The following is a plea to Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal, GM Mitch Kupchak, and owner Dr. Jerry Buss to please work out their differences. The Lakers are considering the unfathomable option of trading Shaq and altering the destined path of the storied franchise.Dear Shaq, Mitch, & Jerry,
I know the three of you are not on the best of terms right now, but I am asking, no begging, that you try and iron out your differences. Remember the good ole days when the Lakers were winning championships and swigging champagne every spring? It was only two years ago guys! Has the relationship eroded so completely that a divorce is necessary? The Lakers did come within three victories this year of winning their fourth title of the decade. With a few tweaks here and there, Los Angeles can once again vie for the Larry O’Brien trophy. Of course a few concessions will have to be made on everybody’s part, but trust me this still can work.
First we’ll start with the Big Fella. The Big Unguardable, the Big Dominant, the Big Franchise, or whatever you want to be known as Mr. O’Neal. Your legacy as one of the best centers and most dominant players in the league has been secured. Hollywood is your playground and not even the atrocious work of Steel or Kazaam has tarnished your reputation. One day your number will be displayed in Staples center alongside Laker legends such as Magic, Kareem, and the Logo himself, Jerry West. Along with Boston, Los Angeles is the center of the basketball universe. Your storied career should come to a close in a basketball mecca like L.A., not at some expansion outpost like Dallas.
I know you feel slighted by the organization because Dr. Buss has a fixation with Kobe and Kupchak has declared him untouchable. Yet we all know any offensive system you take part in will flow through you. Any coach would be crazy not to run the offense through the MDP, Most Dominant Player. Besides the boys in the locker room know who the captain of the ship will be, no matter how much love Kobe gets from the Laker hierarchy. This is your team and your town, why let anyone drive you out?
Now the money concerns are a little delicate. You’ve already stated there isn’t going to be any salary reduction on your part, ala Mr. Garnett, and we know about the demands for a contract extension. Well Shaq, I just have to say sixty million clams over the next two years can buy plenty of pimped out Escalades. Play out the next two years of your contract, dominate like its 2000 again and you’re sure to see some more green in the seasons that follow. If the Lakers are once again trying on championship rings, then I’m sure the good doctor will pay up. If there is no gratitude after that, go out and sell your services to that Texas benefactor Mark Cuban.
Now some words for the GM, Mitch Kupchak. First of all take a look at the paragraphs above and notice how I constantly praised the man in the middle. Superstars need their ego massaged a little bit, well ok more than just a bit. You played this game and should know how temperamental these guys can be. Yet you shower Kobe with all the love and make statements that he, not Shaq, is the Lakers number one priority. Did you ever consider how the dude with three Finals MVP awards might feel about this? The Shaq and Kobe dynamic is so fragile that it has to be dealt with most gingerly. Please take some time this summer and make it a point to plant your lips firmly on Shaq’s rather large behind and beg him to stay.
Now Mitch, I also want you to take a strong look at what your own legacy will be with this Laker organization. Former GM Jerry West gets the majority of the credit for assembling the team that brought home three straight championships. He pried Shaq from Orlando for less money than the Magic could pay him. He made the draft day deal for some high school teen named Kobe. When the Lakers swept New Jersey in 2002 for their third straight title, it looked as if a Celtic like dynasty was in the making. If Shaq leaves now, that future dynasty is dead. Do you really want to be the man in charge when the Lake Show is canceled? Keep the big fella happy and let the dream continue.
Dr. Jerry Buss, the man in charge of it all. The one individual who has the absolute power to keep the two pillars of his Laker team standing strong. You must realize that no group of players can replace the man anchoring the middle…do you? No one has an answer for Shaq and that alone keeps the Lakers one step ahead of any other team. Why trade away the one distinct advantage your team has over all the others? Yes I know that Kobe has a chain around your heart and you are deeply, somewhat strangely, enamored with him, but you can have both.
What I’m trying to say is convince Shaq to stay by any means necessary. If that means giving in and offering him a contract extension, just do it. I know those pockets of yours go pretty deep, so just reach down a little further. The Laker organization can only be better with a dominant player like Shaq wearing the purple and gold. The chance for more titles, exposure and all the extra revenue from the extra playoff games will more than make up for another year or two of that huge contract. It’s on you Dr. Buss, please make the smart decision.
It’s plain to see that if all three of you just bend a bit this can all have a very happy ending. Together the possibilities of future glory are so much brighter. If the ultimate goal of all three of you remains collecting for more golden trophies, then it’s obvious the Big Advantage should stay where he is. The duo of Shaq & Kobe should have a chance to climb above the great twosomes of the past. What could break up such winning teams like Magic & Kareem, Bird & McHale, Isiah & Joe D, and Michael & Scottie? Well besides a funny baseball fixation. This is history you are messing with people. Please don’t destroy a wonderful thing.
Sincerely,
Concerned Laker Fan