Lakers Rumors: Kobe Bryant Smart To Separate Himself from Dwight Howard Drama

Kobe Bryant doesn't want anything to do with convincing Dwight Howard to join the Los Angeles Lakers, and that's the best decision he could possibly make. Bryant already has enough to deal with, both on and off the court. The Howard mess would just be another major distraction.

Peter Vecsey of the New York Post debunked rumors about Bryant's recruitment efforts:

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“As far as what? I have no clue what’s even being said. I have a lot to deal with as it is,” he replied.

That was extremely revealing in itself. In other words, L.A.’s media, especially the Lakers’ beat writers, felt the story lacked such credibility, nobody even bothered to ask Kobe about it. I pressed on, nonetheless. I sent Kobe the story and asked him to confirm, deny or both depending on the paragraph.

“omg! I’m not getting mixed up in this kiddy drama spit, bro. too old for that spit,” Bryant responded via email.

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The idea of Bryant trying to coerce Howard to join the Lakers with offers of being the third wheel were outlandish to begin with, so it's no surprise to see him deny the rumors. Not to mention Los Angeles' biggest need right now is on the perimeter, not in the paint.

Howard continues to seek an escape route from the Orlando Magic, but the team doesn't appear in any hurry to move him. It's an ongoing storyline that doesn't appear to end nearing a conclusion and certainly one Bryant doesn't want to be apart of moving forward.

He's already dealing with a wrist injury, which probably won't return to 100 percent at any point this season, and an underachieving team that isn't even guaranteed a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.

That's enough to keep a competitor like Bryant up at night by itself, but he's also going through a divorce and the unwanted publicity that comes along with it.

So it's pretty clear Bryant has more than enough drama in his life right now. He doesn't need to be in the middle of another one.

It's unclear where the crazy rumor originated—it's almost impossible to tell in the modern world of social media and anonymous sources that may not actually exist in the real world—but Bryant did the right thing by flat out denying it right away.

While his standoffish attitude may rub some people the wrong way, it's easy to understand why he's like that after more than a decade of dealing with crazy things like these Howard rumors.

This doesn't mean the Lakers are completely out of the Howard sweepstakes. They will still pursue him if the price is right. Just don't expect Bryant to be a part of the process.