Maybe Lakers Are All Waiting to Wake Up

The average fan doesn’t care about Kobe and his contract, his trial or his threat of free agency.

The average fan doesn’t care about Shaq and his contract extension, his pouting or his relationship with Kobe.

The average fan doesn’t care about Phil and his contract, or his shaky relationship with Kobe and Shaq. The average fan can’t afford a ticket to a game anymore.

The average fan remembers when Laker basketball was fun to watch. The average fan just doesn’t care about the current state of Laker basketball anymore.

Brian Haueter

Ventura

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This has got to be the most disappointing Laker team ever. Shaq gets $275,000 a game, yet he takes nights off, depending on his mood. I wish I could afford to take days off because of my mood.

I’m disappointed that it appears our run of championships has come to an end. Kobe is probably going to leave, Phil might leave and we have eight other guys that could leave. We should trade Kobe now, so we can get something in return. Perhaps for Tracy McGrady, so Kobe can see what it’s like to have no help and be “the man.”

We’re about to see how much Mitch Kupchak learned from Jerry West.

Thanks, Shaq and Kobe, for the great display of egos out of control.

Devin Penzella

Inglewood

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Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t have to remind us that he’s a sleeping giant when half the time he plays as if he is asleep. Trade this lazy, overpriced guy and get some players who are committed, won’t have a world of ridiculous excuses, and will make free throws even during the parts of a game when they “don’t count.”

Joe Lynch

Singapore

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So Randy Harvey [Feb. 12] thinks that Shaquille O’Neal “has the personality” to be on the Laker pedestal with Magic Johnson and Jerry West? Harvey must be really starved for heroes if he mistakes sullen, mumbled sarcasm for personality.

Andrew M. Weiss

Los Angeles

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The Lakers and their fans have been very supportive of Kobe Bryant. Therefore, it is hard to understand his current attitude, sending signals that he is leaving the team.

What is the reason? Does he hate Shaquille O’Neal that much, despite teaming for three championships? Does he resent Phil Jackson’s triangle offense that brought the championships? Does he hate sharing the spotlight with not only Shaq but Karl Malone and Gary Payton, as well? Does his ego require that he be the one and only “big shot” on the team?

No one can stop Kobe from leaving the Lakers as a free agent, but it would be a shame if he left without a good reason.

Richard Raffalow

Valley Glen

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As a probation officer in L.A. County for the last 15 years, I have worked with thousands of juvenile delinquents. Many of these kids look up to “men” such as Shaquille O’Neal, and so it was very disheartening to hear him curse the way he did. What made things worse was for him to later say that he was “a 31-year-old juvenile delinquent. Nobody can control me.”

Many of the youth that we work with in the Probation Department have problems with authority figures, but we try to teach them that almost everybody has a boss and someone they need to answer to. Most in juvenile hall will tell you there is nothing glamorous or positive about being detained and called a juvenile delinquent.

Alex Nieto

El Segundo

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Shaq is such a hypocrite. He says the fans are denied seeing him play because of a suspension and yet he misses games because of phantom injuries (toes, calf, etc.). Half the time he’s out, you don’t even see him on the bench, cheering his guys on.

Let’s face it. It’s not [Jerry] Buss’ team or Jackson’s team. It’s Shaq’s team, and he does whatever he feels like doing.

Steve Urbanovich

Burbank

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With all the rumors flying around regarding the Lakers’ putting off talks on Jackson’s contract, let’s keep our focus on priorities. The important question is, if Phil Jackson goes, does Jeanie Buss stay?

P.J. Gendell

Beverly Hills

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It seemed a bit ironic that Magic Johnson’s statue was unveiled at Staples Center, which is the site of another major bust: the Lakers!

Jack Wolf

Westwood

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As if it weren’t enough to have J.A. Adande practically on the Laker payroll ...

One day after The Times published an article on the front sports page about the virtual absence of ticket availability for ordinary fans to the NBA All-Star game, Adande waxes poetic about how this is the real “people’s game,” unlike that corporate sellout known as the Super Bowl, where only the privileged few get to attend.

Perhaps J.A. might read the article in the paper he works for about the exclusion of the little people as part of his job duties and keep up with the real world? Or perhaps he’s too busy RSVPing to all of the fabulous parties none of us can attend?

Mike McNiff

Costa Mesa