Kobe Bryant recommits to Lakers
The fog on Kobe Bryant’s relationship with the Lakers has officially cleared. On Monday, the superstar made public what many have suspected for some time: he wants to stay long-term in Los Angeles. Check out the highlights from this story from the Associated Press:
On being a Laker:
"Absolutely. I’ve always wanted to be here. I just felt like I was in a position where I didn’t really have a choice. They wanted to go in an opposite direction. My legs aren’t as young as they used to be. Just let me know. I love the weather. I love my ’63 drop-top Impala. I love the 405 [freeway]. I love my guys."
On this season’s success:
“The journey we’ve been on is fun. It’s been a blast. With that being said, we play for titles. We want to win the championship. We’ll be disappointed if we don’t. But if it does happen, we’ll regroup and go at it again. We’ve got some great pieces here. Now it’s time to put it all together. We get that big fellow [Andrew Bynum] back down there and we’ll really be rolling."
My Quick Take: Bryant isn’t staying on the left coast because of the Impalas, warm weather, and freeways. Here are his true reasons for sticking in L.A.:
- Mamba is winning on his terms. During their championship run, Bryant played second fiddle to Shaq; the ultimate Robin, capable of taking over when Batman (O’Neal) was bricking free throws or grappling with his ‘spare tire’. Now the Lakers are winning and Bryant has his starring role.
- The Lakers finally got their business right. Zen-Master Phil re-signed. The front office seems more stable; Mitch Kupchak is in charge, no more black sheep members of the Buss family posting state of the franchise briefings on their myspace pages.
- This team will compete for years. Pau Gasol can play, Andrew Bynum will evolve into a top centre, and Lamar Odom is a well-rounded talent. Derek Fisher stabilizes and the bench is stacked.
He belongs in purple-and-gold. The number, eight or twenty-four, doesn’t matter. Could you see Bryant suiting up for another team?
0 comments:
Post a Comment