Lakers Rumors: Kobe Bryant Wisely Believes Team Must Bring in Gilbert Arenas

Kobe Bryant isn’t a stupid person. He knows the Los Angeles Lakers need to start rolling the dice to win a championship this year, and there are no better odds to be found than signing Gilbert Arenas.

According to Ben Bolch with the Los Angeles Times, Kobe vehemently agreed with a reporter who asked if Gilbert would help his team.

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"It surely wouldn't hurt," Bryant said.

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Even though Arenas has been troubled since his epic 2007 All-NBA season, No. 24 believes that he deserves another shot.

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"Everybody makes mistakes," Bryant said. "He'll be fine."

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The Lakers made some mistakes this offseason, and bringing in the player formerly known as Agent Zero could help to rectify them.

Remember, this team pretty much shipped Lamar Odom away for nothing because of the botched Chris Paul trade. They made no significant signings other than reserve players who barely get minutes and their draft picks haven’t amounted to much.

Again, Kobe isn’t stupid.

He is well aware this team, as currently built, is worse than the one that was swept by the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals last season.

Bryant is an extremely cerebral player and understands the game of basketball at a higher level than almost any other human being on the planet. If he believes that Arenas can come in and make a difference, GM Mitch Kupchak should listen and get working on an offer sheet.

For all of his perceived faults—ball hogging, firing too many contested shots, getting easily frustrated with his teammates—Kobe is a champion at heart and places winning above everything else.

Current point guards Derek Fisher and Steve Blake aren’t going to elevate this team to the level they need to be at. Fisher is too old and a major liability on defense. Blake hasn’t been faring any better and has been battling injury.

That raises the question—“What would Arenas bring to the table?”

According to Kobe, it’s simply, “Hibachi.”

“Hibachi” is a phrase that Gilbert would scream out after firing a shot during his great 2006-07 campaign. It’s in reference to a Japanese heating device.

The Lakers could sorely use some Hibachi and if he’s getting hot and making shots, this team will make a surprisingly long playoff run.