Malone & Payton will probably join Lakers.

Great chance for Mailman and Glove to get their rings.

As the story tells all, it seems that Malone is pretty sure to sign with the Lakers, seems he is even willing to sign for the minimum, which will leave money to sign Gary Payton...which is just icing on the cake. Not a bad lineup, but the line up will be for just a year or two, they seriously need to start looking for some upcoming new roleplayers.
Starting 5:
C- Shaquille O'Neal.
PF- Karl Malone.
SF- Devean George.
SG- Kobe Bryant
PG- Gary Payton. ( If they do manage to sign him )
Backups; Horry(if he's still there), Fox, Fisher etc.
Not a bad team if you want to win a championship .
Give me your thoughts.

Last edited by Jackal on Sat Jul 05, 2003 10:39 am, edited 2 times in total.

malone needs to stay in nba longer if he wants to break kareems record!

very good starting five,r,oh my god.2003/04 nba champions-la lakers.damn.yes jermaine must go to spurs.2003/04 nba finals spurs-lakers.who wins it?

I heard that if he avarages like 12 ppg over 2 seasons, then he will break it. But I think winning a championship is a bigger priority then that. Its so cool that he is willing to agree with the veterans minimum, with that I think alot of Laker fans will 4-get the things he said about Magic. I also heard that Malone sold his carshop or whatever he has in Salt Lake City and he is opening a new one in Cali...so its all good new for us Lakers fans..

with that team, even if they cant get GP its all over, they might aswell order the rings already

I mean....3 or 4 future hall of famers on 1 team?

very good starting five,r,oh my god.2003/04 nba champions-la lakers.damn.yes jermaine must go to spurs.2003/04 nba finals spurs-lakers.who wins it?

U mean the Western Conference finals right?

very good starting five,r,oh my god.2003/04 nba champions-la lakers.damn.yes jermaine must go to spurs.2003/04 nba finals spurs-lakers.who wins it?

I don't know who would win, but seeing that they're in the same conference, I do know that that can't happen...

I doubt that Payton would go for the mid level exception. I'd also hate to see my favorite player go to my least favorite team. He doesn't seem like too good of a fit with the Lakers. I don't see him as the third scorer.

If LA adds the Mailman, he will fit perfectly!

But I can't see a senario, of Shaq, Kobe, Karl Malone & Gary Payton working out!

I doubt that Payton would go for the mid level exception.

Why not? It's a good deal...A ring for a couple of millions...I can see it happening, its a good offer, Shaq+Kobe+(probably)Malone= a damn good chance to win it all.

But I can't see a senario, of Shaq, Kobe, Karl Malone & Gary Payton working out!

Why not? You mean the ball sharing/scoring etc?

Last edited by Jackal on Sat Jul 05, 2003 9:56 am, edited 1 time in total.

Lakers would probably dominate in the NBA next year with that lineup. But Spurs need to replace David Robinson with a big man if they aren't willing to let Tim Duncan switch to C while Jermaine O'Neal takes PF (if he signs).

I felt bad for the whole Stockton-Malone breakup. Both of them should of won a championship in Utah and ended their career there but I guess it never worked out. With MJ being in his prime during the Jazz's championship runs, it was difficult for them to win. I wish that the Jazz would retire Karl Malone and John Stockton's jerseys though (which I'm assuming they'll retire John's but not Karl's if he decides to another team).

Who knows what tehe Jazz will do with their numbers. They still haven;'t retired Dantley's.

I would rather the Lakers sign someone like Gilbert Arenas who will only get better than GP who will be gone in a few years.

I would rather the Lakers sign someone like Gilbert Arenas who will only get better than GP who will be gone in a few years.

That would be ideal for the lakers, but the problem is that Gilbert is looking for big $$$'s...the only way they can lure these two guys (Malone, Payton) is with the rings, Arenas is looking for money he's in no rush for a ring.

I doubt that Payton would go for the mid level exception.

Why not? It's a good deal...A ring for a couple of millions...I can see it happening, its a good offer, Shaq+Kobe+(probably)Malone= a damn good chance to win it all.

Gary Payton might be getting old, but he's not the type of player whose stats are going to dramatically drop in the next couple years. He still has two or three good years ahead of him. Look at how consistent his stats have been over his career. Age doesn't seem to be taking a toll on him yet. A player like him, very capable of putting up a double-double every night and making the all-star team, won't settle for the mid level exception probably. He has the ability to play like Jason Kidd, he has the playmaking skills, but he also has the ability to do more and score more than Kidd can and be the number one option on a different team. I don't see how he could be the third option on any team, when he's still capable of putting up 20-30 points on any given night. I doubt that if you put Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, and Shaquille O'Neal on the same team, then they won't be able to coexist well for 82 games. Hell, you could put all four on the Olympic team this summer, but this is the regular season. I doubt that Kobe and Shaq are willing to let their stats go down while they're at the peak of their careers. And I also doubt that Payton and Malone would like their Hall Of Fame careers end with average/mediocre stats.

plz not..don't let Lakers sign any of them Lakers already won three championship..same with Spurs...i want to see new teams like Dallas win one..

I don't think signing Malone and Payton would guarantee a title. First and foremost, nothing in sports is guaranteed. Second, it's getting away from Phil Jackson's tried and true formula - two stars, a dependable third guy, and a team of role players. And finally, teams that look great on paper don't seem to win it all. The 1998 Lakers, the 2000-present Blazers, the 2003 Kings and Mavericks...all made the playoffs, but all that talent didn't bring them a title.

lol, wht they could do, is have kobe and shaq playing in the first half and malone and payton in the second and alternate between games.
back to the topic.
it would be sweet to see tht team, though, i'm not really a malone fan....
but kobe, shaq, payton and malone would an awesome team, but i guess 4 superstars on 1 team doesn't really mix... and they will probly end up trading by the deadline. nah, i think the jazz keep malone, don't secure him for the expansion draft, so the bobcats can draft malone, thn he can help the new franchise

i agree with Kobe4mvp.

it's getting away from Phil Jackson's tried and true formula - two stars, a dependable third guy, and a team of role players

but does it matter? we'v all seen how well the lakers can do with only 2 superstars, imagine what they can do with 4

teams that look great on paper don't seem to win it all. The 1998 Lakers, the 2000-present Blazers, the 2003 Kings and Mavericks...all made the playoffs, but all that talent didn't bring them a title

i think we can agree that paring up the best 1-2 combination in the history of the NBA with 2 stars of the calibre of Gary Payton and Karl Malone is far better than all those teams u just mentioned

I doubt that if you put Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, and Shaquille O'Neal on the same team, then they won't be able to coexist well for 82 games

they'll coexist because they'll be winning

but does it matter? we'v all seen how well the lakers can do with only 2 superstars, imagine what they can do with 4

But that's another couple of players who are used to taking a lot of shots and being The Man. The possibility of squabbling over minutes and shots does exist - even amongst veterans.

i think we can agree that paring up the best 1-2 combination in the history of the NBA with 2 stars of the calibre of Gary Payton and Karl Malone is far better than all those teams u just mentioned

I don't agree that Shaq and Kobe are the best tandem in the history of the NBA, but that's another topic altogether. I agree that on paper, it looks much better than any of the teams I mentioned. But like I said, the best team on paper doesn't usually end up winning the title.

You saw what happened for the first 3 seasons or w/e when kobe and Shaq first got together. Now add two people who averaged 20+ and you could very well have some conflicts. Then again, all Malone wants is a ring and 14 ppg for two years and GP still likes distributing as well. I think that Kobe and Shaq's scoring would drop to about 23 and 20 respectivley, Malone would get his 14 (or whatever the number actually is) and GP would take a 12-14 and 8-10 dimes.

You saw what happened for the first 3 seasons or w/e when kobe and Shaq first got together. Now add two people who averaged 20+ and you could very well have some conflicts. Then again, all Malone wants is a ring and 14 ppg for two years and GP still likes distributing as well. I think that Kobe and Shaq's scoring would drop to about 23 and 20 respectivley, Malone would get his 14 (or whatever the number actually is) and GP would take a 12-14 and 8-10 dimes.

but back then they had bad headcoaches, Im pretty sure that Phil can work something out so that they all can play together.

Too many All-Stars spoil a team for the most part. But this could be a exception. Malone just wants a ring so he is alright with his stats going down, and Payton would probably take the cut down in points too for a ring. The question is, would Kobe & Shaq be happy with less shots and less points in order to win. They not really desperate to win a title like Malone is since they aready got 3 each, and Kobe really wants to be MVP 1 year.

If they sign Malone and Payton a title is on the books. With 4 superstars noone will come near them.

David Aldridge confirmed that Malone would be interested in the Lakers if Payton signs with them.

he will not sign for the minimum if Payton doesn't sign for the mid level exception

If Payton is willing to play for just the mid-level exception, then he'll probably be okay with a relegated role and not being The Man. If he makes that sacrifice in money, that signifies he'll probably make the sacrifices needed in his game too. I don't know how all those players would work out together...but if Malone and Payton do sign with the Lakers, I do believe that they will definitely be better off than they were this year.

GARY NOOOOOOOOOO ! I mean sh*t man, i really hope gp doesnt sign with the lakers(cant help it, i just dislike shaq and kobe), he is still an all star-calibre player who can put up great numbers so i really think he shouldnt, just stay in milwaukee or even go to spurz or something, it just wouldnt feel right, gp in la, pffffff, if malone signs with them,though i rather see him ending his career in utah, it will be hard enough already and he might be just what they need but i dont like the way the things are turning around this free agency

very good starting five,r,oh my god.2003/04 nba champions-la lakers.damn.yes jermaine must go to spurs.2003/04 nba finals spurs-lakers.who wins it?

U mean the Western Conference finals right?

of course!who wins western conference finals-that team is champion.west clubs are stronger than east clubs(forever)