Throwdowns > Closed

Tnerbo-charger said 12/08, 05:52 AM
There are many things to consider when compiling the 5 greatest L.A. Lakers. Unfortunately for one of the members of your list, and sadly, individual greatness is not one of them. Therefore, I bump Elgin Baylor from this line up. He was truly great, but never reached the pinnacle.

So, here are my top 5:

Magic Johnson (re-vitalized the franchise)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (the model of consistency and excellence)

Kobe Bryant (Jordan light)

Shaquille Oneal (though not even close to being one of my favorite Lakers.

Jerry West (words can't describe this man)


And yes. I do think you're wrong. But it is not your fault. This is a nearly impossible task.

Explanations to follow, follow by a summation or something in the third argument.....



Also, BRING THE POTATO.

Tnerbo-charger said 12/09, 05:09 PM
A couple of points to refute here:

Kobe did not "single handedly" will his teams to titles. It wasn't until the arrival of Oneal, that Kobe's Lakers were finally able to win it all. That, and Phil Jackson. Just as Kareem had help, specifically the arrival of Magic Johnson, Kobe needed someone else to make it to the pinnacle. Shaq and Kobe can be argued to be one of the greatest duos in NBA history, which is why Shaq made my list over Baylor, and ahead of West.

For all Elgin's greatness as a player, he just isn't a top five Laker. Helping the team win titles is what makes a great Laker, IMO.

And why the hell did you include Robertson in your argument? This is a Lakers TD, not a Bucks TD. Silly MF.

And Kareem's best years were as a Laker, as his 5 rings with the team will show. Also, Kareem was a better teammate than Kobe. As much as I like Kobe, he can be a real beeyotch sometimes. When Shaq left the Lakers, what happened? No titles, until they were able to bring in significant help for Kobe. Kobe doesn't single handedly to anything.

Shaq is a dork, but he was a great Laker.

Tnerbo-charger said 12/11, 04:47 AM
Maybe, just maybe, there was something about Baylor, in spite of his greatness as a player, that prevented his Laker teams from reaching the pinnnacle of success.

Maybe, just maybe, Baylor wasn't quite the teammate that he needed to be in order for his Laker teams to come out on top of the Celtics, Knicks, or Hawks in those years. Is it coincidence, do you think, that immediately upon his retirement in 1971, the Lakers embarked on a 33-game winning streak on the way to a long-awaited title? And a 69-13 record that was NBA tops until Jordan & co. topped it.

Baylor was a great player. Shaq was a great Laker. No bones about it.


And as for the last two titles, Kobe had plenty of help. Gasol, Bynum, Odom, and yes even Ariza and Fisher. Those are, when coached and directed as only Phil Jackson can, very, very good players. Were they role players? Sure, if you want to call them that, but damn good ones.

Hell, Magic made a career out of being a role player! His whole existence on the court was to make the others around him better.

Well, thats all I've got. Great TD, MF, and good luck!