lakerevolution wrote:NuggetsCountry wrote:lakerevolution wrote:The Minneapolis Lakers used the No. 1 overall pick in the 1958 NBA draft to select Baylor, then convinced him to skip his senior year at SU and instead join the pro ranks. The team, several years removed from its glory days of George Mikan, was in trouble on the court and at the gate. The year prior to Baylor's arrival, the Lakers finished 19–53 with a squad that was slow, bulky and aging. Baylor, whom the Lakers signed to play for $20,000 per year (equivalent to $180,000 in 2019), was the franchise's last shot at survival.
With his superb athletic talents and all-round game, Baylor was seen as the kind of player who could save a franchise, and he did. According to Minneapolis Lakers owner Bob Short in a 1971 interview with the Los Angeles Times: "If he had turned me down then, I would have been out of business. The club would have gone bankrupt."
As some of you know, my Dad took me to see Elgin as a rookie in Minneapolis, as I grew up in a suburb of that city. That is when I became a lifelong Lakers fan! Do the math on that longevity - hard to imagine many others around in our fandom for that long.
Yes sir!! One thing I have always been humbled by is the knowledge and perspective of the people I've been blogging with about the Lakers franchise. Whether we liked each other's opinions or not, we knew that we all love to be real fans of this franchise. Much like you, Nuggs, I was born and raised in Lakerdom. You the MPLS, and me the LA. There's never been anything else, which is pretty fuckin lucky if you ask me. Most consistently prolific major sports franchise in the last 60+ years. Only the Yanks and the Celts (I think) can boast such prowess. *shout out to my Dodgers*
Go Lakers!
We have all been lucky to be fans of the teams we have rooted for.
Kenny = Lakers (17), Yankees (27), 49ers (5) Championships. You
Rev = Lakers (17), Dodgers (6 total counting Brooklyn in 55), and Raiders (3) Championships - same for
Craig.
Nuggs = Lakers (17) and Yankees (27),
Chargers not so much . I have always loved the Lakers since I was a little kid, I thought Kareem was a God and then they drafted Magic so it was easy for me. As a Colts and Cubs fan since the 80's, it has had its ups and downs but I got my Championships with both = 2006 Colts (1), 2016 Cubs (1). We all have chose the right teams to root for, but smart people think alike
All my teams have been Champs! Can't ask for anything else.
IMO, eventhough they count, the Celtics have a lot of tainted Championships. From 1957-1965 they won 8 of them only having to win 2 series playing against a bunch short white guys like me
- hell I could've played back then and probably could outshoot most of them - not be cocky but true. I guess they count though so it is what it is