Making Ceballos Pay for His Vacation

You can give someone a title of captain, but you can’t make someone a leader. Cedric Ceballos, if you can’t lead, follow. If you can’t follow, stay missing. Too many other Lakers want to play every day.

P.J. GENDELL

Beverly Hills

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Cedric Ceballos said there are a lot of things he places before basketball. I believe, based upon his absence and the reasons, the primary thing he is talking about is his self-interest.

On what he earns, he may figure that he can afford the $100,000 it cost him to be absent. He has no idea of the respect he has lost by virtue of what he has done.

For such a big guy, he turned out to be a baby. I hope he has some sort of life after basketball, as he doesn’t appear to have much of a future in the game.

MARSHALL KLINE

Los Angeles

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Without question, it was irresponsible for Cedric Ceballos to take a leave of absence without notice to the Lakers. If he were not a pro athlete, he would have been terminated on the spot.

But for Magic Johnson to question Ceballos’ commitment to the Lakers? Johnson with his yo-yo approach to commitment--”I’m retiring. I’m back. I might play next season. I might play for another team.”?

The truth of the matter is that Magic, with his off-again, on-again career, is a bigger distraction to the Lakers than Ceballos’ absence.

R.J. DEAKINS

Temecula

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Cedric Ceballos--selfish? Cedric, while I disagree with the way you’ve handled your diminishing minutes of playing time, I would hardly call you selfish.

After all, you’ve managed to make the team flights a little less crowded by opening up an extra seat to accommodate Magic’s head.

Your teammates should appreciate your personal sacrifice.

DANO DEPALMA

Laguna Hills

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The next time I need some time off from work, I think I’ll call in sick on a Friday, or Monday, or both. No, too obvious. Why don’t I just take off and not let my employer know what’s going on? I know, I’ll have my agent call and tell my employer I’m OK. But I don’t have an agent.

OK, I had a nice weekend, I guess I need to go back to work now. I’ll call a press conference to announce why I missed work. But where will I hold it? Is the unemployment office open on Monday?

Cedric, it doesn’t fit.

KEVIN SPEAKS

Pasadena

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I am relieved that Cedric Ceballos did not play college ball at UCLA. The talk-radio fanatics would be blaming Jim Harrick for Cedric’s inability to keep both oars in the water.

MICHAEL ROUSE

Torrance