The official Vlad GOOD BYE AND GOOD RIDDANCE THREAD

[Sedale Threatt]

Good luck to you, Vlad. Classless thread.

I'd say the way Radmanovic loafed around in our uniform for nearly three seasons despite getting paid damn good money was pretty classless, too.

[TonyMontana]

Good luck to you, Vlad. Classless thread.

I'd say the way Radmanovic loafed around in our uniform for nearly three seasons despite getting paid damn good money was pretty classless, too.

I agree

EE I think its fair enough for us to say that we gave Vlad SO MANY chances to redeam himself and he failed to do so everytime.
His snowboarding incident, then he lied about it, I would've fortfited his contract right then and there, yet we still paid him hoping he would've changed and he was worthy of a second chance.
He wasnt.

Phil gave him so many chance to change, he didnt.
He was givin the starter job this year as well as last year, yet in the finals he was one of the main reason we lost since his shots wasnt falling and he played absoultely no D. None.

Then this year we gave him another chance, and me personally I was disgusted by his performance against the Knicks, I mean I was sick to my stomach when he was on the court, he would dribble the ball of his own foot, he shot a couple of airballs and he palyed no D and he commited stupid fouls one right after another.

I think that was the straw that broke Phil back, and Phil was done with Vlad since we clearly saw him using L.O and Ariza instead of giving Vlad one second on the court when we played the Cs, and it did work out to our benefit.

Now I started this thread, and you called it classless, Okay I can dig that, but before I started this thread I said to myself should I start an appreciation thread for Vlad since he is a Laker and he played for this team, but then I started to think, what is there to appreciate about Vlad, was it his game, was it his commitment to make himself or this team better, was it his contribution to the finals last year........... Not one good thing came to my mind other than Im glad we dumped him and his contract.

Also as you can clearly see, Im not the only poster on this board that felt this way about him.
I think 99.9% of this board is glad that he is no longer sitting on our bench sucking up millions while smiling and joking around with Mihm and Benga.

So Im sorry if you think this thread is classless.
I didnt think it was and I think its the only thing we can think of Vlad and what he has done for this team, and that is absoultely nothing.

[Erik Eleven]

Good luck to you, Vlad. Classless thread.

I'd say the way Radmanovic loafed around in our uniform for nearly three seasons despite getting paid damn good money was pretty classless, too.

I agree.

But why must we regress to the times of tar and feathers, too?

[Mamba Venom]

You know what...

Kobe and Phil called him as a free agent and told him we needed him to win it all. Obviously it didnt work out but I feel bad for a guy that got traded from the future Champs.

[Jajwanda]

It was in the best interest of the Lakers for this year to get Luke Walton and Trevor Ariza the most playing time without feeling pressure to play Radmanovic. Hopefully Luke will get on a roll and regain his 2006-2007 form as that would at least make teams pay for guarding Kobe with their SFs as they've been doing.

Apparently teams do respect Luke Walton's shot enough to not sag off so the spacing element is not necessarily true. You can space all you want from three but if you can't hit a damn mid-range that's also stupidity right there.

[semi-sentient]

conspiracy alert- remember when Phil pull him out of the starting lineup for no reason and said that it was for internal reasons and was not going to talk about it.

was it because Mitch told Phil to get used to not playing Vlad because he was shopping him or did Vlad do something to tick Phil off?

No, it was because Radmanovic showed up late to practice, and it wasn't the first time (which is inexcusable, of course). He was on a short leash to begin with and the reality of the situation is that he was our most movable "bad" contract.

He wasn't benched for anything he did on the court, despite all the nonsense posted in various threads. I can't believe the level of hate and dishonesty around here, particularly when you consider how much of a pass Vujacic and Walton have gotten for being considerably worse on offense and not much better on defense (and I could easily argue that both have been worse in that regard).

[Sedale Threatt]

Good luck to you, Vlad. Classless thread.

I'd say the way Radmanovic loafed around in our uniform for nearly three seasons despite getting paid damn good money was pretty classless, too.

I agree.

But why must we regress to the times of tar and feathers, too?

Props for taking the high road. But it has nothing to do with regression, in my opinion.

I'm not going to pat somebody on the back just because they play for my favorite team. If he couldn't bother himself to work hard for three or four nights a week, why should I bother myself to wish him well on his way out the door?

Not that I wish him ill will or anything. I simply feel that respect and loyalty should be earned, not given. Vlade didn't do that. As such, I'm ecstatic he'll no longer be wearing a Laker uniform.

[Sedale Threatt]

No, it was because Radmanovic showed up late to practice, and it wasn't the first time (which is inexcusable, of course). He was on a short leash to begin with and the reality of the situation is that he was our most movable "bad" contract.

He wasn't benched for anything he did on the court, despite all the nonsense posted in various threads. I can't believe the level of hate and dishonesty around here, particularly when you consider how much of a pass Vujacic and Walton have gotten for being considerably worse on offense and not much better on defense (and I could easily argue that both have been worse in that regard).

I give Luke and Sasha a pass for the most part for one simple reason -- they care.

I won't feel particularly bad if and when they're ever traded or let go. They're marginal players who seem to hurt us as much as they help. But for all their flaws -- and they both have many -- I respect the fact that they work hard and put the team first.

I never, ever got that impression from Vlade. He was aloof, he was lazy, he was indifferent. Basically, he was a taller, whiter version of Smush Parker. His crappy attitude won't be missed, and that's what it all comes down to for me.

[semi-sentient]

I never, ever got that impression from Vlade. He was aloof, he was lazy, he was indifferent. Basically, he was a taller, whiter version of Smush Parker. His crappy attitude won't be missed, and that's what it all comes down to for me.

That's about the only level-headed reasoning I've heard regarding Radman, and I would agree. After he was taken out of the starting lineup his body language definitely changed out on the court with his decreased minutes. That's on him due to the fact that he pissed Phil off with his off-court antics so I certainly don't feel bad for him in that respect.

Others, however, are just flat out lying when criticizing the guy. One has to wonder if people really watched the Finals last year when you consider how much blame Radmanovic has been given. People are forgetting how poor of a job Walton and Vujacic did (and let's not forget Kobe giving Pierce those back-breaking wide open 3's after the wheelchair incident). I wish I had the thread handy, but I broke down where our problems where in the Finals, and they were all revolving around the poor play of our reserves (Walton and Turiaf in particular) which Radman was not.

Additionally, for some to say that he was useless is being completely dishonest. On offense, his only job was to space the floor -- and he was the ONLY guy outside of Fisher who effectively did that by being one of the top 3-point shooters in the league. Yet his play-making has come into question? Even on the defensive end he was doing an above average job until his eye injury (recall how much he was praised for buying into the new defensive scheme early in the season, and actually executing it). I just don't see the justification for the bulk of the criticism towards him. Sure, his defense fell off considerably when he came in for those short 1-2 minute stretches, but when he was given minutes he wasn't all that bad -- at least not any worse than Walton/Vujacic.

[Erik Eleven]

I'd say the way Radmanovic loafed around in our uniform for nearly three seasons despite getting paid damn good money was pretty classless, too.

I agree.

But why must we regress to the times of tar and feathers, too?[/quote]

Props for taking the high road. But it has nothing to do with regression, in my opinion.

I'm not going to pat somebody on the back just because they play for my favorite team. If he couldn't bother himself to work hard for three or four nights a week, why should I bother myself to wish him well on his way out the door?

Because it's the right thing to do? Regressive behavior, indeed, in my opinion. What exactly do we gain from a unibrowed shunning of him after the fact? To me, this is weak sauce, and about as interesting to participate in as tarring. People can write whatever they want about him. I'm not saying this as a mod.

Not that I wish him ill will or anything. I simply feel that respect and loyalty should be earned, not given. Vlade didn't do that. As such, I'm damn glad he'll no longer be wearing a Laker uniform, and I don't see any reason to keep that opinion to myself.

I don't think he earned much respect or loyalty either. And I'm also really happy to know that he's not a Laker anymore. I can understand our personal need for redemption, but I can't see the point with revenge, at least very rarely. The guy is not going to be here anymore. Let's move on.

[MasterRyu]

I'm also glad that he's no longer a Lakers; not so much because he was a liability on defense, more so that this will increase our chances of being able to keep Ariza and Odom. I'm a mixed bag in regards to Vlad's performance. There are times when he goes off on his threes and you're just happy he's there. Then there are the defenses lapses. Especially the second Orland game. Vlad turned his back on a crucial 3-point shot by the Magic.

But, I wish him success with Charlotte. He'll get more minutes and improve his stats.

[Sedale Threatt]

That's about the only level-headed reasoning I've heard regarding Radman, and I would agree. After he was taken out of the starting lineup his body language definitely changed out on the court with his decreased minutes. That's on him due to the fact that he pissed Phil off with his off-court antics so I certainly don't feel bad for him in that respect.

Others, however, are just flat out lying when criticizing the guy. One has to wonder if people really watched the Finals last year when you consider how much blame Radmanovic has been given. People are forgetting how poor of a job Walton and Vujacic did (and let's not forget Kobe giving Pierce those back-breaking wide open 3's after the wheelchair incident). I wish I had the thread handy, but I broke down where our problems where in the Finals, and they were all revolving around the poor play of our reserves (Walton and Turiaf in particular) which Radman was not.

Additionally, for some to say that he was useless is being completely dishonest. On offense, his only job was to space the floor -- and he was the ONLY guy outside of Fisher who effectively did that by being one of the top 3-point shooters in the league. Yet his play-making has come into question? Even on the defensive end he was doing an above average job until his eye injury (recall how much he was praised for buying into the new defensive scheme early in the season, and actually executing it). I just don't see the justification for the bulk of the criticism towards him. Sure, his defense fell off considerably when he came in for those short 1-2 minute stretches, but when he was given minutes he wasn't all that bad -- at least not any worse than Walton/Vujacic.

Anybody who wants to pin our Finals beatdown on one guy simply wasn't watching. There isn't a single person on our team, from Phil and Kobe on down to probably even the equipment manager, who can hold their head up after the way we rolled over. It was truly a team effort -- and not the kind you want.

As for Vlade in particular, I was very hopeful that he'd be a ideal fit for of our team. I drank the same Kool Aid as everybody else that he'd blossom into a quality player with increased mintues and a more structured offense.

It took me about half a season to figure out this was never going to happen. It's plain to see that he just doesn't have either the attitude or the mentality. Even in crucial moments in important games, it always seemed like playing pickup with the lunch crowd at his local gym.

He has exactly one NBA skill, shooting, and even then he's much more streaky than dependable. I could have easily tolerated that, as I tolerate the shortcomings of Walton and Vujacic, had he showed even a marginal interest in improving his game, or played with something approaching an honest effort like those two do.

He didn't. Hence, my distaste for him gradually turned to complete loathing.

The harping on playmaking or defense might seem dishonest, or quibbling. But to me it's a telling indictment of the lack of interest he has in improving his game.

Even Luke Walton, as thoroughly mediocre as he is, has developed something approaching an outside shot, as well as a D+ post game, and approaches his defensive assignments with some sort of effort. That's called being a pro, and I can respect that.

Unfortunately, you cannot say the same thing about about Vlade. And that's too bad, because with his size and athletic athletic ability, you cannot tell me that he shouldn't be significantly better than he is. Which adds yet another level to my frustration with him.

[Sedale Threatt]

Because it's the right thing to do? Regressive behavior, indeed, in my opinion. What exactly do we gain from a unibrowed shunning of him after the fact? To me, this is weak sauce, and about as interesting to participate in as tarring. People can write whatever they want about him. I'm not saying this as a mod.

I don't think he earned much respect or loyalty either. And I'm also really happy to know that he's not a Laker anymore. I can understand our personal need for redemption, but I can't see the point with revenge, at least very rarely. The guy is not going to be here anymore. Let's move on.

All due respect to one of my favorite posters on the board, Erik, but just like I didn't understand all the uproar about Kwame getting booed, I don't understand why you feel the need to climb on the high horse horse in this particular instance, and especially regarding this particular player.

We're not talking about some high school kid here, out there playing for the love of the game.

This is big-time professional sports, where guys are making astronomical levels of money to perform in front of millions of people. If they play well, they're going to be worshiped. Hell, half the time all you have to do is play hard. If they can't even do that, they're going to be condemned. That's just the way it is, and I don't have a single problem with that. In fact, you can argue that there's a certain beauty in the simplicity of it all.

If this was a co-worker, I would gladly wish him well, or at the very least not say anything at all. But this is a totally and completely different arena.

Revenge? Revenge would be taking a tire iron to his car if given the opportunity. Posting a scathing opinion on a message board regarding one of the worst free-agent signings in Laker history does not even come close to qualifying.

Nor does it warrant branding anyone as classless or unibrowed for doing so, in my opinion. (I definitely might fit the first description, but I shave every morning, buddy.)