Would this combination work?

[Jackal]

Tracy McGrady and Shaquille O'Neal are probably too close for the Orlando Magic's comfort.
McGrady said Friday that he expects Shaq -- whom he calls his "Big Bro" -- to recruit him to join the Los Angeles Lakers if Kobe Bryant leaves the Lakers.

"Absolutely," McGrady said Friday. "I know that. I know he will."

McGrady can't opt out of his contract until after next season, but he says Shaq has kept in touch with him this season, showing concern and "advising" him. McGrady said he has been hanging out in L.A. with Shaq during the last few days heading into all-star weekend.

McGrady said O'Neal has been a sounding board for him during this, his most difficult season. O'Neal left Orlando bitterly and still has ill feelings, which has to make the Magic wonder just what he's putting in T-Mac's head.

"Shaq has been keeping up with me," McGrady said. "He's called me and has said, 'Is everything OK?' He's like a big brother. I call him, 'Big Bro.' "

Is it possible?

Well, imagine Kobe Bryant does sign with another team or is sentanced to 4-20 years in prison, what will happen to the SG position? Who will play that position? Yeah, it's pessimistic to think that Kobe will leave LA, but it's never too soon to think about the future. I like Kobe on the Lakers squad, but what if he doesnt return? He's replaceable, that much is for sure...but it would always be a plus if he could stick around and/or wasnt sentanced to go to jail.

Anyways, do you think Tracy McGrady would be able to play the SG? Do you think they would be as successfull? Do you think Shaq & T-Mac would get along? Or is the grass always greener on the other side? Alot will say: "If Kobe can't adapt to it being Shaq's team, what makes you think T-Mac will?"

Well, here's my theory...Kobe cant accept it being Shaq's team, because Kobe's never been in the situation to lead his own team and face failure by himself. T-Mac on the other hand has, I think he would be able to appreciate Shaquille O'Neal alot more than Kobe Bryant does. It's quite simple imho, Kobe doesnt know any other way of playing, thus he's pretty much used to Shaquille O'Neal being around, since that's the way it's been forever. Tracy on the other hand, has played alone and has sucked pretty much as a team leader, so I dont think he would mind people saying it's Shaq's team. He's said his job would be alot easier, which I think is true.

Anyways, my question is: According to you, would a duo of Shaq & T-Mac be successfull?

Oei, I havent even thought of who might be able to replace Payton & Malone after they've retired.

[The Game]

this shouldnt be an announcement.....

[Jackal]

Holy shit, how'd I manage this...

Mods, move this to NBA Talk.

Whoops, I was browsing both the Announcements & NBA Talk in 2 different windows. Hihihi, just move it please.

[Cameron]

I wouldn't want to see him on the Lakers... I'd rather him back with the Raps!!!

BTW, moved

[The Game]

t-mac left toronto because vince was the main man there so i dont think it would be better to have t-mac and shaq than kobe and shaq... but then t-mac was still very young at that time and he seems to heve matured by now...

[PiksS]

in Lakers T-Mac ...NEAH
i say:''Go to Raptors our stay with Magic''
i would like better see him with V.Carter in raptors jersey,not with shaq and in Lakers jersey

[magius]

personally i'd prefer a mcgrady/garnett pairing. shaq and mcgrady would probably work as well since my school of thought has always been that anybody with shaq works marginally well anyway if kobe does leave for whatever reason and la doesnt sign another star i could see kareem rush and medvedenko getting significantly better -- medvedenko played pretty well filling in for shaq/malone earlier, and rush shows flashes.

shaqs getting old though, i dont know if he has another championship in him with or without kobe. in my personal opinion, shaq in his prime was destined to win a championship no matter who he played with.

[Nick]

I think seeing Shaq in an Orlando jersey in T-mac's team would be cooler. I know it'll never happen though...

[Andrew]

If T-Mac can accept being the sidekick, then it would definitely work out for the Lakers. I'd say he's probably more willing to go to LA and be #2 now that he's had his own team for a few years, with limited success. Additionally, Orlando's hands are pretty much tied when it comes to acquiring talent to surround T-Mac, so his best chance at playing with another superstar would be to play elsewhere.

But again, that's assuming he's happy to give up his role as The Man. His numbers will still be impressive if he plays alongside Shaq, but he would still have to accept the fact he must defer to the Diesel. I think there's a good chance they could co-exist given the chance...and even if it wasn't a completely harmonious pairing, the Lakers won three straight titles with a power struggle taking place.

Just one more thing:

O'Neal left Orlando bitterly and still has ill feelings, which has to make the Magic wonder just what he's putting in T-Mac's head.

I remember the rumours and the announcement that Shaq had signed with the Lakers, but I never heard anything about bitterness on Shaq's part - the Magic were prepared to pay him almost as much as the Lakers, who offered $120 mil over 7 years back in 1996. I know there was some resentment from fans who felt he was being greedy, but I don't recall Shaq feeling bitter about the whole affair. Can anyone fill me in on that?

[Fresh8]

Firstly- T-mac to Lakers....it may work if he settles for the role of second fiddle. If he doesnt it will be another conflict between two big egos...but I think Mcgrady knows that thre is no 'I' in team and that even if there was one in Orlando- no success comes with it.

But what if Kobe stays? Would Shaq be urging to be moved to wherever T-mac is...is it possible for Shaq to be with VC and T-mac in Toronto...even though Shaq to Orlando may be more possible...

Secondly- as a Laker fan...I know Malone/Payton are only a short term answer....who will replace them...i dunno but thats for a different post!

And BTW...is it possible a Shaq for Grant Hill trade formulate and once Lakers have Karl/Payton and Hill gone- they can sign another decent bunch of players...and Kobe can be the man...then Shaq/Kobe and possibly T-mac will all be happy!

[PRoPuLsiOnDJ]

first of all, i don't really see mcgrady coming to the lakers. if he does ... him and shaq are going to have the same type of relationship as kobe and shaq.
i mean they will get along as long as they're winning games.
but when they lose 3 games in a row in the season, then the blaming begins.
the same thing's been happening with shaq and kobe for many many years.
it's like living in a family with 2 brothers ... there are always going to be quarrels.
i dont really think shaq and kobe have as big a problem as many people speculate .... even mj and scottie had problems.

[air gordon]

even mj and scottie had problems

what are these problems you speak of?

[Fresh8]

Yeah- when did MJ and Pips fight? At the start of their careers? I know Horace Grant had problems...so did Pip and Kukoc...but not MJ and Pip...right?

[Andrew]

Apparently there was a fair amount of friction among the Bulls leading up to their first championship, but it wasn't quite the same as the Shaq/Kobe feud.

[Nel]

Shaq/kobe feud are created by phil jackson to gain attention. Phil wants controversy and have something to talk about. I believe a KG/T-MAC or TD/T-MAC is more likely to happen. Two players haven't gone pass the first round and be teammates that would be sick.

[PRoPuLsiOnDJ]

Yeah- when did MJ and Pips fight? At the start of their careers? I know Horace Grant had problems...so did Pip and Kukoc...but not MJ and Pip...right?

well i remember during the finals, mj would take shots while pippen was open. and pippen got frustrated due to this. and when pippen took shots in crunchtime, then mj would get mad.
i was watching this documentary the other day ... and it was about the bulls .... and they were sayin stuff like jordan was forcing people to do things his way .... and that got some players frustrated. however, as we all know, it was for the better.
well my point is, jordan and pip didnt really have "major" problems. but you are always going to have little quarrels here and there if you've been playing together for many years.
and that's what i believe is happening with shaq and kobe. do we hear about their problems now??? that was early in the season when they had a little quarrel and it's done with now. they've been quarreling since years.
this kind of stuff happens.
when u win games .... ur happy.
when u lose games .... u get frustrated u try to blame somebody else ... and u say stuff u will regret later.
and that happens with everybody in every aspect of life.

[Cameron]

If you want to learn about the Bulls' problems, I suggest reading "The Jordan Rules" by Sam Smith. It was an excellent read and is told from a guy who was in their locker room all the time and stuff. Really insidey.

[air gordon]

If you want to learn about the Bulls' problems, I suggest reading "The Jordan Rules" by Sam Smith. It was an excellent read and is told from a guy who was in their locker room all the time and stuff. Really insidey.

this is an excellent suggestion- this is probably the first publication that shed a dark light on jordan's squeaky clean image. and this was back when sam smith actually a good writer, not some person that tries to raise eyebrows with BS in a chicago newspaper. much of these inside stories came from horace grant btw

lol are mj/pip's 'problems' really comparable to the magnitude of shaq/bryant's??

[DipSetVC]

Disclaimer: This material comes from the impatient mind of an angry Raptors fan who wonders what could have been...

First of all, hell no, it wouldn't work. Most of you guys haven't watched T-Mac on a daily basis like I did for the first 3 years of his career as a Raptor. He had his chance of going to the Finals (at least) with such a deadly two-guard and forward combination but who knows? Maybe, McGrady wouldn't have developed the same way with VC around. T-Mac's ego is just too damn big, he'll never take a backseat to anyone, even if it means sacrificing team success for individual goals.

[Ruff Ryder]

I'm not a Raps fan but I agree with DipSetVC. It wouldnt work. Here's my reason:

T-Mac and Kobe have such a similar game. Plus Tracy is used to having the ball for himself all of the time. Shaq is gonna want the ball too. Getting Shaq and T-Mac enought touches is hard to do, and lets not forget getting the rest of the team involved.

[Macca]

Well, I'm going to contribute to this and first I'd gotta say, this is a possiblity but would it become a reality??
First, let's look at what we got here.

Shaq apparently hung around with T-Mac at the all star game while Tracy was in LA, and has kept in touch, just like a big bro.
Kobe is set to leave (well, maybe) at the end of the season to antoher team in the offseason.
Malone is also reading some signs of retirement
Grant Hill, ain't gonna play anymore this season due to ongoing injury.

So the scenario would go as is. Kobe leaves, T-Mac comes to LA, Shaq is happy (or is he??) and Hill is left with an Atlanta Hawks team. (Sorry Hawks fans)

In writting it all looks good, but the facts are, Orlando are not going to give up T-Mac that easy. They will ask for some big name in return. But, we have not looked (well others above this post have) at Shaq coming to Orlando in which case, LA might loose their 2 stars in Shaq & Kobe (to free angency/jail). There is an ongoing battle forming here where both teams don't want to loose big stars for one trade, hence, nedding to rebuild with someone else. The Lakers, without Malone and Shaq would miss the interior defence and offence that is or should be dominate against opposing teams. Secondly, the Magic without Hill (injury) and McGrady would loose a good all round player in McGrady and their only bright light besides Gooden who proved himself in the finals last year.

Now I'm going to conclude, with all this in mind I say that the trade ain't going down straight like this. There is no way 2 teams would do this unless it's the Bulls or Clippers (no dissrespect to either teams.) Their GM's aren't total duds in that they'd let either or any of the bright stars go. This is not going to work, also becuse, like stated by Pyscho Jackal, might fit in with Shaq. I'd agree on that, Tracy would respect Shaq as his big bro, but aslo as the main focus. Shaquille O'Neal is a future Hall of Famer. Tracy knows how to lead a team, he, if it continues without help, will have a breakdown and grow grey hairs form stress. Kobe don't know what it takes, so maybe he should learn how to win with a team on his own for a whole season, not just 2-3 games. But I'm still saying, the trade or aquisation would not happen, not without some sort of deal. The solution to this, involve many teams in a blockbuster trade, hence everyone getting an even amount of players. And to the others on this forum, repsond at my expense, cause I'm so tired I'm going to nap, be back in a hour, I don't know if what I just said makes sense.



Macca

Anyways, peace to all, I'm out.

[bishibashiboy]

Just one more thing:

O'Neal left Orlando bitterly and still has ill feelings, which has to make the Magic wonder just what he's putting in T-Mac's head.

I remember the rumours and the announcement that Shaq had signed with the Lakers, but I never heard anything about bitterness on Shaq's part - the Magic were prepared to pay him almost as much as the Lakers, who offered $120 mil over 7 years back in 1996. I know there was some resentment from fans who felt he was being greedy, but I don't recall Shaq feeling bitter about the whole affair. Can anyone fill me in on that?

I finished reading Shaq Talks Back recently and in it he documents his problems with Orlando's management. Suppozedly the reason why Shaq went to L.A. was because John Gabriel and the Magic were disrespecting him. They were saying that they didn't want to piss Penny off at the time since Penny said he wants more money than Shaq no matter what. Also, he said that the Magic had 'spies' everywhere that knew he was building a new home in Orlando, so they called his bluff and didn't think he would walk. The last reason he said was that he felt like a "big fish in a small pond" in Orlando and the media were bitching too much about everything he did.
But, according to the Diesel, he still had every intention of staying in Orlando until the Penny situation and after that he made up his mind to go to L.A. on the same day (a one day decision according to him). After he found out that Jerry West was trying all kind of crap to clear cap space for him he was sold. The Magic did eventually match any price the Lakers offered, but not until after they found out that they were gonna lose Shaq.

Give the book a chance, it's actually quite funny.
His description of Del Harris and the problems with the Eddie Jones/Van Exel/Elden Campbell team is hilarious!

[Andrew]

If you want to learn about the Bulls' problems, I suggest reading "The Jordan Rules" by Sam Smith. It was an excellent read and is told from a guy who was in their locker room all the time and stuff. Really insidey.

I agree, I've read it and enjoyed the inside look at the Bulls' title run of 1991. The book details the incidents I alluded to in my earlier post.

Shaq/kobe feud are created by phil jackson to gain attention. Phil wants controversy and have something to talk about.

I disagree. I think Phil might have found a way to use the conflict to the advantage of the team, but I believe the problems are real.

[Jackal]

On what Macca said:

Good thinking man, but he has a player option in 2005. Which isn't too far away. So there might never be a need for a trade or whatever. The Lakers could possibly just sign him.

[vinz]

i'd rather see T-Mac paired up with KG or TD,
shaq STILL with the Lakers,
and kobe leading his OWN team.

i'd like to see that #8 laker-that one with the BIGGEST ego to prove that he can lead his team without the Diesel to back him up.