They are going to have to drag Kobe Bryant off the court. That has always been my opinion, no matter what he says. The question has always been will that be with the Lakers or not.
It is rare these days that players, play their whole career with one team. I think Kobe retiring as a Laker would be iconic, but he just isn’t wired to play a secondary role to anyone. It won’t matter if he is 40 or 50 years old, he will always think he is the best player on the court.
That is what makes him so great, but it is also what might make him a liability in the Lakers rebuilding efforts.
Here is what Kobe had to say about playing forever courtesy of Deadspin.com.
I feel pretty damn confident I can be at a high level for at least another three years. I feel like how I was playing last year—I know I’ll be healthy and I’ll be ready to go this year. I know what I can bring. And I think I can easily do that for another three years. I think the (Achilles) injury has something to do with it. It really increased the drive. And probably San Antonio getting so close to winning No. 5, probably hurt me a little bit too. I want to make sure I push the ring count out a little further. It was really, really close there.
The Lakers want Dwight Howard to be the new face of the franchise, doesn’t matter if you agree with that or not, that is the decision they have made. Can they do that with Kobe hanging around?
We will address that once the Dwightmare is over.