If Charles Barkley deal goes through, there may be no chance for the Kobe/Shaq era!
A trade to the Lakers would have put Charles Barkley in the type of big market of L.A. that most players at that time wanted. But a few questions need to be asked.
- Think Charles Barkley would have enjoyed playing the “Triangle” offense under Phil Jackson?
- How about Philadelphia 76ers West? The Lakers probably would have gone a different route that would have made it difficult to retool the team based on the Sixers possible asking price.
- The pairing of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal may never happen based on the salary cap at those times.
In 2000, in Game 7 against the Portland Trail Blazers take one of those two stars in Bryant or O’Neal, could Barkley help lead that historical comeback?
But realistically, Jerry West had to gut the roster to just get Shaquille O’Neal to sign his deal and part of that overhauling was to trade Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets to get the rights to Kobe Bryant. Three NBA titles together and two more under the Kobe regime shows that sometimes the best deals are the ones that are never made.
In conclusion, a public service announcement from Lake Show Life.