Laker fans, ESPN's Lakers top 50. 50th Anni in LA

[Billings_Griz]

Ron Artest # 50. WTF.


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[John K]

Ron Artest # 50. WTF.


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Yeah, I don't even know where to start with all the ways that I disagreed with this list, but how could you put Ron Artest on there at all, after having played less than half a season with the team so far. And Glen Rice and Trevor Ariza ahead of Kurt Rambis? Glen Rice had a pretty good, although not a HOF career, but he was a major disappointment in the one partial season that he played for LA. And although I loved Ariza, and still believe that they should have kept him rather than signing Artest, he really only made a significant contribution one season, whereas Rambis was a major part of three championship teams, two of them as a starter.

I also don't understand putting Gasol ahead of A.C. Green and Norm Nixon. Pau is a great player, in fact I had no idea how good he was until he came to the Lakers. But again, he just hasn't yet spent enough time with the team to be ranked ahead of guys who had much longer tenures in LA, and were both starters on two championship teams. Nixon was such a great point guard that I remember some so-called "experts" questioned the wisdom of drafting another point guard, and actually thought the Lakers should take someone other than Magic with the #1 pick in 1979.

Every Lakers fan will forever have a place in their heart for D-Fish, and will never forget that shot he made against SA in 2004, but I can't see ranking him ahead of guys like Cooper, Wilkes, Nixon, and Green. Wilkes and Nixon both made multiple all-star teams, and Coop probably would have if he had played on a less talented team. He is the only player other than Kareem and Magic that played on all five 80's championship teams, and I don't think it's a coincidence that they never won one without him during that era. He won the defensive player of the year award once, and averaged double figures most seasons coming off the bench. I don't understand how he never won the sixth man award at least once or twice. (and let's not forget the "Coop-a-loop")

I would also probably drop Goodrich a little lower on the list, and would put Wilkes and Nixon ahead of him. I may have a little bit of a bias towards the 80's era Lakers, but I would say justifiably so. Five championships, nine Finals appearances, and at least 54 regular season wins for 12 consecutive seasons warrants great consideration for any of the key players on those teams. And they had to beat some pretty good Celtics and Sixers teams to win those championships, teams that were far better than any of the teams they beat in the finals the during Shaq-Kobe era IMHO.