Kobe Bryant Takes Derek Fisher Trade In Stride

We didn’t need Kobe Bryant to do a LeBron James style one-hour special to announce how he felt about Derek Fisher being shipped off to Houston. Of course the man was disappointed to see his longtime running mate leave Los Angeles. The two men entered the league as rookies together and combined to win five NBA titles. That kind of trust can’t be replaced overnight no matter how explosive Ramon Sessions is in the open court.

However anybody who thought Mamba was going to mope around the locker room like some Celtic walking by an empty locker that once belonged to Kendrick Perkins was sadly mistaken.

First things first, it’s not like Bryant has played every game of his life with Fisher. How quickly people forget D-Fish left to get himself more money in NorCal some years ago. People also tend to forget that Bryant is a vet that understands the business of sports.

Nothing personal but if Sessions helps get Kobe closer to winning another title then Bryant would likely help Fisher pack had Mitch Kupchak given him the heads up.

After seeing Sessions work some of his open court magic Kobe finally spoke on his feelings of the Fisher trade. Like a true pro he expressed his difficulty in coping with the loss but has been there and done that before.

"“It was very difficult. I’ve been with him pretty much my entire career aside from the little stint he had away from us. So it’s very different. It’s pretty weird. ”“I’ve been here a while and had some of my closest friends go starting with Caron (Butler), (Ronny) Turiaf, Lamar (Odom) and now Derek. I’ve been through it many times before.”"

While Fisher’s leadership can never be replaced, I’m sure what Session brings to the table will certainly help offset some of that locker room chemistry. One thing that every point guard must do is keep everyone involved. Sessions showed some of that in his Laker debut. He might not have the pedigree of Fisher but Bryant will surely love getting open looks.

Something else you’re not going to get from Bryant is any sappy lamenting. Fisher got traded, it’s like dude died. Kobe said as much when asked if he spoke to Derek.

"“We talked about the good times and you know what a fun time we had going into battle together. But that’s as sentimental as I’m going to get.”"