Conference Finals when Phil made it a point to get Gary off early, Gary showed that he can still play when he is included in the thick of things. Gary has now gone as far to say that he would rather quit than play for the Celtics. Gary, I hope you reconsider on that because you are still a quality point guard & you can still produce at the NBA level. I wish you all the best in the future and you WERE a valuable asset to the Lakers, even if it was for just one season.
The Lakers also suffered another huge loss this past offseason at the same position when Derek Fisher departed for Golden State. Derek was a great point guard who ran the offense, understood and accepted his role, played tough defense, and always gave maximum effort. Plus, how many times did he bail the Lakers out with huge shots in this past postseason alone? This guy was the ultimate professional and team player. His attitude both on and off the court will be missed by the Lakers, as will his leadership by example.
Rick Fox went from a key member of the starting five for the Lakers during their championship runs to barely getting off the bench long enough to shake off the dust in this past season's Finals. It was kind of sad to see a guy who was once the Lakers' toughest on-ball defender and one of the better perimeter shooters on the team reduced to such a role. I don't know if he never fully recovered from the foot injury he suffered in the 2003 playoffs against Minnesota or what the deal was, but hopefully Rick can revive his career as a veteran member of the young Boston Celtics squad.
Last but not least of the key off-season departures is Shaq, "THE DIESEL." Here is a man who was a big reason that the Lakers were able to revive themselves as the elite franchise in the NBA. The most dominant player in NBA history bar none. While his domination and level of play may have fallen off the past two seasons, there is no other player in the NBA I would rather have in my starting five at the center position than Shaquille O'Neal. It is well documented that he and Kobe did not get along very well and that is the major reason as to why he departed from the Lakers. I think it is unfortunate that he & Kobe could not resolve their differences and continue their reign of dominance into the future, but the way things were going, I think it was best for both players & for the Lakers organization if they went their separate ways. Whatever differences Kobe & Shaq had were between the two men, and I have nothing bad to say about Shaq as a person or as a player. His contributions to the Lakers over the years were greatly appreciated and will be VERY well missed. Best of luck to the big man in Miami next year, where he gets to play alongside the most exciting up and coming point guard in the NBA in Dwyane Wade.
 Kobe Now Has A Better Supporting Cast
So now, it's time to look at the future. The Lakers DID get three quality players in return for Shaquille O'Neal. Over the last half of the season, the Miami Heat played just as good as any team in the NBA and Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant were very big reasons why. With virtually no depth outside of the starting five, Miami was able to beat out the New Orleans Hornets in the playoffs and also push Indiana to a hard fought six games. Besides those three players, the Lakers also picked up as unselfish and professional of a player as there is in the NBA when they acquired Vlade Divac from the free agent market through Sacramento. All four men bring a different aspect of their game that will help make for a very interesting 2004-2005 season to say the least. In addition, the Lakers' biggest acquisition in the Boston trade, Chucky Atkins, also figures to be the starting point guard when the 2004-2005 season tips off. He will have very big shoes to fill as he steps in and takes over the role that was assumed by Derek Fisher over the years and Gary Payton last year.
LAMAR ODOM
CARON BUTLER
BRIAN GRANT
VLADE DIVAC
CHUCKY ATKINS
FINAL ASSESSMENT
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