Will Kobe Bryant Ever Win Another NBA Title?

Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the Oklahoma City Thunder have slammed the door shut on the Los Angeles Lakers and eliminated them in a 4-1 series that was far closer than the final margin displays. The team in Purple and Gold was but a few plays away from reversing the outcome of the series, but that's not going to matter in L.A. 

With the exit, another chapter has concluded in the story that is Kobe Bryant's career. Quite a few chapters remain, though no one can tell with any semblance of certainty if the denouement will allow No. 24 to retire with his elusive sixth ring.

That final piece of jewelry is the biggest goal left on the table for Bryant, something he'll fight for vociferously as long as his knees are still in working order.

Unfortunately, though, the Black Mamba is no longer capable of single-handedly carrying a team through the postseason, winning tough game after tough game by what seemed like the merits of his play alone. There was a time when Bryant could score 40 points in a game while locking down the best player on the opposing team and preventing him from doing much damage on offense. 

In the words of S.E. Hinton, though, that was then, this is now. 

Bryant may still be earning his way onto All-Defensive teams, but that's more a reflection on his reputation than his actual play. Kobe is no longer capable of stepping up and shutting down a dangerous point guard, as Ty Lawson and Russell Westbrook proved time and time again. 

If he's going to carry the team, it's going to be on the more glamorous offensive end of the court.

Kobe can still score, but he's developing into a volume scorer and not a player who puts up massive numbers while maintaining efficiency. To be fair, the shots that he makes are more difficult than any other player's, which is at least part of the reason that his shooting efficiency numbers are declining. 

When he's in position to advance through the playoffs next year, though, he's going to be a year older and struggle even more to use his declining athleticism and endurance to cancel out the difficulty of his turn-around fade-aways and face-up jumpers with the relative ease of blow-by layups and explosive dunks.

I'm in no way trying to say that Kobe is washed up. Not at all. On any given night, Kobe can look like a reincarnation of Michael Jordan. 

He still enjoyed a fantastic regular season that's going to earn him a spot on the All-NBA First Team (even if he should be on the Second Team) and his name was rightfully on the fringe of the LeBron-dominated MVP discussion.

However, if Kobe is going to win a title, it's going to have to occur either on a team that doesn't play its home games at the Staples Center or on a Lakers squad that in no way resembles this current unit.

Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are both terrific talents, and Bynum may soon surpass Dwight Howard as the best center in the league, but they clearly aren't enough of a supporting cast for Kobe. Not without a point guard at least.

Ramon Sessions has been good for the Lakers ever since he was brought over midseason from the city where sports dreams go to die. He just isn't the floor general that can put L.A. over the top and make them into a title contender again.

If geographical restrictions no longer applied and the Lakers could shift to the Eastern Conference (hey, if San Diego State can play football in the Big East...) or if the earthquakes produced by the San Andreas Fault could somehow reverse the position of California and make it adjoin to the eastern coast of the United States, I'd feel somewhat more confident in the Lakers' chances.

While the Eastern Conference has the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls at the top of the totem pole, with the Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics not too far behind, it just doesn't inspire the same level of terror that the Western Conference gauntlet does.

Getting through the Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks is a tough proposition.

Even if the Lakers choose to blow up their roster and bring Dwight Howard all the way to the other side of the country, there might not be enough firepower to advance all the way through that murderer's row.

With the exception of the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks (who might be getting a whole new cast of stars soon), each of those aforementioned Western Conference teams is young and improving. I didn't even mention potential up-and-comers like the Golden State Warriors.

Because of the nature of the West, Kobe will only be able to start a ring collection on his second hand if he switches teams. He's threatened to do so in the past, but it's nearly impossible to imagine the shooting guard in any other jersey.

Bryant himself shot down this possibility in a February interview with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith:

"

“Why would I want to go somewhere else, that ship sailed in (2007). If there was ever a time I was going to move to go play someplace else, that was it. I’m not going to jump ship to chase a sixth ring, it’s just not going to happen.

“It’s going to happen here or it’s not going to happen.”

"

Assuming that the Mamba is telling the truth, he's sealing his fate. There's really not much reason to doubt him.

Kobe is one of those players who thrives off perceived insults and alpha male showings. Can you picture him in a supporting role on a team that didn't unequivocally belong to him?

I can't and I won't, because it would never happen.  

Therefore, it's hard for me to imagine a scenario in which Kobe would tie Michael Jordan with six NBA titles.

He's going to have to make do with five and a spot among the top 10 players to ever play the game.