Lakers Rumors: Kobe Bryant Foolish for Wanting Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher Back
Kobe Bryant has to get with the times and take off the rose-colored glasses if he wants the Los Angeles Lakers to succeed in the modern NBA.
According to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com’s Hang Time Blog, the superstar guard plans on making a strong effort to convince both Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher to return to Hollywood this summer as free agents, or a possible one in Odom's case.
These just wouldn’t be wise moves for a franchise that already has the third-oldest roster in the league.
Both former Lakers haven’t contributed much this season, and it’s clear that they are no longer able to fill key roles on championship teams like they did in their heyday.
Fisher started 43 games for LA this year and averaged just 5.9 PPG, 3.3 APG, 2.1 RPG and 0.9 SPG in 25.6 minutes of play. The 37-year-old was traded to the Houston Rockets as part of a deadline deal for former lottery pick Jordan Hill and subsequently got bought out and released before finally settling in with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Odom significantly regressed in 2011-12 after being traded to the Dallas Mavericks in the offseason, averaging 6.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 1. 8 APG in just 21.3 minutes a night. These are significantly down from his numbers with the Lakers last season, which were 14.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG and 3.0 APG while averaging 32.2 minutes.
He is approaching his 33rd birthday and has only a partially-guaranteed contract for next season, meaning it is likely the Mavericks will let him walk on July 1 if he so chooses.
It’s certainly not worth the gamble that GM Mitch Kupchak would be undertaking by bringing one, or both, impending veteran free-agents back into the fold this summer.
Los Angeles must get younger and use their cap space to sign players in their prime or about to hit it. Bryant isn’t going to last forever in this league playing at an All-Star level, and eventually, someone will have to shoulder the scoring load from the backcourt.
Even if the organization is intent on making a last-ditch effort to win another ring with a core of Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, Fisher and Odom should not be part of those plans.
The focus should be getting on contributors who are ready to win now and in the future. Kobe needs to realize that, encourage Kupchak to make the necessary moves to accomplish that goal and stop dwelling on the past.
