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Obviously they wouldn't be as good as they are today. But what would've been the plan to rebuild after the loss in the finals? Would the lakers still be a top tier team in the west? and for how long?

who cares? Im glad we didnt pay shaq the 30 mil he wanted

Move on forgot the past and what wudda cudda.

It's about now.

lol i know the thread is about 4 years late but i've never really thought of what the lakers wouldve done if Shaq and Kobe were to stay together. I guess i was just getting tired of how awesome this team is with gasol week after week.

Pat Riley would be coaching the team and we may have gotten the vets that Miami did that season. We could have been good for another 3 seasons but Shaq's extension would have got us cash strapped right now.

God Knows...either some more rings...or perhaps some dead bodies?

Could of went either way, really.

If Kobe and Shaq Stayed together, then one of them must be in jail because of Libel

let the past be but the past....

so glad we traded Shaq's lazy ass

BLING BLING

...then thousands of Lakers fans wouldn't be bitter at O'Neal.

I hate fans who went from "I love O'Neal. He's the greatest center ever. He helped us win a couple of championships." to "O'Neal left. I hate him now."

The guy left. So what? Don't take away what he helped the team accomplished just because of that.

Hell, these same fans would turn on Bryant as well if he left.

he didn't just leave, he dissed the team, the organization and the city and fans.....ugh! this topic is like seeing an old girlfriend that used to be hot that is now not.

All of that is true, but a part of me seriously misses those days. Call it nostalgia... I feel the same when looking at old tapes from my home town's basketball team; or when I look at old clips from MJ. I'm a pretty nostalgic person one might say .

I never hated Shaq to the amount a lot of people did. Although I'm not from LA and am probably only 1/10th of a fan that you guys are, so I don't know if my opinion matters hehe.

Anyway, we've got bigger things on our hands than what ifs now . A great team on a roll that is.

The Lakers were on their last breath with Shaq already. They lost to a younger more dynamic team in '04.

It was time to move on and rebuild, the timing was perfect.

The team (the way its built now) is re positioned for another run on championships, and another successful decade with Buss as ownership.

All I know is if we kept the fat boy, we wouldnt have Lamar,Gasol,Farmar or Bynum.

A few comments on this -

One, this is a forum for discussion, so the past, present, and future should all be fair game. If you do not like a topic or thread, you are not forced to read it or respond to it.

I love Shaq, always will. But he is primarily out of LA for dissing Buss in Hawaii and not rebounding like he could have in the '04 Finals - that was the final straw with Buss.

If Malone had been healthy, it is possible that the Lakers could have beaten the Pistons and they would have obviously kept the core together in an attempt to repeat.

They lost, and if they kept Shaq, I imagine at least Malone would have been brought back, and maybe Payton too, as I agree with J-Far that Riley would have been the coach. We would have had the MLE to add some vets over a year or two and could have contended for a couple more titles.

Then the team would have broken up and Kobe would be all we have now with a rebuilding team, kind of like we were a couple of years ago.

The Lakers did try to win more while rebuilding, but the Divac and McKie signings didn't work out, to say the least.

snaquille oatmeal wrote:he didn't just leave, he dissed the team, the organization and the city and fans.....ugh! this topic is like seeing an old girlfriend that used to be hot that is now not.

Dam Snaq that's twice today I have agreed with you .....

As far as the girl friend part , I agree .

You know , you see her with her new man and He AINT ISH , and she knows it .
Then you start to wonder does this clown know the things I use to do to her in bed or does he know the things she use to do to me ........
He looks all in love with her .....

Basically its like you bought a new Lambo , and your drove the hell out of it for 50k miles and the odometer was broke , so it only showed you drove it for 10k miles and then some broke A55 idiot came and bought it from you and doesnt realize how tore up she is .....LOLLLLLLLL

Shaq > Lambo
Suns > The new boyfriend
Suns Trade > A Pinto

j-far wrote:Pat Riley would be coaching the team and we may have gotten the vets that Miami did that season. We could have been good for another 3 seasons but Shaq's extension would have got us cash strapped right now.

No, Riles would have traded him to the Suns for Shawn Marion this year. Of course we wouldn't be having Kobe, Pau, Odom and Bynum and D Wade would have never made Chuck's Fav 5.

The 3yrs of suffering was well worth the one title they may have won together. This team is poised to make a run for the next several years.