Earlier today the Los Angeles Lakers held a press conference to introduce three of their newest acquisitions during this off-season: Forward Brandon Bass, Center Roy Hibbert, and Guard Lou Williams, the latter being the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year. With the addition of 2nd overall pick D'Angelo Russell it appears that the Lakers are building changing their course after their worst two seasons in franchise history. Of course, everyone knows that the centerpiece of any chances for a Tinseltown revival rests upon the aging legs of superstar Kobe Bryant. So naturally it would appear that after the past few years the iconic leader of this franchise would be willing to quickly embrace the newest members of the purple and gold...
...as Lee Corso says, "Not so fast, my friends."
Now, it could be assumed that Mr. Bryant is away on vacation, which is what many an NBA player will do during this time of year, and certainly his right. Or, based on his newly christened teammates' reaction to the reporter's question in the video, it can also be assumed that this isn't what he imagined would be the way his career would finish: having to play with three guys he knows will not get him to a place he has frequented: the NBA Finals. It was reported that one of the reasons that prize free agent LaMarcus Aldridge turned down the Lakers was because that the meeting with Kobe and the Lakers brass did not go well, with the brass attempting to sell the star forward on the LA lifestyle and championship legacy, which Aldridge did not take to kindly to.
Regardless of the reasons, this speaks to a larger issue: does he have a responsibility to reach out to his new teammates? During the twilight of his career, is it really up to him to provide the olive branch to create any level of chemistry? We don't know if or when he will speak to them, but what is he supposed to say? "Welcome to the Lakers, now get me the ball and get out of the way?"
However, to look on the other side of the table, there comes a time when a star needs to step out of their comfort zone to do what is best for the organization that has done so much for him, and vice versa. This is an opportunity for Kobe to bring together a team that has been moved off course the past few years, and to change his reputation of being a me-first player who has alienated every star he's ever played with, from Shaq to Dwight to Gasol. Defenders of Kobe say that the blame should be on the players who left, but when you see this video, you have to question if the person who has really been the epicenter of the Lakers' problems has been the one who has been there all along.
No comments:
Post a Comment