POLL: Should Lakers have kept Kobe or Shaq?

[JSub]

The Miami Heat winning the championship is quite the slap to the Laker organization. They took a gamble with Shaq to win it all right now and that's exactly what they did. Regardless of how much longer Shaq plays, he has his 4th ring, this one without Kobe Bryant.

In your opinion, did the Lakers make the right choice with Kobe's youth and marketability, or should they have kept Shaq and paired him with another elite guard to make one last championship run?

I will keep the poll tallies. I vote: keep SHAQ.
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SHAQ: 12

KOBE: 12

[XxNeXuSxX]

Keep Shaq, Kobe is a Cancer, they could have built around Shaq, because everyone wants to play with him.

[Spiderman08 24]

I think they did the right move. As someone else said, they screwed everything else.

First of all, trading Shaq was a smart decision but trading him for Odom, Grant and Butler was not.
Also, they haven't improved the team on any other way.

Keeping Kobe was smart..what they did after was not smart.

Also, they screwed everything up with the ****ing 2007 plan!!!! Idiots!!!!

If they kept Shaq, they wouldn't have a second star and Shaq alone couldn't do it.

[theinfamousmobb]

They did good keeping Kobe cuz if not the Heat would have never gotten Shaq

[JohnnySic]

Trade Kobe for TMac, or for a package of good players. The Lakers would have kept right on winning.

That said, as a Celtics fan I'm glad the Lakers blew this one.

[$ci]

If they keep Shaq, they win a few more rings.
If the keep (well kept) Kobe, they barely make the playoffs and blow a 3-1 first round lead.

[Twiens]

Kobe.

[crisoner]

Still say Kobe.

[Spiderman08 24]

Trade Kobe for TMac, or for a package of good players. The Lakers would have kept right on winning.

That said, as a Celtics fan I'm glad the Lakers blew this one.

Trade him how? He was a FA.

if you believe he would have agreed to a S&T, you're dead wrong.

And besides, Shaq asked for a trade...it wasn't really Shaq OR Kobe....Shaq asked for a trade after idiot Kupchak said he'd trade him.

[XxNeXuSxX]

Kobe.

I like the Rational behind that post.

If they kept Shaq, it would have been easier to get a hold of stars to play next to Shaq, no one wants to be on a team with Kobe.

[Qwyjibo]

If they keep Shaq, they win a few more rings.

So Shaq alone wins titles in 2006?? If they kept Shaq then Kobe leaves (and they get nothing in return) and the Lakers still don't win anything.


They made the right move but like I said in a different thread, they screwed everything else up. They got junk for Shaq and didn't give Kobe much help in that lineup.

Keeping Kobe was the right move since it looked like it had to be one or the other.

[XxNeXuSxX]

Trade him how? He was a FA.

if you believe he would have agreed to a S&T, you're dead wrong.

And besides, Shaq asked for a trade...it wasn't really Shaq OR Kobe....Shaq asked for a trade after idiot Kupchak said he'd trade him.

No, Kobe said that.

[crisoner]

Kobe never said trade me.

Kobe hinted to exploring his options. Shaq was just fed up and wanted to get the f*ck out of there.

But really...this had to happen. Shaq was not motivated in LA what so ever. If he kept in good shape and had a better work ethic he would still be dominating the NBA right now like he was in 2000.

[JSub]

I believe Shaq was unmotivated b/c Kobe was on the team.

[Twiens]

I like the Rational behind that post.

Well, their isn't much to say. We keep Shaq, Kobe leaves in Free agency then we wouldnt even make the playoffs, AND have a bad future.

Shaq leaves, we don't make playoffs til the 2nd year, but we have a MUCH better future this way.

Who would be left?
C-Shaq
PF-Cook
SF-George
SG-?
PG-Payton

HAHA, You know Kobe wouldn't do a S&T, so they'd be screwed if they took Shaq over Kobe.