Dear Mr. Buss,
Being a Lakers fan is extremely hard. Why you ask? Ridicule. Ridicule from fans of every other team, and some people who don’t even like basketball but “hate” the Lakers. I’m sure no one is bold enough to stand in your face and talk about how bad they performed or looked in the playoffs. We hear it day in and day out.
It is hard because of our expectations. We don’t expect to make the playoffs. Most teams in the NBA would be excited to make the post-season as often as we do. Just ask the Clippers. But Mr. Buss, this is not good enough for us. We expect to win the title. Period. We expect nothing less than to win every year, and that is hard for you to live up to. We know that, but I’m sorry. That is the level of expectation you have set for us.
Sir, we are not dumb fans. I personally believe we are the sharpest, most analytical fans on earth. We are not blind to the facts of the new CBA but we don’t feel like it should stop our success. Although it is far fetched for me to believe you actually read some of our favorite blogs, we research, we plan, and we work within the system to create a solution to the teams’ problem.
We want to return to the glory days of “Showtime.” We want the best point guard in the league playing alongside the best center in the league. We want starters who would be All-Stars on teams in the East and bench players who would start on any other team in the NBA. Tying these elite players with the absolute best player of this era could create something that could eclipse even the great “Showtime” era. Yes, it is a tall order but these new “Showtime” Lakers, let’s call them “Lakers HD,” could create the one thing that we all strive for individually. Legacy. In our own lives we all want to leave a legacy. To feel like we are part of something larger than ourselves. This is your opportunity.
How can this be accomplished you ask? Simple. Throw caution to the wind. Swallow the pill and disregard the new CBA. We know the facts of our current contracts. Bynum for $16.4 million, Gasol for $19 million and Kobe for $27.8 million puts us in a situation where blinking hard puts us over the cap. With the new CBA you would pay somewhere near $45 million in luxury tax, up from $19.9 million. Starting in 2013-14, teams more than $4 million above the tax level cannot receive a player in a sign-and-trade transaction. Thus, now is the time!
The time is now Mr. Buss. Time to improve. Time to construct a new team and a new legacy. We have the perfect centerpiece in Kobe Bryant to build around to win now. The right pieces would allow us to win in the future after he retires. Lets not squander his remaining years leaving us to think about “what if and could have been.” Leave your mark on the NBA sir. Do it now.
Concerned, loyal & devoted fan,
Robert Cheeseboro
@robcontinental
Note: All thoughts and opinions expressed above are that of Mr. Cheeseboro and do not reflect the opinions of Lakers Nation as a whole.