Shaq requests a trade

[Full Surface]

I just saw it on ESPN News.

With Phil Jackson out, Shaq has asked the Lakers to trade him.

I have no idea where he'll end up but he'll be worth a lot. The flipside is that he only wants to play for 2-3 more years.

This could mean the end of the Lakers. They're going to have to rebuld again.

[.]

Yup, its rebuilding time... I saw this coming to be honest, he said if Phil goes then so do I, also...the Lakers seemed to be more interesting in Kobe Bryant then Shaq so that would be a huge reason for him to request the trade aswell.

Thanks for the championships, good luck on your next team. I hope the Lakers can get something good in return instead of a Allan Houston type of player, I know the Pacers are not crazy, but dealing him to Indiana for O´Neal, Croshere and Pollard would be a good deal, and if the Pacers would also trade for McGrady then you will get a very good team. The Warriors are a option aswell. We just have to see what will happen in the next few weeks.

[twolvezfanfoever]

This is the day I was waitin for for awhile now.Phil is gone!!! Ding Dong the witch is dead!! No mo dynasty.Shaq bout to go somewhere else.Dont gotta worry bout the Lakers for awhile now.

[Amphatoast]

Here is source for you source lovers

all i gotta say is
Na Na Na Na
Na Na Na Na
He He Hey
GOODBYE LAKERS

However, this could be time for Kobe to step up and say "I'm staying, and we are making the playoffs next year."
Then again he did say lakers would win game 5 and well...

[Amphatoast]

..also if this means the Lakers are going to rebuild and they do get Kobe back trading with Orlando seems reasonable.
#1Draft pick+Grant Hill+Howard seems reasonable. If Hill somehow reaches all-star level again, this trade would be a steal for the Lakers.

[Andrew]

If Shaq is really on his way out of LA, the most obvious (and logical) idea would be to send him over to the Eastern Conference. The Lakers might find it difficult to resist any offers that deeper Western Conference teams could possibly make, but do they really want to face Shaq four times a year and possibly in the playoffs?

There's a chance this could all blow over and Shaq will remain a Laker, Phil or no Phil. It's another one of those things I'll have to see to believe.

[Alcoholic]

Wow, I must say, the Lakers are going to really be rebuilding now.. The last thing I had on my mind was Shaq gone.

[Andrew]

I would have thought so too, but the Lakers seem to be favouring Kobe, maybe a little too much. Perhaps they could have approached Kobe's impending free agency in a way that didn't alienate Shaq.

[Andre]

Everything with the Lakers is always so dramatic...and always turns out to be nothing more than voices. However this time could be true. I am surprised too by Kupchak, perhaps a little bit of touch doesn't hurt sometimes. We'll see, but I agree with Andrew, Shaq should head east in case of departure.

About Kobe: how can LA be as sure about him as to trade O'Neil? I mean, regardless of doubts about the player Kobe is, don't forget about his legal trouble. What happens if you pay him 140M for 7 years, you lose O'Neil, and turns out that Kobe goe to jail?

[Andrew]

The Lakers would be able to terminate his contract and wipe it from the books, but the fact remains they would have a lost Kobe Bryant. Keeping both Shaq and Kobe would seem the most logical blueprint for continued success, but that's difficult when they're butting heads and the team appears to favour one player of the other.

[Andre]

Yeah, I know they would stop paying Kobe, but wow...that's really rebuilding from scratch if you lose both

[magius]

perhaps shaq will end up in san antonio with duncan

wow, this new gm has hash for brains. Hooo boy, i bet laker fans are missing jerry west right about now. I for one would prefer 3 years of contention rather than 6 years of mediocrity.

[Amphatoast]

Yeah, I know they would stop paying Kobe, but wow...that's really rebuilding from scratch if you lose both

Samething bobcats are doing right now, building from scratch
Some players show potential and can be decent like Kareem Rush and Derek Fisher. I don't think they will be that terrible, just no longer a part of the elite teams in the west.

[Jackal]

Fisher has opted out of his contract.

Nice starting line-up so far:

C- Cook?
F- Walton?
F- Sampson?
G- George?
G- Rush?

OMG

Ehehe, maybe Jamal Sampson decides break out and become a supasta.



Before you all start wondering how I came up with that list:

Bryant is a FA.
Fisher is a FA (player option, he's said he's opting out.)
Grant is a FA, too old, retire.
Stanislav is a FA
Payton is a FA (player option, stay back and play for what?)
Russell is a FA and too old.
Fox said he's not staying around for a rebuilding process, he'll retire if that's the case.

That's quite a bit of money...

[J@3]

Yep it's gonna be a very very interesting season. Which is good, cause lets face it things have been kinda boring recently...

[.]

Fisher has opted out of his contract.

Nice starting line-up so far:

C- Cook?
F- Walton?
F- Sampson?
G- George?
G- Rush?

OMG

Ehehe, maybe Jamal Sampson decides break out and become a supasta.



Before you all start wondering how I came up with that list:

Bryant is a FA.
Fisher is a FA (player option, he's said he's opting out.)
Grant is a FA, too old, retire.
Stanislav is a FA
Payton is a FA (player option, stay back and play for what?)
Russell is a FA and too old.
Fox said he's not staying around for a rebuilding process, he'll retire if that's the case.

That's quite a bit of money...

Jamal Sampson is being left unprotected so maybe we will loose him aswell

[DipSetVC]

It's going to be one hell of an offseason! WHOO!

[Jackal]

Yep it's gonna be a very very interesting season. Which is good, cause lets face it things have been kinda boring recently...

Well, it was pretty interesting last season:

Guy1: Malone + Payton will sign with LA.

Guy2: Stupid Laker fan, why would they do that. It's unpossible. (Yes, I know it's impossible. )

Guy1: You just wait and watch.

Guy2: Ye ye, eat shit.

NBA.com: Malone and Payton sign for LA.

Guy1: Yay.
Guy2: Boo.

Guy1: Championship for sure
Guy2: Good teams on paper don't equal championships in reality.

Guy1: Just wait and watch.
Guy2: Damn, they made the Finals.

Guy1: Yay they gonna win.
Guy2: Yeah, I give the advantage to LA. Looks like teams on paper can win after all.

Detroit pwns LA.

Guy2: I knew it all along, they just didnt get along and were out played. I said all along teams on paper don't mean championships.

This offseason:

Guy1: LA will sign Martin or Swift.
Guy2: Eat shit.

Guy1: Probably will have to, this team is going to the dogs. Where's Jerry West?

Ok, I have too much time on my hands.

Great, Sampson's unprotected, woohoo, even better. He's a bust.

[Steve04]

Really though, do you think Kenyon Martin can co-exist with Kobe? I'm not talking about their personalities..but Martin's style of play, added to the fact that he's really a PF in a SF's body. I don't think he's a good fit in LA. They just might have to sign him though. They need a Center, PF, SF, PG..basically all of those even if they resign Kobe Bryant. It would be ironic and absolutely crazy though if LA traded Shaq to get Kobe to sign and then Kobe went and signed somewhere else. The Lakers Haters would be happy. Jackal would be happy, because if he cant cheer for Shaq he doesn't want Kobe. and I would be sad.

[Jackal]

I don't want Kobe...with or without Shaq, I don't want Kobe.

Kobe is great, no doubt about it. But enough of this he can lead his own team talk, I want to see this. It's not about me not wanting him on the team because he is selfish et all, I want to see if he can lead a team to gloryville. Enough talk, I'm all eyes.

[Amphatoast]

Really though, do you think Kenyon Martin can co-exist with Kobe? I'm not talking about their personalities..but Martin's style of play, added to the fact that he's really a PF in a SF's body. I don't think he's a good fit in LA. They just might have to sign him though. They need a Center, PF, SF, PG..basically all of those even if they resign Kobe Bryant. It would be ironic and absolutely crazy though if LA traded Shaq to get Kobe to sign and then Kobe went and signed somewhere else. The Lakers Haters would be happy. Jackal would be happy, because if he cant cheer for Shaq he doesn't want Kobe. and I would be sad.

I don't think Martin demands for the ball that much....he shares the ball with Kidd and Jefferson and I haven't heard him complain and whine like Kobe and Shaq does so maybe he could fit with the Lakers.

Bryant is a FA.
Fisher is a FA (player option, he's said he's opting out.)
Grant is a FA, too old, retire.
Stanislav is a FA
Payton is a FA (player option, stay back and play for what?)
Russell is a FA and too old.
Fox said he's not staying around for a rebuilding process, he'll retire if that's the case

hmm, would this mean the Lakers would actually be under the Salary cap and can sign some other big name free agents?

[Jackal]

He'll want huge money though. If they want to build around Kobe, I think they should save the money to sign a few good role players instead of one player who has a star status. Role players will ask for less money.

2-3 good role players > one "supasta".

In this case.

[hmm]

.

[Full Surface]

The Nets could use Shaq

[Jackal]

Death of a dynasty

O'Neal upset by direction, won't be the 'scapegoat'

EL SEGUNDO -- Shaquille O'Neal, the cornerstone of three championship teams and the most dominant big man in the NBA, wants to be traded, and the Lakers intend to honor his request.
A team source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said O'Neal made the trade demand late Thursday through his agent, Perry Rogers. The same source said the Lakers intend to pursue a deal immediately.

In a telephone interview Friday morning, a somber O'Neal said he "never" called it a demand, but he made his desires absolutely clear.

"The direction they're going, if they're going to continue going in the wrong direction, I don't want to be a part of this," O'Neal said. "So I want you guys to write that if any GM out there wants a hard-working big man who wants to win championships, call Mitch Kupchak, because he will entertain offers."

Kupchak, the Lakers' general manager, said Thursday that he could not rule out trading O'Neal. While Kupchak was referring then to a hypothetical demand -- which had not yet been delivered -- O'Neal was insulted and infuriated by the comments.

"I don't think this is about me at this point, because Mitch said he would entertain offers," O'Neal said. "Everybody knows I love L.A. ... That's just Mitch using me as a scapegoat. But don't believe it."

Kupchak declined to comment Friday. Rogers is out of the country and was unavailable for comment.

O'Neal's business manager, Mike Parris, said no demands have been made, but summed up his client's agenda this way: "He wants to go to a place where they're interested in building a team to win, and they're not interested in individuals. If the Lakers' intent isn't to build a team, then it might be time to part ways."

A day earlier, Kupchak refused to rule out trading O'Neal but said, "That would not be a good day in this club's history. ... Players do have that option (to demand a trade), and we'll see what happens."

Within the organization, O'Neal's stance is viewed as anger over stalled contract negotiations. The team and O'Neal have been unable to agree to terms on an extension. O'Neal was seeking the maximum allowable -- about $77 million over two years.

The team, concerned with O'Neal's age (32) and declining production, wanted him to take a significant pay cut.

According to a team source, the contract extension offer is no longer on the table. However, the team had intended to keep O'Neal through the final two years of his contract until now.

During the course of Friday's 10-minute interview, O'Neal cited everything but money. He never mentioned Kobe Bryant either, but he hinted frequently at discord within the team and the effect of Bryant's desire to reshape it.

The Lakers parted ways with coach Phil Jackson on Friday, the first step in a purge designed to keep Bryant happy and in Los Angeles. Bryant has exercised an option to become a free agent July 1.

Owner Jerry Buss has not spoken publicly, but those familiar with his thinking say he plans to do everything necessary to re-sign Bryant. That shift in power seemed foremost on O'Neal's mind.

"I told you guys when I first got here, I'm all about winning championships," O'Neal said. "The organization now is different. It seems they're trying to pit one guy against another. ... I don't want to be part of that. Right now, they're not talking the team concept."

"When I was brought in by Jerry West, it was always a team concept," O'Neal said. "This isn't about respect or extensions. ... My last six or seven years I'm going to be in the league, I want to be on a great team."

It is regarded as a given by sources close to both stars that neither one wanted to play with the other. Indeed, while Bryant's disapproval of Jackson was the primary factor in the coach's dismissal, his greatest source of frustration is O'Neal, team sources said.

Even as they won three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002, O'Neal and Bryant sparred constantly, both in private and through the media.

It was Jackson's steady hand that kept the team from imploding through years of infighting. It was Jackson's willingness to rein in Bryant's sometimes-wild play that endeared him to O'Neal and alienated him from Bryant.

Over the past few years, O'Neal has repeatedly pledged his loyalty to Jackson, saying he would not play for another coach. And he was disturbed when it became clear that Jackson would not be invited back.

"It affects me a lot," O'Neal said. "Phil's a guy that's taken me to the next level. To let our leader go means something's not right."

He added, "I think the fans deserve better. This should be about the team."

Trading O'Neal will be difficult.

Under the extension he signed in 2000, O'Neal is due $29.5 million next season and $32.4 million in 2005-06. To move him to another team over the salary cap, the Lakers would have to take back players whose combined salaries are close to O'Neal's for next season.

Further complicating matters is that O'Neal can opt out of his contract next summer, which means a team trading for him could lose O'Neal after just one season. His new employer would also have to consider O'Neal's contract extension demands. As of July 1, he'll be eligible for a three-year deal worth more than $100 million.

Derek Fisher, a teammate of both Bryant and O'Neal since they all arrived in the summer of 1996, said a trade of the league's best center and three-time Finals MVP was hard to envision.

"Getting it done without Shaq seems to be extremely difficult. I think Orlando found that out the hard way," Fisher said, referring to O'Neal's defection in 1996. "And hopefully the Lakers won't have to find that out, in terms of not having a team with Shaq on it."

Source.

Everyone seems to realise how hard it will be without Shaq except the people that are making the decisions.

This is a riot.