Los Angeles Lakers: Calling Kobe Bryant 'Laker for Life' Was Mistake by Jim Buss

Earlier this weekend, Jim Buss made an interesting remark regarding Kobe Bryant's future. He vowed to never trade the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.

Ever.

Although reading that gives a sense of security for Laker fans who love No. 24, in reality it's not a shrewd approach.

He also said that trading Andrew Bynum was still a possibility in the future.

So let's get this straight:

A 33-year old shooting guard that's going to be making $30 million when he's 35 has absolutely no chance of being traded and will be a Laker for the rest of his career, but one of the best, young centers in the league hasn't earned the right to be the centerpiece of the team in the future?

Does this mean that we're going to be hearing more annoying deadline rumors regarding Andrew Bynum next season? His unbelievable play this past season hasn't been enough to show the organization that he's the man the Lakers should be focusing to build the team around?

Kobe Bryant is a once-in-a-decade type of player. He's been everything and more for the Lakers. He's shown this season that he still has at least three years left in his tank. He's a man on a mission and he's fueled by critics and pundits saying his career is over.

If Kobe continues to play near the level he's playing at this season, the Lakers shouldn't trade him, even if he is making $30 million at the age of 35. 

However, after that contract expires, does it really make sense for the Lakers to retain Bryant at over $30 million per year in the new luxury tax era? 

If Bryant commands north of $25 million after the age of 35 it's going to be increasingly difficult for the organization to build a competitive team around Kobe because his contract will take up almost half of the salary cap.

It just doesn't make any sense financially.

And let's face it, Kobe is going to be on the decline after this season. This past offseason he had almost seven months to rest because of the lockout and that indubitably is a reason why he's been able to play at such a high level.

This summer he's going to have to play in the Olympics after what seems like what's going to be another deep playoff run for the Lakers. Then, he's going to start another grueling 82-game schedule. It's inevitable that he's numbers will decline. 

He's already had several games this season where he's failed to find the basket like his recent 3-of-20 performance in a loss against Utah. Other times, he's struggled in the fourth quarter when he's trying to take over the game for the Lakers.

This doesn't mean that he's not going to be a valuable player in the next few years. It just means he's not going to be worth over $20 million. 

Signing him to a ridiculous contract just to keep him because of nostalgia would have dire consequences for the organization. 

The Lakers also need to realize that Andrew Bynum is going to be their future. He's proven that he can stay healthy this season and he's playing at a different level. He's averaging 18 points and 13 boards and that's by only taking 12.5 shots per game.

If he took as many shots as Dwight Howard does in a game, he'd be averaging about 20 points, just by doing the simple math.

The dude has the potential to be Dwight.

Calling Kobe a "Laker for life" makes it harder to retain Bynum or get another elite player two or three years from now to keep the team competitive. 

But how about we worry about that when the time comes. The Lakers are rolling right now, it's okay to put the future on the back burner.

For now...