Kobe Bryant: The Recruiter of the Lakers Future
By Scott Asai
Dec 12, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) does a post game interview after the game against the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center. The Lakers won 112-110 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Kobe Bryant may be resting and taking some games off soon, but his work on and off the court is far from done.
With Kevin Durant and Paul George coming to his defense, reports of superstars not wanting to play with Bryant are overblown.
But with the Lakers sitting near the bottom of the West, the Lakers must shift their focus towards 2015 and beyond. Assuming the Lakers sit tight and don’t make any trades before the deadline, free agency will be crucial.
This doesn’t take into account where the Lakers end up in the draft, but based on recent luck we’ll fall outside of the top 5 and lose our pick anyway.
While Kobe is playing this season, he needs to think about how he wants his final chapter of his career to be remembered. Bryant can be known as the guy who took a huge contract and depleted his team’s chances of winning or he can be remembered as a winner who helped recruit stars and left his team in great shape as he rode off into the sunset.
More from Lake Show Life
- Darvin Ham adds to Max Christie hype train after Lakers preseason opener
- Is LeBron James playing tonight? Latest Lakers vs Warriors update
- Can Darvin Ham put all of the Lakers puzzle pieces together?
- Lakers news: Darvin Ham knows his fifth starter, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino praise
- Michael Malone’s painfully ironic comment has Lakers fans heated
Kobe is the ultimate competitor who loves to win, but even more so hates to lose. Legends tend not to exit gracefully because their supreme confidence overrides their deteriorating bodies. Take for instance Michael Jordan, Brett Favre and Derek Jeter. All superstars in their respective sports played beyond their prime on losing teams because they had a hard time letting go.
Kobe is used to being the alpha-dog and he probably will be until he retires, but what he has been unwilling to do in the past, he needs to do in the present: recruit.
Most Lakers fans images of Kobe are those of the past. So when it comes to recruiting, Kobe can leverage his legendary status to lure current stars to the Lakers.
Take for instance the following list of free agents in 2015:
1. Marc Gasol
2. Goran Dragic
3. Greg Monroe
5. Jimmy Butler
All the above players are a generation behind Bryant. They watched him growing up before they entered the league. Kobe’s greatest asset now is his mind. Current stars would drool over picking Kobe’s brain as a teammate. When he speaks, people listen. It may not be in his personality to recruit, but hopefully the taste of losing the past couple of seasons will change his tune.
Mitch Kupchak and the Buss family tried selling free agents this past summer on the luster of L.A., but until he retires the biggest draw is Kobe Bryant. Imagine the impact of a one-on-one meeting with Kobe. As Byron Scott is learning, it’s pretty hard to say “no” to him. Bryant’s approach is more old-school, but this is a new generation of stars. What LeBron James and the Miami Heat started by forming a super team in 2010 is now the trend in the NBA. Bryant is the only person in the Lakers organization who has the power to recruit talent and lay the foundation for a winning culture beyond his playing days.
Critics have often questioned whether Bryant is a willing passer.
If Kobe plays recruiter, he could pull off one of his biggest assists.