No surprise in Payton’s decision

So why aren’t we surprised that Gary Payton decided to play another year for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA)?

Payton, who turns 36 next month, signed a two-year $10.3 Million deal to suit up for the Lakers before the start of this past season. The contract stipulated an option for Payton to leave the team after a year. There was no reciprocal option for the Lakers to boot out Payton, once known as the Glove for his suffocating defense and now badly criticized for being a loose fit.

Under terms of his contract, Payton will be paid a guaranteed $5.4 Million by the Lakers next year–whether he plays or not. That means the Lakers are obligated to deposit the cash in Payton’s bank account for as long as he doesn’t play for another club. The Lakers may sit Payton down the entire season if they want to but that won’t erase their commitment to pay his salary.

There’s no doubt Payton was unhappy with his situation last year. He couldn’t adjust to coach Phil Jackson’s triangle offense and often found himself buried on the bench in the fourth period with the game on the line. Jackson lost confidence not only in Payton’s ability to defend but also his decision-making down the stretch.

In the Finals, Payton looked pathetic on the floor. He couldn’t check Chauncey Billups so Jackson put him on Rip Hamilton but that didn’t work out, too. Payton was reassigned to Tayshaun Prince. Alas, that was also a mismatch.

Payton was benched in the fourth period of the Game 5 clincher. And he also sat out the fourth quarter and entire overtime in Game 2. Payton never scored in double figures in any of the five Finals games and averaged only 4.2 points, shooting a miserable .321 from the field, in the series.

With his pathetic showing, Payton couldn’t have boosted his marketability in the free agent stakes. That’s why he decided to stay with the Lakers. No other team would’ve agreed to pay him as much as $5.4 Million.

What’s making Payton a little optimistic about next season is Jackson’s exit. If Rudy Tomjanovich is hired to take over from Jackson, Payton will finally be rid of the triangle. Tomjanovich should be more tolerant of Payton’s individualistic style. Steve Francis is a lot more individualistic and Rudy T didn’t seem to mind the Franchise’s ego tripping. The problem is at his age, Payton can only dream of what Francis can still do on the court.

What the Lakers will look like, in terms of personnel, next year is a big mystery. That will depend on the new coach’s direction. Tomjanovich, who won back-to-back titles for the Houston Rockets in 1994 and 1995, is a bit fragile, health-wise, and may not be able to withstand the rigors of a pressure-packed season coming off a disappointing Finals performance. Rudy T is still undergoing treatment for bladder cancer.

Other candidates for Jackson’s job are George Karl, Pat Riley (who has reportedly declined to be considered), Hank Bibby (who is at the bottom of the barrel), Los Angeles Sparks coach Michael Cooper, Lakers assistant coaches Kurt Rambis and Jim Cleamons and Lakers consultant Brian Shaw (who is almost like Kobe Bryant’s father confessor).

Bryant is testing the free agent waters but will no doubt return to the Lakers camp. No other team can pay Bryant the maximum salary so he’ll go where the money is. Besides, Lakers owner Jerry Buss made it clear to Jackson he’d rather stick to Kobe than the Zen Master or Shaquille O’Neal.

It’s no secret that the reason why Buss didn’t entertain Jackson’s attempt to renegotiate his contract last February was a stipulation in the coach’s terms to release Bryant next year. Jackson and Bryant were at loggerheads this season and their feud appeared to be irreconcilable.

Jackson didn’t want to leave the Lakers but Buss gave him no choice. A few days after the Finals ended, Buss’ hatchetman–general manager Mitch Kupchak–shut the door on Jackson before he could reopen talks for a renegotiation and offered a front office job that seemed more like an insult than a gesture of appreciation for a solid job the last five years. Jackson, too proud to be beg, just walked away.

Buss’ infatuation with Bryant has left O’Neal looking for other options. Since it’s now clear that the Lakers are building around Bryant for the future, Shaq Diesel feels left out. But he’s got two years and $58.3 Million remaining on his Lakers contract. Shopping for a team that can afford O’Neal’s astronomical salary won’t be easy.

At the Lakers preseason training camp in Hawaii last year, O’Neal irked Buss by screaming for a contract extension during a scrimmage in the gym. It was clearly an act of indiscretion, if not disrespect. O’Neal later formalized his demand for a two-year extension, meaning a contract up to 2008. The rumor was he asked for at least a $9 Million increase.

O’Neal, Rick Fox, Devean George, Kareem Rush and Brian Cook are the only Lakers signed for next year. The team has the option to keep Luke Walton. Jamal Sampson, who was not on the Lakers playoff roster, was picked by Charlotte in the expansion draft. Bryant and Derek Fisher are exercising their option to become free agents although they may return to the Lakers. Horace Grant and Bryon Russell won’t be back for sure. Karl Malone may suit up for the Lakers again next year but that depends on his right knee’s condition.

And Payton will be back, much to a lot of Lakers fans’ disgust.