They’re Getting Tired of Waiting for Lakers

For the umpteenth time this season we have been treated to a lethargic Laker effort resulting in a loss. After each loss we are told:

A) Wait until Shaq returns.

B) Wait until we get used to Shaq.

C) Wait until the second half of the season ... and now.

D) Wait until the playoffs -- we’ll play hard.

Many regular-season Laker games are simply unwatchable. The only thing worse than watching a bad team (the other Staples tenant) is watching a great team play uninspired and badly. Why buy tickets to watch Shaq miss the chippies, Kobe hoist up 41 shots in a losing effort or Fisher and Fox continually miss three-pointers?

I try to afford/attend a few home games each year, but this year’s team is too frustrating to watch. Why risk my hard-earned money to see these millionaires with no passion for the regular-season sleepwalk around the court for 82 games?

John Childs

Cardiff

Against San Antonio, Samaki Walker for the 50th time showed why the only way he should be wearing an NBA uniform would be if he bought one at the Laker gift shop. He is without exception the most inept player in the league and I’ll bet my last buck Mitch Kupchak keeps him around next year as Shaq’s “backup”!

Mitch, you can’t even handle very negative situations properly, namely, the Sacramento Queens’ disgusting insult toward Shaq on what was a major milestone in his career. You should have dealt with this through the league office and not made the comment that you “were sure the Kings management didn’t condone this type of behavior.” Are you kidding? The Kings and the MaGoof brothers?

Come on, Dr. Buss, leadership starts at the top.

John Widener

Burbank

Technically, a team is still the champion until another team comes along and knocks them off. But anyone who witnessed the Lakers’ recent losses to the Kings and Spurs knows that the defending champs have been reduced to the NBA’s “undead,” a team of ghouls. All that remains is the formality of passing the crown and seeing to it that they’re given a proper burial. RIP.

David Macaray

Rowland Heights

While it’s unfortunate that a game ball used during one of Shaq’s milestone accomplishments was defaced, it can’t be unexpected considering the circumstances. Maybe Shaq can still use the ball for something good and stick it in his mouth.

Mark L. Harrison

Sacramento

The reason the Kings didn’t stop the game to celebrate Shaq’s 20,000 points was because they couldn’t find anybody in Sacramento who could count that high.

Lynn Johnson

Long Beach