![]() But I would've liked to have stayed there the rest of my career." 'What y'all wanna do? Want me to take less money, take a lesser role, and stay here? Or you still want me to be Shaq? See, it's that ego. "If I had to do it all over again, I probably would've had a meeting with the family. O'Neal told the All the Smokepodcast with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes: O'Neal has since expressed his regret about leaving the Lakers and Bryant, breaking up the last NBA franchise to secure a three-peat. While O'Neal ended up winning one more title by helping Miami take down the Dallas Mavericks in 2005-06, he claimed the Lakers would have wound up with seven total championships had he and Bryant stayed together. This was more of a financially driven request, as the Lakers didn't want to give a past-his-prime O'Neal a max contract, especially with Bryant looking capable of carrying a team. O'Neal's second request ultimately landed him with the Miami Heat in 2004 when he was 32, sending Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and two draft picks back to L.A. The first time came in late 2000 after these Lakers had already won a title together, although a 21-10 start to the season following a 67-win campaign and questions about O'Neal and Bryant's co-existence led to the All-Star center asking out, something the Lakers refused to honor. During this stretch, the Lakers made the playoffs all eight times, winning titles in 2000, 20.ĭespite this success, O'Neal actually requested to be traded twice from the Lakers. Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were one of the greatest duos in NBA history, spending eight seasons together with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996-97 to 2003-04. © 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc.Pressefoto Ulmer\ullstein bild via Getty Images With some people speculating that Leonard could return early in the NBA playoffs, the Clippers are looking like an incredible value at +4000 to win the West on BetMGM, who is giving the best odds on this by a wide margin. Kawhi Leonard shoots before their game against the Warriors for the first time since July Getty Images However, the return of George and Powell would obviously be a massive boost. On the season, they are 36-39, and are destined for the play-in game to get into the playoffs.Īll of that screams doom and gloom. Moreover, they are losers of five straight games going into Tuesday’s tilt with the Utah Jazz. Since then, the Clippers have had to deal with some bad luck and injuries for weeks on end. Odds provided by BetMGM as of Tuesday, March 29Ĭoming into the season, the Clippers were expected to seriously compete for a title, starting the year with the second-best odds behind the Lakers to win the Western Conference (+600) and ahead of the current favorite Phoenix Suns. NBA Futures odds update: Betting the Clippers before the odds shift? NBA Western Conference odds It should be noted that Simmons claimed George would be back by the play-in game on Sunday, before any news had hit the market on Tuesday related to his official return. “What I heard is, don’t be shocked if they had a full team back for round one.” “I think they’ll have George and Powell back for the play-in game,” he said. He went on to say there are some “rumblings” that Leonard could be back for round one of the playoffs. Full Terms and Conditions apply.įurthermore, Ringer founder Bill Simmons fed these rumors on his podcast. And that door has been left open,” Youngmisuk said. If they make it out of the play-in tournament, however, and Paul George and Norman Powell also return, Leonard would just need clearance from the medical staff to play again. “By all accounts, Leonard has been working hard and looks to be in good shape, but the Clippers will be extra cautious with their franchise star. Three weeks ago, Leonard went through an “extensive” shooting drill when they faced off against the Golden State Warriors.Ĭonsequently, Youngmisuk again reported just five days ago that Leonard could return for round one of the playoffs. Rumors have been swirling about a potential return of their all-world superstar. Kawhi Leonard had surgery on his partially torn ACL in July. His return in a big game should be a big boost for the Clippers. Welcome back to the Clippers, Paul George.Īccording to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, Paul George was upgraded to questionable to return on Tuesday, and he’s reportedly likely to return against the Utah Jazz. Kevin Durant, Suns drop Game 1 thanks to Russell Westbrook’s late heroics ![]() Smith unloads on NBA champion as ‘one of the worst superstars’ ever NBA superstar’s sister sentenced to life for murdering elderly woman ![]() Chris Paul potentially heading back to Clippers in Bradley Beal-Suns trade twist
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