@hoorta said:

Still think LA is a Laker town but Clips are closing the gap. Kobe if healthy may still be a great player but the health question is just that, a question.

@baconhound said:

Just have to wonder who's currently getting the bigger TV ratings in LA- the Lakers or Clippers? As long as Kobe thinks he's still elite- the Lakers are likely going to be a lottery team.

@baconhound said:

That is the incongruousness of it........the Lakers are irrelevent.....you and I both know it. Its just that the FRAK community is just way behind the times. They just can't get it that they are irrelevent.

I don't think I said that about the Heat though......the Heat could be relevant when it comes to the playoff race next year.

@gftchris said:

First he calls Heat and Lakers fans FRAKs and then calls them irrelevant, hmmm

@gftchris said:

No...I am right about this: The Lakers were competitively irrelevant in the playoff chase last year. They were irrelevant in the playoff race the year before that. They will be competitively irrelevant likely in the playoff race next year.

I am right that the Lakers are crap. I am right that they suck, basketball wise.

Yes, Kobe is a fading star that cannot do what he used to do.....lead his team to a winning record.

That is what I said, that is what I am talking about.

If kids in the UK can't discern who is or who is not relevant from a competitive standpoint in the NBA....then they don't have a clue and are apparently slow on the uptick.

@the-gipper said:

Kobe still moves the needle, http://www.nba.com/2015/news/01/12/nba-most-popular-jersey-official-release/ , still #4

@baconhound said:

The Browns Championships I recount as part of history.....same as Lakers titles. Not as an aspect of current relevency.

Who is likely to win a title next year.....that is what is relevent.

For young FRAKasses in the UK, they want the very current relevent, winning teams to glom onto. The Lakers are not that. The Warriors, Cavs, maybe Rockets and Hawks are.

@the-gipper said:

C'mon Man this coming from the guy who still holds so tightly to the Browns NFL Championships

@baconhound said:

Winning in those years is no more relevent now than the Chicago Stags win in 1947.

But, here is an interesting stat.....of the teams that won the first 12 NBA title only the Boston Celtics are currently in the same city with the same name. The rest are elsewhere or defunct:

Chicago Stags.....defunct

Original Baltimore Bullets....defunct (the Baltimore Bullets that became the Washington Wizards were the 2d franchise by that name)

Minneapolis Lakers ....now LA Lakers

Rochester Royals....now Sacramento Kings

Syracuse Nationals....now Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia Warriors....now Golden State Warriors

St. Louis Hawks....now Atlanta Hawks

@gftchris said:

The stores over there probably only sell the gear of those teams. I have been to place here that have been somewhat "remote" in that they were not near a town that had a team.....and if you go into a store in those places you can only find the gear of maybe 3-4 teams.

See....what happened is that here, nobody is buying that Laker crap any more.....because the Lakers are crap....so they have shipped all that surplus inventory over to you.

@gftchris said:

Old habits die hard. For 40 years they were on top. People invested in that stuff when the Lakers were on top.....they just want to get a return on their investment.

Tell us in another year or two of Laker suckage if it it still the case.

You will probably start seeing more Warriors jerseys....or, even Cavs now that LeBron is back in the fold.

@the-gipper said:

The point was in response to it being said that young people don't see the lakers as a big team/desirable destination. If the fans here are FRAKs, that would seem to indicate the contrary.

@gftchris said:

So? You got a whole Island full of FRAKs? I suppose you see all Patriots and Seahawks jerseys as well.

@browns149 said:

The Thompson question is a good one and it will be interesting to see how it plays out. With some big names Celtics, Lakers, Mavericks and Knicks not making a huge splash someone may over pay.

I can't see giving him max money for being a non-starter.

Seems like the NBA is 3 big time players and a bunch of role players.

You don't pay role players $15 million.

The role players change every year and get paid way less then Thompson wants

@hoorta said:

All they want to talk about are the Lakers and the Knicks. Get a clue ESPN, they suck and will continue to suck for the forseeable future. Right now the Cavs are on top....talk about them.....or talk about upcoming teams like the Bucks, T-Wolves, Pelicans.

@beare said:

Fortunately- few very few commentators (Freddie Coleman,ESPN) dare to say the Lakers and Celtics aren't exactly destination franchises anymore.

The young bucks are too young to mostly remember when they were the top of the heap.

@canton-mike said:

Probably not.

Hmm, will Larry Dolan learn anything from these two guys?

Mike