For the Moment, They’re Nobody’s Team

Kobe: Don’t listen to Bill Plaschke [Jan. 11]. Don’t break up the Lakers, one season removed from a three-peat. They need both you and Shaq to win. You can take over at the end of games when Hack-a-Shaq kicks in. He can get the team to that point in the game, with a chance to win.

Remember, even Magic, at the height of his powers, never won another title after Kareem retired. But Kareem never won a title without either Oscar or Magic, either. The only guard that won consistently without a great big man was Jordan, and only after he was willing to trust all of his teammates.

Kobe, if you want to win more championships than Michael, don’t leave. Milk this run with Shaq for as long as you can. (I won’t even address the absurd suggestion to trade Shaq.) When he retires, it will be your team. In the end, the number of rings is what matters most. Just ask Gary and Karl -- and Bill Russell.

Mo Sanchez

Coto de Caza

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Dear Bill “Statistics Prove Everything” Plaschke:

OK, build a team around Jordan, or Malone or Payton or Shaq and the team wins. So let’s have someone build a team around Kobe and see if he’s as good as those guys. Oh, and as far as Kobe’s shooting 50 for 110 (46%), how about not counting those shots when his teammates throw him the ball with four seconds on the 24-second clock and yell, “Bail us out!”

Ed Marro

San Diego

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Bill Plaschke’s article about the need for Kobe to stay with Shaq to win is a bit misleading. No one will doubt the dominance of Shaq. He is virtually unstoppable on the offensive end and is a force on defense when he tries. However, Kobe can still do it on his own. The statistics cited by Plaschke fail to take into account that when Shaq doesn’t play, the Lakers are without a center.

If you were to take a small portion of Shaq’s salary and purchase an average NBA center, then Kobe would still win. If not for questionable shot selection, Kobe is as good as Michael Jordan. He is not afraid to take the big shot and comes through more often than he misses. There are only a handful of players in NBA history who can make that claim.

I believe Kobe will leave the Lakers to prove that point with another team, probably the Knicks. I can hear the Garden rocking now.

Kenneth Spencer

Pacific Palisades

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I’m glad that Shaq, Malone and Kobe have injuries (but not season-threatening). The regulars (except Malone) are bored by the mid-season schedule.

This gives the bench a chance to get the needed experience to earn some playing time, so that when money time rolls around, they will all be in sync, rested and ready for showtime!

Steve Shaevel

Woodland Hills

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Forget the moniker “The Lakers Reloaded.” With the players getting hurt at this alarming rate, it seems more like the cast of “M*A*S*H”.

Mark J. Featherstone

Windsor Hills

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Now we find out how good a coach Phil Jackson is.

Jerome S. Kleinsasser

Bakersfield

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If Kobe needs shoulder surgery, do you think his wife will go with him?

Michael H. Sukoff

Tustin