Is Everybody Sleeping On Kobe Bryant? Not Smart

Kobe Bryant has shown the type of player he is for 18 years, a great one. If we have learned anything about Kobe it’s that no matter his age or injury, he will comeback just as good as when he left. He will be the greatest 36-year-old basketball player of all time. Which is the age he will be in 2014-2015. 

Kobe has never disappointed the Lakers or their fans. He has won multiple championships in multiple eras. In the years when Lakers weren’t winning, he would satisfy all of us with an 81-point game and two 60 or more point games. There’s no reason we shouldn’t depend on Kobe to deliver in 2014-2015. 

Kobe’s fire for a sixth ring is unquenchable. Players that get achilles injuries usually never return, but Kobe is not your average player and he will return from the torn achilles and his latest knee injury and give it his all. He has the drive that can only be compared to the one Michael Jordan had.

This is the drive that will lead the Lakers to a championship and give Kobe his sixth with the franchise. That sixth ring will put him on par with Jordan, and everyone knows Kobe will do anything in his power to get it. But Kobe will need help. 

If you study NBA history, you will know that the Lakers will most likely bring in a few big names to Los Angeles next year. The Lakers usually do this after a very bad season, which the Lakers are currently experiencing. 

In the past, Laker general manager Mitch Kupchak has shown that he has the ability to bring star players to LA. Most notably under Kupchak were the acquisitions of Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard.

The Lakers have had a history of general managers who bring in big players, most notably Jerry West; so when it comes to the Lakers, they can be counted on to deliver big name free agents when necessary. 

First and foremost the Lakers will likely part ways with Pau Gasol to free up cap space. Gasol has done great things with the Lakers, helping them win 2 championships. He’ll be missed if he leaves and he will always be well liked in LA. But his departure seems pretty definite at this point. 

Although Gasol may be on his way out, the Lakers do have some good players on the roster they need to keep in order to compliment Kobe when he returns; namely Nick Young and Jodie Meeks.

This season both players have shown that they have what it takes to be very good basketball players in the NBA. But it will take more than them for the Lakers to compete on the highest level again. 

Because the Lakers are such a storied and legendary franchise, players will always want to come play in Los Angeles, and playing for the Lakers is always a special privilege. They’ve been to the NBA Finals 31 times, won 16 championships, and have more legends in their history than any team in NBA history. 

When it comes to the Lakers there are certain players that rise to the occasion night in and night out because they understand the prestige of playing in LA. But every now and then there’s an outlier that shows a lack of respect for the game by not honoring what it is to be a Laker. Those players do things like leave after one season when things don’t go well. (Players like that shall remain nameless…) 

No one should consider this current season as anything more than a one-season anomaly because the Lakers will do great next season, and the season after that. This is an organization that has always been filled with great and intelligent people and has inspired mostly every player to ever play there. We can chalk this season up for what it is but next season, LA and Kobe will back fighting for the Larry O’Brien trophy, and it’ll be just like normal.