Kobe Bryant's Strong Comments Won't Inspire Pau Gasol and His Lakers Teammates
It was only a matter of time before Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant expressed his displeasure with Lakers management regarding the current state of the team.
If sitting at 18-13 wasn't bad enough for Bryant, the recent flurry of Pau Gasol trade rumors prompted Bryant to issue an ultimatum to management by saying, "I wish management would come out and either trade him or not trade him," Bryant told the Los Angeles Times.
Bryant also added.
""It's just tough for a player to give his all when you don't know if you're going to be here tomorrow. I'd rather them not trade him at all, but if they're going to do something, I wish they would just ... do it."
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While Bryant's comments may be true and to the point, don't expect them to have any type of positive effect on Gasol and the rest of the team.
For one, the Lakers still have holes that a few comments, even from the likes of Bryant, can't fix.
If his comments force general manager Mitch Kupchak to take Gasol off the trade block, they are still in need of a point guard and some production from the wing.
Offensively, the Lakers have only three players (Bryant, Gasol and Andrew Bynum) averaging in double figures. A few comments from Bryant isn't going to suddenly get the other 10 Lakers players to suddenly produce.
Combined, the other 10 players getting minutes for the Lakers are averaging a combined 4.31 points. A few comments from Bryant won't fix that.
Can Kupchak get what the Lakers need without dealing Gasol?
That remains to be seen, but it will be tough to do.
Next is the psychological effect that all of the trade talk has had on the likes of Gasol.
Gasol is a true professional and has handled the speculation like a pro, but he's not the toughest guy in the world mentally and he's only human after all. He understands the point that the NBA is a business, but after a while it's going to seem to him that he's not wanted.
He may already be at that point mentally and if he's at that point, it could be a long road back to repair the damages.
Bryant has made it known that he's in favor of the Lakers keeping Gasol, but even though he's always had a lot of pull regarding the Lakers team, his words alone won't get rid of the doubt that the Lakers have been shopping Gasol.
So despite his unhappiness, don't expect anything to change overnight in Lakerland. They have problems that a few trade rumors won't fix overnight.
