The rich getting richer but could have been even better except for a fateful decision. https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...sampson/203d5505-faf0-46bf-8ccf-d8a4d3b24345/ Sampson won't enter the draft because he dreaded playing for the Clippers. Clippers won't accept the 6 million offer, the Lakers were offering. LOL Sterling was an idiot even before then. I think we could have 3peated if Sampson entered the draft. Chick touched on this a bit here in Sampson's interview
I vaguely remember this Sampson pursuit @LTLakerFan , I didn't know we could have had him if he had entered the 1982 draft.. Can you imagine Sampson anchoring the fast break with Magic at the helm? Dr. Buss was the man trying to ensure the pick which we eventually won anyway!
ahhh yes, ted stepien. the NBA created a rule against teams trading away their first round pick in consecutive years because stepien would trade away the cavs first round picks year after year
Why was Norm Nixon traded in his prime? Jerry West seem to have something personal against him according to this
Looking at my copy of 'Showtime' by Roland Lazenby, it also says there was definitely a battle of egos between him and West. He was also opinionated, which most of the players liked, but West didn't. The official reasoning was that you had Magic and Norm both wanting to bring the ball up, and that the Lakers had to choose whom to make their #1 PG. Norm wanted to be the man, but of course the Lakers stuck with Magic. But to get dealt to the clips? Yeesh that had to have stung.
That's why I thought if only Buss traded Nixon(Sterling had the hots for him) earlier to the Clippers with the 6million offer, we could have Sampson and Worthy in 82-83 season.
Nixon and West did clash. Nixon once said he never saw West play then added never saw him coach either. Ooooh...cold! .