NBA Rumors: Kobe Bryant's Confident Demeanor Proves Lakers Won't Make Big Trade

Before the season started, the Los Angeles Lakers were the hot topic of conversation. We knew they were as flawed as they have been in a long time, and then Kobe Bryant injured his wrist, so it was natural they would be mentioned in all sorts of trade rumors.

But don't be surprised if they decide to do nothing. 

It's not that they can't do anything; they have valuable assets other teams would love to get their hands on, but just because they can make a trade doesn't mean they want to or have to. 

Bryant knows what Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are capable of, and he knows that when he is playing at a high level they can beat anyone in the NBA. 

As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote, Bryant has become a believer in head coach Mike Brown and the way that he handles this group of players. 

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Bryant loves that Brown’s pushing people within the organization, that he’s pushing Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, and, yes, that he’s pushing Bryant, too. The Lakers are still struggling to find themselves, but Brown is transforming them on the fly, fortifying them defensively and moving far away from the triangle offense. For everything that’s changed, Bryant still believes the core of a championship contender is here.

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We know the Lakers could stand to get better at the point guard position, but if the trio of Bryant, Bynum and Gasol are playing at the top of their games, they can compete with anyone in the NBA. 

They may not be as explosive on offense the way we are used to seeing, but they are playing much better defense this year than they did even last year. If they can keep up their high level of play on the defensive side, they don't have to worry about scoring more 100 points to win a game. 

Bryant is going to have some input on any potential move the Lakers make, and acquiring a top talent like Dwight Howard is going to require them to give up at least one of their top players—Bynum or Gasol—and that does not make sense for this team at this point. 

The Lakers would be wise to look around for smaller deals to improve their depth, but there is no need for them to make a big deal before the trade deadline just to grab some headlines. 

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