Los Angeles Lakers: Odds Kobe Bryant Wins Title No. 6 Before He Retires

For as long as I've been following the guy, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has been compared to Michael Jordan.  He is a phenomenal scorer, perennial All-Star, defensive pest and to top it all off, he has five championship rings.  If he had one more, he would definitely be in the same league as His Airness and the endless comparisons would probably stop.

Yet, the question remains: After 16 seasons, five rings and 14 trips to the All-Star Game, not to mention an Olympic gold medal, does he still have what it takes to win that elusive sixth title?

Though he's only two years removed from his last championship. the Lakers teams of the past two years would suggest that Bryant's championship days are over.  The team has looked old the past couple of years and without anyone helping Bryant shoulder the brunt of the work, their gameplan has become predictable.

That said, as he told to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles, chances are that Bryant will only have a few more years left to chase another ring, as he has no plans to play past the length of his current contract.  Still, he has a great chance to win a title given the Lakers' moves this summer.

As I just mentioned, the Lakers' greatest problem the last two years was that the team's offense was one-sided: either get the ball to Kobe and if he's not open, let Pau Gasol take the shot.  They improved in that department last season, as Andrew Bynum had a breakout year, but the lack of an effective point man down the stretch kept the team from going to the next level.

This coming season, however, that won't be a problem for the Lakers.  GM Mitch Kupchak realized that his team needed a top floor general, so he went out and got the best one available in Steve Nash, who signed a three-year deal.

Nash may be near the end of his career at age 38, but he still plays like he's in his 20s.  He is still one of the most accurate scorers in the NBA, having shot an astounding 53 percent from the floor last year (39 percent from three-point range) and he was also second in passing with 10.7 assists per game.

The fact that Nash can balance his scoring and passing so well is only going to help the Lakers.  He's going to build a great relationship with Bryant both on and off the court, as well as the rest of his teammates.  If the Lakers can somehow land Dwight Howard next offseason to boot, the odds of a sixth or even seventh championship will grow.

That all being said, I'm going to say that the odds of Kobe Bryant winning a sixth title before he retires are around 2-1.  Nash is the ultimate team player and runs an offense better than anybody in the league.  Once he and Kobe get the offense rolling, just watch as they raise the Larry O'Brien Trophy together at the end of the season.