Kobe Bryant wants Lakers to stay the course and build team organically

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant preaches patience in the team’s rebuilding process.

Kobe Bryant has been active in his life after basketball, but he always has some time to discuss the Los Angeles Lakers. With Los Angeles putting itself in a position to make a home run in the 2018 free agency season, fans can’t wait if the team can finally land a superstar or two that has eluded the franchise in the recent past.

High-caliber players like Paul George, LeBron James, and DeMarcus Cousins would be available in the market and to acquire at least one of them to play alongside the Lakers developing young talent could certainly turn the franchise around in at least a season.

Numerous Lakers fans would certainly prefer that way, but still, there are those who’d rather stay the course and develop the team’s young talent of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Julius Randle with the hopes of these players would become the stars the team hopes them to be.

And add the Lakers most recent superstar in Bryant to those who prefer to take the longer route.

Bryant, who retired two years ago, joined Chris Mannix and Caron Butler on Fox Sports Radio’s “Chris and Caron” Sunday and shared his thoughts about the Lakers young talent and upcoming free agency exploits.

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He said the Lakers are in a ‘great position’ in terms of luring free agents in or developing its young talent. The five-time NBA champion, though, would love the Lakers choosing the second option rather than the first.

"“It depends on what they want to do. It depends on what options are available to them, but I’ve got to tell you, man, they have a couple of great lanes to go down, whether it’s free agency or developing the young talent that they currently have, they’re in a really great position,” Bryant was quoted as saying by Christian Rivas of Silver Screen and Roll.“I love everything that I’ve been seeing from these young guys. Their ability to fight, getting in the gym early, staying late. All these things are things that pay off. I understand this market is like ‘you gotta win like, yesterday’, but that’s not always the case, you know? If you want to be a dynasty or a team that has longevity, those things take time, and generally are grown from within,” the five-time NBA champion added."

Bryant, perhaps, would like the Lakers to rebuild the way the Golden State Warriors did years ago, who grew organically by drafting then young and talented players in Steph Curry (2009), Klay Thompson (2011), Harrison Barnes, and Draymond Green (both 2012).

With that young core and solid veterans in Jarret Jack, Andre Iguodala, and David Lee, the Warriors made the playoffs in both 2013 and 2014 seasons after missing the postseason for six years. The team management then tapped former NBA player and analyst Steve Kerr as the team’s head coach back in the 2014 offseason.

A year later, the Warriors went on to become the 2015 NBA champions after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games.

It took six long years (2009-2015) for the Warriors to reach the top of the NBA but the process definitely paid off.

Golden State might have lost to the Cavaliers back in the 2016 NBA Finals, but reaching the championship round for two straight years (let’s omit the 2017 finals as they already had Durant in the team who they acquired through free agency in 2016) and winning one of those is still a great feat.

"“You slap a couple All-Stars together, you can maybe win two of three, but eventually players get traded. But if you build a team organically, that dynasty team tends to stay together longer,” Bryant concluded."

Next: Kobe Bryant's Top 10 Games Of All-Time

And even more amazingly, again, they did so through an organic rebuild.

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