Shaq Says He & Kobe Could

[leeprettyp]

http://www.lakersnation.com/shaq-says-he-and-kobe-couldve-won-five-or-six-rings-together/2014/02/07/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LakersNation+(Lakers+Nation)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or7j8xfXPPk&feature=player_detailpage[/youtube]

Thoughts fellas?

[Kilroy]

Duh.

[Beethoven]

I've always thought this. I wouldn't call 7 rings total a stretch either.

[politm]

Well, I think Kobe would have left when he became a free agent back then, but that's just my thoughts...

[ak7]

Best 1 - 2 punch ever created? If you take that statement to the P/C board those nerds would eat that up! ha

[TonyMontana]

Its simply came down to ego, and a business decision.

One was an aging superstar that wanted to get paid a lot of money, the other was an up and coming superstar that wanted to be the only face of the franchise.
Buss looked to the future so he picked Kobe over Shaq which made sense. Look at it this way there is no Shaq now, why did the Lakers fork out this huge contract to Kobe a few months ago? Because there is no up and coming superstar to sell the seats at the staple center, Its only Kobe. I gurantee you if the decision had to be made today with another superstar/Kobe. They probably would've traded Kobe instead of giving him the contract that they did.
That's why I lmao when the Lakers claim Kobes last contract was to show him appreciation for what he brought to LA. That's just B.S. Its all business no matter how you look at it.

[leeprettyp]

Its simply came down to ego, and a business decision.

One was an aging superstar that wanted to get paid a lot of money, the other was an up and coming superstar that wanted to be the only face of the franchise.
Buss looked to the future so he picked Kobe over Shaq which made sense. Look at it this way there is no Shaq now, why did the Lakers fork out this huge contract to Kobe a few months ago? Because there is no up and coming Superstar to sell the seats, Its only Kobe. That's why I lmao when the Lakers claim Kobes last contract was to show him appreciation for what he brought to LA. That's just B.S. Its all business no matter how you look at it.

That Shaq situation sounds awfully familiar to the Kobe signing recently. They still wanted to keep Shaq the highest paid player in the league but wanted him to take a paycut to 20mill. The franchise was still willing to take care of Shaq (I understand different CBA but still). Biggest reason why i'm not harping on the Kobe contract like most people. Its always been this way under the Buss family from Magic, Worthy, Kareem, Pau (got a nice fat extension in 2010), Kobe and could've been Shaq. You win us rings, sell seats and the Buss family takes care of you come payday

On Kobe's end he admitted he could've lived with playing alongside Shaq if it wasnt for that one statement Shaq himself made, "Kobe wouldn't be who he is and wouldn't win anything without me" He'd be Penny, idk if its any articles on this but Kobe said once he heard that out of Shaq mouths he was officially done playing with him. Its one things for outsiders to say things like that but when it comes from Shaq mouth himself that was the end in Kobe's mind

[leeprettyp]

Best 1 - 2 punch ever created? If you take that statement to the P/C board those nerds would eat that up! ha

I'm willing to hear arguments from MJ/Pipp or Magic/Kareem and nowhere else. But I'd still give the nodd to Shaq and Kobe. that 2001 season they were from another planet. When those 2 were in sink and focused they were unstoppable period.

[dockingsched]

i don't think for one second that kobe would have stayed had shaq stayed and i don't think they would have had the flexibility to reload the roster around them with the amount of money they used up.

[TonyMontana]

Its simply came down to ego, and a business decision.

One was an aging superstar that wanted to get paid a lot of money, the other was an up and coming superstar that wanted to be the only face of the franchise.
Buss looked to the future so he picked Kobe over Shaq which made sense. Look at it this way there is no Shaq now, why did the Lakers fork out this huge contract to Kobe a few months ago? Because there is no up and coming Superstar to sell the seats, Its only Kobe. That's why I lmao when the Lakers claim Kobes last contract was to show him appreciation for what he brought to LA. That's just B.S. Its all business no matter how you look at it.

That Shaq situation sounds awfully familiar to the Kobe signing recently. They still wanted to keep Shaq the highest paid player in the league but wanted him to take a paycut to 20mill. The franchise was still willing to take care of Shaq (I understand different CBA but still). Biggest reason why i'm not harping on the Kobe contract like most people. Its always been this way under the Buss family from Magic, Worthy, Kareem, Pau (got a nice fat extension in 2010), Kobe and could've been Shaq. You win us rings, sell seats and the Buss family takes care of you come payday

On Kobe's end he admitted he could've lived with playing alongside Shaq if it wasnt for that one statement Shaq himself made, "Kobe wouldn't be who he is and wouldn't win anything without me" He'd be Penny, idk if its any articles on this but Kobe said once he heard that out of Shaq mouths he was officially done playing with him. Its one things for outsiders to say things like that but when it comes from Shaq mouth himself that was the end in Kobe's mind

Yet Shaq singed with Heat 5yrs/100 mil.

Like I said I blame them both for what went down. It came down to ego. They could've put there differences aside and won a few more titles but could've would've should've.

[Kilroy]

i don't think for one second that kobe would have stayed had shaq stayed and i don't think they would have had the flexibility to reload the roster around them with the amount of money they used up.

Yeah, I don't think so either but if they would have sucked it up and sacrificed in order to stay together and win championships, I think 6 is the minimum they would have won together just based on the success they each had.

You don't need a terrific supporting cast if you have a motivated and engaged Kobe AND Shaq at the same time... Their problem was, they only really did that for maybe 2 seasons.

[dockingsched]

i don't think for one second that kobe would have stayed had shaq stayed and i don't think they would have had the flexibility to reload the roster around them with the amount of money they used up.

Yeah, I don't think so either but if they would have sucked it up and sacrificed in order to stay together and win championships, I think 6 is the minimum they would have won together just based on the success they each had.

You don't need a terrific supporting cast if you have a motivated and engaged Kobe AND Shaq at the same time... Their problem was, they only really did that for maybe 2 seasons.

thats the thing though, i think everything that makes kobe who he is, so dedicated, hard working, and obsessed with his craft, is what made it impossible for him to play in shaq's shadow any longer and not prove to himself and others that he could win without him.

[Kilroy]

Well there's no arguing that, because that's essentially what happened... One of them had to go and Shaq went...

But I thought this was more of a 'what-if' scenario... IF they were able to suck it up and just win, they most likely would have won a lot... If Shaq had a little more Duncan in him, and Kobe a little more Ginobili...

They don't so it's moot. Much like Shaq's comment.

[kblo247]

All it would have took was
- Shaq staying in shape
- Shaq being willing to not say stupid **** like Kobe isn't needed on my team and he can't win without me to Malone and Payton in the locker room as Kobe pointed out on Axs TV that's what pissed him off more than anything they had said or done in the past, Shaq saying those words outloud in the 04 locker room

Mitch, Jim, and Herry staying off their butts and bringing in role players would have been a positive as well. I mean Fosher was good, but they didn't prepare at all for Horry and Fox falling off, Shaw getting old, or what happened if Karl got hurt. They were thin

[aaron_gray]

Bill Simmons said they would win 8. The question is, how many will X and Embiid win?

[Tee212]

eww and have kobe to go down as the second banana in all those rings? kobe would leave to prove himself before any of that...

[Pierre The Poet]

Yeah, there was no way that Kobe was gonna stay with Shaq. He had too much potential and too much to prove even though Shaq would've eventually passed the torch.

[ennui]

I personally dont think they do win 5 or 6, hell i'd say 4 would be the zenith.

Shaq, if he were to re-sign, would command a hefty salary that would inexorably tie up the cap space. Couple that with his decline, i could see us squeezing on more out a la Wade x Shaq but even that title required otherworldly performances from wade and honestly some fortuitous reffing.

[pdub15]

I agree with Shaq but I also disagree with him. They no doubt could have won 2 or 3 more championships together but Shaq would have had to handle being Robin to Kobe as Batman. Shaq's career history proved he was not able to do that. When Penny was tearing up the league Shaq got jealous. Shaq did the same thing with Kobe and D-Wade. Much respect for the force in the middle Shaq was but his ego when someone played better than him is a key factor in 2 or 3 more rings with Kobe.