RateItAll: The Opinion Network

The Yankees of basketball. A bandwagon team that attracted self-centered stars (Malone, Payton, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc) like advertizing gigs. I couldn't stand them when Shaq the self-adoring egomaniac was there...and if he was still there, I wouldn't rate them, because they wouldn't even be worth one star. But I respect Kobe...I think he's one of the best basketball players who ever lived, and he doesn't annoy the hell out of me, even though he has an ego as big (or bigger) as Shaq's. And Phil Jackson is the man! I can't believe he decided to coach the Flakers, but I was a dedicated Bulls fan (sorry, but I lost interest in the Bulls when JOrdan, Pippen, and Phil left), so how could I possibly not like this guy? Anyway, this review is already too long. Love Kobe and Jackson, could care less about their team.

There is no team in the NBA I detest more than the Los Angeles Lakers. I knew without Shaq, they would be nowhere near the NBA playoffs. Now all the team have is Phil Jackson and Kobe. Nothing I enjoy more oter than the Nets winning is the Lakers losing.

Without Shaq they're done for. They need to get rid of Kobe and find players who are dedicated to the team, not to self. [Hear that Kobe?] Honestly, apart from Kobe, who do they have? Even if they somehow pull it together and make the playoffs, they aren't going to go far at all. They don't have the talent for the title. It's time to rebuild and forget Shaq or Kobe ever were there.

Yeah, without Shaq where are they now and where will they go...downhill. Kobe's huge ego might not be enough to salvage this team.

The Lakers will be fine as usual. Kobe is still the best player in the league (some act like he's through or something) , and he's not even 30, is he? They will regret not taking Sean May (they probably already do based on his summer league numbers), but they will be fine. They need one other star though. And I don't mean star like Odom is a star, I mean STAR! They'll gwet one though. Who knows, maybe this Bynum kid will be something special. However, he picked UCONN over Carolina because he didn't want to play that fast, so, I don't know if he thinks the Los Angeles Lakers are never going to run or what, but that would be a bad sign if I was a Laker fan. It ain't called Showtime because they play like Princeton, ya know? When the personel is right, they WILL be running. The kid better get on that treadmill. As a Charlotte QC boy, I thank God they didn't pick May, but I still think Kupchak of all people should've known better. A glass eating post player, May, with moves like Mchale, teamed up with Kobe.................... ..............the Lakers F'ed up. But they'll be fine in the long run. But they could've been fine in the short run. RATE THE BOBCATS! )))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))UPDATE: May just got MVP of the NBA summer League. UUUUUUUUUUUUUUH, and the anger in Laker nation just got bigger! The last game he had 25 and 17. I think he averaged 19 and 9.......................even after missing all but 2 minutes of one game! Sorry boys. Who knows though, maybe Bynum will turn into a monster? Check out my new weblist on 'greatest clutch shooters of the past 20 years, COLLEGE AND PROS'. By the way, just F'ing around, the Lakers will be fine. But you already knew that. PS- one would think that Kupchak (a Carolina grad of all people) would know better. He's not actually true blue Carolina though, or he would not have tried to get Roy to leave and coach you guys. So, really, I'm not that surprised at his idiocy.

LA WHAT HAPPENED? They've gone to pure sh**. Bryant is good, but is a bigger ball hog than he was before. He can't carry a team on his back in the league. Bet they miss Jackson and O'Neal about now. Now I think the dang Clippers are better than they are! That's as low as it gets there. OMG!!! From Championship contenders to missing the playoffs in a year? Come ON!! UPDATE: PHIL'S BACK!!!!! Thank you Jesus!! Maybe now Kobe can get his head up out of his ass and behave. Phil will help this terrible Laker team improve....but I give 'em a 2 cuz Jackson's back in LA!!

From Shaquille O'Neal to Chris Mihm. Enough said. Hope you're happy, Sonny. Enjoy the lottery.

It has come to light that Kobe can't carry a team. Enjoy watching the playoffs at home!

have given up on the season. who can blame them, with no real coach and a ball hog ?

I love em. Their great. I can't wait until a couple of years when their a dynasty once more.

Not surprised that Rudy T resigned. I knew he wouldn't last this long due to his health. ... Anyway, I don't see them making another title run in a long time. Vlade Divac isn't the same center that he used to be. They'd be lucky if Phil Jackson came back, but they oughta hire Flip Saunders as the next coach.

Way to choke! UPDATE: How well do you think the almighty Lakers will do when their over-hyped and overated star player has to play on the prison court, instead of NBA ones? Kobe still has no ring earned without Shaq's help to call his own, so he's not proven a damned thing to me. On second thought, I take that back. Trash-talking your own teammate when dissent only does a lot more harm then good proves to me that Kobe has mush for brains.

The Lakers can't touch my home team Detroit Pistons. WERE NUMBER ONE!!

the team that has one star...didn't we just see the complete team called the pistons who play together and don't hog the ball win in a 5 game sweep

well since phil jackson wont set foot on the court until kobe she likes it rough bryant is traded, im predicting a well deserved dismal season.

The Lakers, even after all that's gone on in this past offseason, are still the team to beat in the West. They are after all, defending Western Conf. Champions. I agree with narek33 that they are the Yankees of basketball, everyone hates on them cuz they keep winning. Jealousy!! The Lakers will always be in the mix with Kobe and now that the fake trial is off his back ( all the girl wants is $$$, for anyone who hasn't noticed) Kobe will be more relaxed and focused on what he does best, winning games for the L.A. Lakers. I will stick with the team through everything, and i hope all TRUE Lakers fan will too.

They barely have a team left! They will probably make the playoffs, but I doubt Kobe will be able to carry them past the first round, let alone into the Finals.

come on... whoever does not live in LA hates this team. Why? Because they have been to the Finals 4 of last 5 years. Come on people, Lakers have and always will be the greatest franchise in basketball. They are the Yankees of baseball. If you are a true basketball fan and not a banwagon jumper, you know that the Lakers as a team have always been contenders and they will continue to be a threat as long as Kobe is in LA. They will not win the championship for the next four years or so but they will always be in the playoffs. They are a team that's always had class and accomplised more than most teams ever will.

First of all t-mac, they didn't get swept. they might as well have, though. LA's glory days are over. Jackson and Shaq are gone. Kobe might go because he's a level 3 sex offender:) malone is old and is gonna retire. That leaves payton and possibly kobe. Two guards won't get you anywhere in today's nba. And to top it off, since the lakers were in the finals, they got crappy draft picks. That means there isn't any room for improvement. They'll probably be average at best for the next few years.

They got swept by the Pistons. They will be terrible if they lose Shaq and Kobe.

So much talent, so little teamwork and chemistry left. I've always been a fan of great TEAMS, not great players. The current bunch of Lakers players are undoubtedly great players (or were in their prime in some cases), but there is zero teamwork left. Give me a San Antonio or Detroit anyday!

dont get me wrong, shaq is a beast, the love is in the glove, kobe can be amazing, and phil jackson is one of the best coaches in the NBA. But none the less L.A. SUCKS.

Note to VinnyIN. Here's the funny thing about the NBA - teams don't win titles based on their 'ratings' - they win titles based on their performance on the court. With the Lakers gunning for their fourth championship in the last five years, it's misguided - maybe even moronic - to call the Lakers overrated.

Most overrated team in the league. Shaq has the IQ of an ameoba and can hardly speak an intelligable word. Kobe of course is a criminal and should be locked up for life, and I've hated Karl Malone since he was on the Utah Jazz. It's also funny the most overrated team is in the most overrated state in the country, too. I don't think it's a coincidence.

Lakers are the best. They're about to get their 4th championship in 5 years. Hello?? DYNASTY!!!!!

with Kobe and Shaq on the line up, LAKERS are always be the team to beat. I'm a SPURS fan, yet I still look up for LAKERS, because they show domination and great intimidation to other. however the only thing that can beat LAKERS is themshelves, and it sounds foolish.

there great, but not good as ku

srri but i rekon da lakers r the worst team in da nba. my reasson is cause they hav a crap coach who is only in business cause he coached da bulls and a teams dat hav lots of stars and cmon shaq is fat!!! Malone is great but goes to lakers and gets injured....a sign of bad luk from da lakers!!!

Okay, to all the people who say the lakers bought a championship are wrong. karl malone and gary payton are the ones who wanted to come to the lakers. and somehow kobe committed rape but the other 3 guys the girl slept with that week didnt? especially since shes known to be a slut? i used to live in colorado and believe me, it's pretty racist there. and don't forget about the 3 and 5 second in the key rules for the nba. shaq steps out of the key and that resets it. and also i think if your in a foot within a player its not a 3 seconds in the key foul. anyway look at the facts. this team is unstoppable right now defensively and especially offensively with kobe who should be one of the leading MVP candidates right now with his play of late. look for the fourth ring this year.

THIS IS THE BEST TEAM IN THE NBA!!!!! THEY SHOULD'VE WON LAST SEASON, BUT THIS YEAR THEY WILL SHOW EVERYONE WHAT'S UP!!!!! KOBE'S PRIVATE LIFE SHOULD NEVER BE INVOLVED WITH HIS COURT ABILITIES!!!!! GO LAKERS!!!!!!!! GO GET THAT 4TH RING!!!!!!!!

BOO! THIS TEAM SUCKS! KOBE IS BRYANT COMMITED RAPE!! THEY SUCK

I love the Lakers! They are my gavorite basket-ball team.

Give me a break. This team is a nightmare.

Even if you hate the Lakers (like i do), you gotta rate them as one of the best teams. Take a conference finalist and add Malone and Payton ... you do the math.

My team. And I don't even live in Los Angeles anymore. Read through the messages. All the low ratings are due to jealousy.

So why does the best record in the league call for just OK ratings?

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most overated teams in the league. Payton and Malone are two players that are now past their prime and it shows! They are fillers right now for the famors rapist Kobe. When the refs learn how to do their job correctly and call 5 seconds in the paint on Shaq he and his career will end right there. No worries about LA this year, All SPURS baby!

great team better then the rest wait till playoffs to see!!!! Go LAKERS!!!!!

I hate the 2002-2003 Lakers with an unmatched passion... but I watched every televised game they played. Rick Fox looks like a woman on steroids, and things don't look good for Kobe, but with Karl Malone, Gary Payton and Shaq (if his Jenny Craig approach works this offseason), they are the best team out there.

I like the old guys like Magic and Kareem but the current Lakers make me sick. Shaq is just huge compared to everyone else. How much of that is fat we'll never know.. haha Honestly though his skill level is right there with my grandma's. I actually think she could beat him in a free throw contest. Give her a couple hundred pounds and she'd just as good. Kobe is a Jordan wannabe and that's all there is too it. Can he complain a little more about getting calls either? The call in the Timberwolves series on the three was a joke. The Chicago Bulls of the 90's would've destroyed this team. Over Rated is the lesson of the day.

I absolutely loathe this team, and I honestly don't understand how anyone could like them. I was absolutely thrilled when the Spurs knocked 'em out of the playoffs the other night; there really should be nation-wide parties to celebrate such an occasion. As I've mentioned on here before, Kobe Bryant is an over-rated, cocky showboat, Rick Fox reminds me of a curly-haired ass, Robert Horry is a talentless waste of space that mistakenly thinks he's God's gift to basketball, and Shaq is just a huge, nasty, ugly beast whom you can't gaurd without getting called for a foul; his free throw shooting reminds me of myself in about the 3rd grade, and if it weren't for his inhuman size, he would be cleaning fish for a living because he is absolutely talentless. And I DARE anyone to tell me otherwise.

There have been a few times in years past when I pulled for the Lakers. But I was astonished at how the championship was stolen for them by the referees during their series against Sacramento in 2002. I also have no use for the vile and unsportsmanlike behavior of Rick Fox. The one saving grace is Kobe Bryant - as much as I despise the Lakers, I have to grudgingly admit that he's an incredibly good player. I wish that he weren't that good, if he's going to play for the Lakers. The rest of them aren't even fun to watch. It was a glorious night recently when San Antonio finally disposed of them in the playoffs.

Because they are in a big-money market and Shaguille O'Neal is the biggest draw, the league will do anything it can to make sure they win the title. They let him get away with countless fouls and they changed the best of five first round playoffs to best of seven just so they would have a better chance of winning. AND EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT'S WHY THEY CHANGED IT. UPDATE!!!UPDATE!!!UPDATE!!!The Spurs have sent them packing!!! Happy happy days!!!Joy to the world!!!Order has been restored!!!Bye bye Laker losers!!!

I hate this team, but they have talent. Kobe has played amazingly lately. I hate Shaq. Who couldn't do what he does if they were that big? The refs should start calling the charges and 3 in the key on that big goon, then he wouldn't be so dominating.

A great team. Anyone that says otherwise is on another planet.Your a sorry dude if you don't understand the success the lakers have had over the years.

Best team in the league until someone knocks them off.

Name 4 Laker players other than Shaq and Kobe. That's what I thought. When those 2 have a solid game, the other 3 on the court just have to nail an open 3 every now and then. I can't stand Rick Fox, but he hits in clutch on occassion. Robert Horry...what can you say about him? He broke my heart when he nailed that clutch 3 against the Kings in the playoffs last year. My girlfriend thought something was seriously wrong when she heard me throw my coke across the room and yell a string of obscenities. Even with a "weak" record, the playoffs are a different season.

Where would the Lakers be without Shaq and Kobe? Hoping for the best pick of the Lottery.

The Yankees of the NBA.

Worst basketball team EVER...

OUTSTANDING AMAZING...they won 3 nba championsjip titles what more do u want?

CHEATERS! ___holes!I HATE THIS TEAM

I hate this team

The Lakers are a team I love to hate. I'm almost ashamed to say it but I enjoy rooting against them more than I like rooting FOR certain teams I like. They underachieve and they talk a lot. I don't understand how Coach Jackson lets them get away with the garbage basketball they've played so far this season (w/out shaq).

Shaq is the fatest POS in the history of the NBA!!!! NOBODY CAN DENY THAT!!! He is the fatest guy in the league and he charges everytime he touches the ball. Last year in the kings lakers series he fouled out in every game before the half, but the sorry refs wouldn't call it. The kings really won. Without Shaq their record is 3-6!!! 3-6!!! 3-6!! They need to have a weight limit now in the NBA. He's not a real player. Lakers have cheated into their championships. LAKERS SUCK!!!!

Shaq!!! any 7'3 500pd guy could stand UNDER the court and make the shot. HE SUCKS!!!!!! and the Lakers would be nothing without this cheating monster.

Shaq and kobe make this team great everyone else pretty much sucks on this team. Not a good bench.

I like the additions of Richmond and Hunter; they add much-needed depth...I question the addition of Walker; it's not like Horace Grant was CWebb or anything like that, but handing a starting slot on the 2-time world champs to an unproven guy like Walker isn't a good sign...Every year, I question Rick Fox as their starting 3, but every year he significantly contributes to a postseason run...Fisher's injury will affect them; he's a spiritual guy, a great leader, a second coach out there. Hunter, on the other hand, was given the keys in Detroit, and he misfired often and played selfishly. He's not a guy that you can win a championship with...Shaquille O'Neal is the most dominant player to come along in decades. If they're ever in trouble, they just dump it down to him, and he makes things happen. He's a very underrated defender, too, a good shot-blocker...Kobe Bryant's only knock is lack of consistency from long range, but playing with Shaq, who needs threes?

The lakers are a good team, but only because of two players, Kobe, and Shaq. If the Lakers had not these two, they would be as bad as the Clippers.

Not my favorite team and old rival of the Knicks, but you can't deny their dominating players and style with Kobe, Shaq, Fisher, Fox, and Horry. You have to give them credit for the last 2 championships won.

Absolutely overrated. With all that talent they should win every game they play, but they can't and won't with all of the whining, self absorbed jack asses on their squad. They will never be equivalent to the Lakers dynasty of old.

Kobe is the best and he will be the greatest of all time. He doesn't need shaq. When he didn't play with shaq he averaged 40 something points a game. He could take on any defense by himself and he could dominate anyone 1 on 1 expecially Iverson because Iverson sucks and Kobe could school him any day. Just look at the stats and learn. KOBE WILL BE THE GREATEST!!!

best team. dominated this year and won championship

Overrated. Overrated. Overrated. Overrated. Overrated. Your 15 minutes of fame are ticking away...

The addition of Phil Jackson pushed this team over the top. He transformed them from a supremely talented, hopelessly fragmented team that regularly got swept from the playoffs into a supremely talented, cohesive team that won the NBA championship. And he did it in one year, which is pretty impressive. Now all the talk turns to the Lakers' ability to repeat as champions and turn themselves into a dynasty. All signs seem to indicate that they have a great chance. Jackson is a master coach. Shaq, at 28 years old, is the most dominant force in the NBA. And Kobe, only 21 years old, is a better player at that age than Jordan was. Continue to surround the three of them with smart, veteran role players like Ron Harper, throw in a good outside shooter, and there's no reason the Lakers of the 00s can't win as many championships as the Bulls of the 90s.