Kobe Bryant: Cavaliers Remind Him of 2012-13 Lakers

After playing the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, Kobe Bryant offered a comparison of one of his old team’s to the current Cavaliers.

For Cleveland fans, this is not a comparison you want to be made. For Lakers fans who forgot or, more likely, blocked the season from their memory, that Lakers team was the season with Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash, and lots of injuries. The team barely limped into the playoffs and were swept out in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs.

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In that season, Bryant played out of his mind late in the season only to suffer his famous Achilles injury. The comparisons come from the fact that both teams were “super teams” thanks to some off-season acquisitions. For the Lakers, the team traded for both Howard and Nash, only to see the latter hurt himself in the first game of the season and the former leave after the season.

For the Cavs, Kevin Love was brought in via trade, LeBron James signed with Cleveland quite infamously, and Kyrie Irving welcomed both to the team after signing a big extension of his own. The result has been largely underwhelming with Cleveland sitting at 20-20 after their win over the Lakers and struggling to find an identity.

The similarities are endless. Neither team meshed well to start and the Lakers hardly ever found that level of chemistry. With a roster constantly fluctuating with injuries, establishing a rhythm was next to impossible. The Cavs have met many of the same challenges, battling injuries to superstars James and Love.

Do you think the comparison is a fair one? Let us know below