When Did Lakers Become Lovable Losers?

It’s fortunate for the Lakers that the regular season weeds out the last-place teams. Otherwise, they would get bounced in the first round of the playoffs.

Robin Smith

Redondo Beach

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My question to the Lakers is, since they seem to treat the first 60 games of the regular season as an extended preseason, why should the fans be expected to care? I know championships are won in June and not January, but fans are earned and kept with hard work and hustle.

Craig Kwasniewski

Santa Monica

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Memo to Phil Jackson: You might want to have the best player on the planet actually play the fourth quarter in its entirety. I know that the Zen master has his reasons; heck, old Phil may want to get the towel boy some playing time. But sitting Kobe Bryant for half of the fourth quarter is a sure way to lose games.

Peter Shaw

Encino

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Fear not, Laker fans. Phil Jackson has it all under control. As soon as the team finishes the first half of the season with the third- or fourth-best record in the conference, thus enabling him to skip the All-Star game in Philadelphia so he can hang out in Palm Springs with the owner’s daughter, he will come back a new man and guide the team to the best record in the league and a third consecutive title.

Frank Lansen

Norwalk

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It seems to me things are just a little bit too cozy on the Laker team at this point of the season and look where it’s gotten us: Losing to the worst teams in the NBA and to the cross-town rival Clippers. This Shaq and Kobe lovefest is just not working. So in the interest of lighting a fire under this seemingly complacent Laker team I’m going to let Shaq in on a little secret: Kobe told me your mother wears army boots!

Jon Roe

Los Angeles

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Before Shaquille O’Neal throws another punch in anger, he might want to have a conversation with Rudy Tomjanovich, or better yet, with Kermit Washington. A single, fateful punch and one man comes away with a shattered face, the other with a shattered life.

Bink Goncharoff

Santa Barbara

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Now that Shaq has pointed out that Bill Plaschke is a frog, does this mean T.J. Simers will start referring to him as “Kermit” in his column? And, by bashing Shaq, will this affect Plaschke’s “homer” status?

Mike Randle

West Hollywood