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Kobe Bryant’s Final Season Isn’t A Farewell Tour, It’s a Distraction

By Jeremy Rucker

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However touching, Kobe Bryant‘s Farewell Tour is proving to be more of a distraction than anything else

Kobe Bryant was my idol. As a young basketball fan growing up in LA, I couldn’t get enough of him. I’ve always had Kobe posters hanging in my room. I never missed an improbable fadeaway or emphatic dunk.

For most of my childhood, Kobe was sports.

Man, does that feel like forever go. Especially now. Especially this way.

And while I admire Kobe for acknowledging his mortality while sticking to his guns, it’s hard to watch, not because I feel bad for Kobe but because it’s pitting my heart against itself.

In their minds, the Lakers management are taking the high road, clearing the way for Bryant to end his career in jump shooting ecstasy. But, in reality, what they’re doing is forcing the Lakers faithful to take sides. We can either honor Kobe or we can support our team’s future, but we can’t do both.

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With the Lakers in full rebuild mode and a crucial couple of offseasons on the horizon, this season can’t be treated as a wash. A gesture of appreciation to this extent is as foolish as it is admirable.

Don’t get me wrong, Kobe deserves a farewell tour. What he’s meant to the Lakers community can’t be overlooked. But this isn’t a farewell tour, this is a distraction and it’s hurting the Lakers.

After his Achilles injury, Kobe’s attitude towards the media changed immensely. The once trite and hyper-focused superstar became warm and remarkably open about his thoughts, feelings, and desires. Unfortunately, when it comes to his philosophy on the court, what Kobe says and what Kobe does have become two very different things.

Coming into the season, there was much talk regarding how Kobe’s ball-dominant game would mesh with the trio of youngsters. In October, Bryant explained to reporters that this delicate balance was not lost on him and he understood the importance of letting young guys develop.

Per ESPN’s Baxter Holmes:

"Despite his advanced age and several recent season-ending injuries, the 37-year-old Bryant, now in his 20th season with the Lakers, still enjoys taking over games, or at least trying to, especially when his team is down big, as they have been many times in recent years.Now, though, Bryant said he’s a changed man.‘Can’t do it,’ he said after Friday’s 132-114 loss to the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena. ‘Got to let them develop.’‘I’m really wanting to let the young guys, especially D’Angelo, let him call the game,’ Bryant said. ‘Let him call the game. Let him organize the game. Let him read the game. Let him read the flow. Let him make those decisions.’‘Which is part of me taking a step back, which needs to be done. You have to let the young guys make those reads, and you have to be able to help them and support them with those reads.’"

Well, so much for that. Kobe is shooting more than ever and has entirely abandoned any reduction of his offensive usage. And while his retirement announcement has made this stretch of games an extenuating circumstance, it doesn’t negate the harmful effects of his actions.

Kobe should certainly shoulder part of the blame, but the franchise’s incoherent approach to this season is just as much at fault.

Coming into this season, the Lakers knew they were playing a long-term game, hoping to build on what they could while preparing themselves to further rebuild. Unfortunately, amidst the hype surrounding Kobe’s announcement, the organization’s focus appears to be completely lost.

Instead of showcasing their young talent to potential free agent suitors in the wake of this offseason’s massive salary cap expansion, they’re sacrificing this season entirely in order to indulge Bryant in his swan song. But when the nostalgia wears off and Bryant finally plays his last game, the Lakers’ front office will have to snap back to reality, and they won’t like what they see.

Nov 29, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant shoots over Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) in the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

After losing to the previously 0-18 Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday night, the Lakers are on pace to win an just 10 games this year.

While teams this bad generally shift their focus to tanking, the Lakers owe any draft pick outside the top-3 to Philadelphia as part of the doomed Steve Nash deal. As a result, a lottery pick is far from assured.

Alternatively, the Lakers could turn to free agency this offseason but they’ll have a hard time luring any high profile suitors.

Coming off an embarrassingly bad season, lacking any sort of team identity, and boasting a roster of primarily inexperienced young players, Mitch Kupchak won’t have a lot to work with. This leaves much concern about the franchise’s immediate future.

But, instead of addressing these very real long-term concerns, the Lakers are instead seem perfectly content watching a once-great legend cling to his past brilliance while a once-proud franchise continues its descent into another unprecedented losing season.

The team is a mess, on and off the court. Byron Scott’s effusive admiration of Bryant is touching on a personal level but dangerously negligent from a coaching stand point. Scott is using Kobe’s final season as carte blanche to indulge Kobe in his ill-advised shot selection.

Such a notion is frightening coming from a head coach and sends a terrible message to both Bryant and the young players.

While Kobe’s absence next season will officially signal the end of a remarkable era, the rest of the league will continue on. In the meantime, the Lakers better start catching up.

Next: D. Russell Must Begin to Channel His Inner Magic Johnson

What are your thoughts on the Kobe Bryant Farewell Tour? Let us know in the comments below.

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