Whew! Thank Goodness That’s Finally Over

Of all the insults the dismantled Lakers left us this season -- aside from the tough losses of Shaquille, Rudy T, now Vlade to suspension and Lamar to injuries -- the worst affront had to be this week. They lost to the Warriors by 27 points. The Golden State Warriors. Yeah, I know.

Hank Rosenfeld

Santa Monica

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I fear that just as John Wooden retired at UCLA and the Bruins have found him irreplaceable with a revolving door of coaches, the Lakers without GM Jerry West may face the same problem. As a longtime NBA and Laker fan, I am still waiting to be impressed by Mitch Kupchak. Making no trade at this year’s trade deadline, the Shaq trade debacle, the drafting of Vujacic, Cook, Rush, and extending the contract of Devean George ...

As I say, I’m waiting to be impressed.

Harry Bluebond

Valley Village

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Laker fans should stop pining for the return of Phil Jackson. I have a sneaking suspicion that Big Chief Opportunist and his vaunted triangle offense will soon resurface in Cleveland. Jackson undoubtedly senses a golden opportunity to coach another MVP candidate (LeBron James) in the weak Eastern Conference. Now if he can only coax Michael Jordan out of retirement and steal Shaq from Miami, his 10th ring will be in sight.

Mark S. Roth

Los Angeles

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What Allen Iverson has done to lift the 76ers into the playoffs is what we fans expect from so-called “team leaders” -- even if they are ballhogs.

Unfortunately, L.A.’s One-Man Team could not match Iverson’s accomplishment -- even with a more talented lineup than the 76ers. Laker fans might want to think about that for a moment before they trot out the usual litany of excuses to explain the abysmal season served up by Kobe’s Team.

Jennifer Bell

Sacramento

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Mitch Kupchak said to his season-ticket holders: “If you make the decision on one season, you’re making a big mistake.”

Earth to Mitch: You made the decision on one season and you made the big mistake.

Danny Sanchez

Westminster

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Brian Grant, please retire with dignity. You are a shadow of the player you once were. Squeezing $30 million or so out the Lakers the next two years and averaging three points and three rebounds a game won’t get your jersey hung on the wall anyway.

Nicholas Knoll

Los Angeles

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We have seen the sign of the apocalypse: Jerry Buss has become Donald Sterling.

Gary Patterson

Brea