Lakers Rumors: Latest Gossip on Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Paul George
Steve Nash will miss the entire 2014-15 season due to a recurring back injury, reports the Los Angeles Lakers' official Twitter account, but some would say that's not even the biggest news to come out of L.A. in the past few days.
Kobe Bryant has been the subject of rumors lately, though none of them have to do with how he'll play this season coming off an injury that limited him to just six games last season.
While Bryant is poised to excel with a new-look roster featuring Jeremy Lin, Carlos Boozer and Julius Randle, there was a chance this offseason (and in offseasons past) that he'd be able to play with two of the other brightest stars in the NBA.
At a time in the preseason when rumors usually aren't swirling around, there's plenty of gossip regarding the Black Mamba and a couple of his peers.
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony was one of the most sought-after free agents this summer. The Lakers were interested in acquiring his services, and rightfully so. Combining Kobe and Melo would've given L.A. a lethal one-two punch.
The recruitment didn't go smoothly, however.
Henry Abbott of ESPN The Magazine wrote in length about the team's struggles to recruit given Bryant's status as team centerpiece:
"After [LeBron] James, Carmelo Anthony was high on the Lakers' list. And the particular way that recruitment was botched -- Bryant made news by flying home from Europe, but somehow wires got crossed and he missed the meeting anyway -- reminded Lakers insiders of the manner in which he nearly alienated Steve Nash in 2012. In the days before LA acquired Nash, sources say, the point guard wanted to hear from Bryant that the Lakers' star was amenable to having Nash control the ball much of the time -- a key tenet of the [Mike] D'Antoni offense from the Suns days. When Lakers brass asked Bryant to call Nash, Bryant failed to do so, saying he preferred that Nash call him. The pettiness took days to resolve and nearly scuttled the deal.
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Anthony likely would have found success with Kobe on the team front, but his personal style would have undoubtedly changed. Melo and the Black Mamba would find it difficult to coexist in purple and gold. Their styles are identical. Both demand the ball, both take a high volume of shots and both need total control of the offense.
Anthony likely realized this, but the fact that Bryant messed up during the recruiting process certainly didn't make him feel welcome.
He ultimately re-signed with the New York Knicks, a team he has total control over. Learning the new triangle offense presents quite the challenge, but learning how to play with Bryant could have been an even more difficult endeavor.
Hollywood could have been home to another budding star, as Paul George could have considered signing with the Lakers had he not re-upped with the Indiana Pacers. While Bryant didn't directly mess up in the recruitment process like he did with Anthony, the Black Mamba was still on George's mind when he made his decision, writes Abbott:
"Paul George, Angelino through and through, had once been the team's safest choice. But sources say one reason the two-way star had re-signed with the Pacers in the fall of 2013 instead was that he was turned off by the thought that Bryant would police his efforts.
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As would have been the case with Anthony, George certainly would have been limited by playing with Bryant.
George is at his best when he can penetrate and make plays at the rim. That said, he also likes to make his own decisions with the ball. He's a good handler, and his jumper is a lethal weapon. Playing in an offense with Bryant would have limited his creativity and ability to take the shots he wants.
Of course, George made the right call staying in Indiana. He dropped 21.7 points on 17 field-goal attempts per game after signing his max extension with the Pacers. He's thriving as the go-to guy (even though he'll likely miss the upcoming season), whereas he'd be no more than a member of the supporting cast in L.A.
Conclusion
These rumors are truly shocking. Bryant has always played with very good players, but this would certainly explain why he has played with very few fellow superstars. Pau Gasol, Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard really highlight the list, and the marriages between Shaq and Howard didn't exactly end well.
Abbott provided his readers a quote from an unnamed agent:
"I've had a lot of clients in the last five years, good players, who didn't want to play with Kobe. They see that his teammates become the chronic public whipping boys. Anyone who could possibly challenge Kobe for the spotlight ends up becoming a pincushion for the media. Even Shaq.
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During a SportsCenter interview on Thursday, Lakers President Jeanie Buss responded to the comments, via ESPN.com: "Any free agent that would be afraid to play with Kobe Bryant is probably a loser, and I'm glad they wouldn't come to the team," she said.
Bryant, for all we know, isn't a team cancer. He might prevent some players from joining his squad, but his teammates generally appear to respect him. He's often surrounded by role players, though, so maybe that's why he really hasn't had a power struggle since Shaq left.
It will be interesting to see how the Lakers fare this year. The strategy is to surround Bryant with as many role players as possible—Boozer, Jeremy Lin, Ed Davis, Jordan Hill and others.
There's no telling the future because it's a long season, but one would have to think that the Lakers would have been better off with some higher talent surrounding Bryant. Unfortunately, it appears to be his fault that the team hasn't secured better players.
Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn
