I am going to go on record saying I don’t believe this.
I know Kobe has a huge ego, but part of that ego is an obsessive desire to win NBA Championships. I find it very hard to believe that he would scare off Dwight Howard, just so he can continue to shoot until his arm falls off and watch the Lakers lose early in the playoffs.
Here is what allegedly happened during the discussion between Bryant and Howard.
Kobe Bryant has had at least one in-depth phone conversation with Howard recently, even discussing how Howard might fit in with the Lakers’ scheme.
One person with knowledge of the conversation said Howard came away feeling as if he wouldn’t be the Lakers’ top option, for obvious reasons. It’s Bryant’s team.
As long as Bryant is in a Lakers’ uniform it will be his team, but I know deep down somewhere, he knows that he needs some major help if he wants to get that sixth ring.
Dwight Howard is a Top 5 player and if the Lakers can get him they should and Bryant should be helping in that process.
If this is true, which I don’t believe it is, it would be incredibly selfish on Kobe’s part. While I do think he is obsessive about the pecking order, I just don’t see him trying to scare players away who can help him win a title, especially one like Dwight who doesn’t need to shoot 20 times to be effective.
