LIFE AFTER KOBE: All Good Things Must Come to an End.

LIFE AFTER KOBE

The end may not be here for another 4-5 years yet, considering the fact that Kobe takes exceptionally good care of himself, and that being a very smart player, can adapt to account for his declining athletic ability while still remaining lethal on the court, a la Michael.

Add to that the fact that the Lakers have Gasol, Odom and Artest to help with the heavy lifting for the next couple of years, and that’s adds to Kobe’s longevity also, not to that mention Bynum’s expected continuing development should coincide quite nicely with Kobe’s decline.

But eventually, Kobe will leave the game that he has dominated at times. In a previous article I wrote, I pointed out that the Lakers are probably the best franchise in the league when it comes to bouncing back from the end of an era. Boston, after the Bird era took 22 years to bounce back. After the Showtime era, the Lakers were champs again in 12 years.

Of course, that has absolutely everything to do with shrewd ownership and management, and almost nothing to do with luck. While some teams rely on the lottery to get that franchise-saving player (I’m looking at you, Cleveland and Orlando), teams like the Lakers achieve it through shrewd moves (trading Vlade Divac for Kobe Bryant, trading Kwame Brown for Pau Gasol), and attracting the big names via free agency (Shaq, Ron Artest). It can be argued that attracting players through free agency is a product of luck (being in the right big-market city, so on and so forth), but it also has just as much to do with front-office savvy: building a reputable franchise, negotiating correctly, and targeting the right players.

While teams like San Antonio claim to be a consistent franchise, they aren’t on the level that the Lakers are. Talk all you want of stealing Manu and Tony Parker extremely late in the draft, but every single one of their “dynasty” titles is a result of David Robinson getting injured, the Spurs having a dismal season and experiencing the extremely good fortune of happening to win the lottery on the year that Tim Duncan was eligible.

The Lakers, on the other hand have built their championship teams without having a draft pick higher than number 10 in the last 26 years. In fact, their average draft position has been 24.7 since 1982. Admittedly, in the earlier years, the Lakers did benefit (A LOT) from very high draft picks, having drafted Elgin Baylor, Magic Johnson and James Worthy at number 1 and Jerry West at number 2, but today’s Lakers (and for the past 25 years) are built from something else.

This shrewd management led me to denounce all the writers of articles that claimed that the Lakers were in trouble if Odom did not return. My reasoning? The Lakers front office knows what it’s doing. I knew they would bounce back from losing Odom very quickly. And I know that, when the time comes, they will bounce back from Kobe’s eventual retirement.

The Lakers will secure a replacement franchise player to pair with Bynum (assuming he continues developing fast enough that we don’t all lose patience).

Here is my list of possibilities, coupled with my reasoning and argument of how it may happen.

#5 Chris Paul

The time will come (is it already approaching?) when CP3 will tire of the thankless task of hauling his sorry team into battle night in and night out. If Bynum does eventually develop into the dominating big man, Howard’s nemesis, like Zo was to Shaq, then CP3 would make a nice partner for him. That’s if he doesn’t go somewhere else first!

#4 LeBron James

Now we’re just getting greedy. But talk about a big market! LBJ wants to become a global icon AND avoid the nightmare of playing for the Knicks? Welcome to LA. LBJ’s hero growing up as none other than Magic Johnson. The chance to become the next legend in the storied history of the Lakers? The chance to succeed Kobe’s throne in his own town? Or possibly even play with Kobe as he winds up his career, as Batman while Kobe plays Robin? Tempting…

#3 Ricky Rubio

Yes, I know, we’ve never seen him play a game in this league. But could you think of a more fitting team for him if he actually IS any good? Rubio running the new Showtime? Yes please.

#2 OJ Mayo

Is it just me, or does OJ Mayo’s game bear a striking resemblance to Kobe’s game early on in his career? Mayo could be the next coming of Kobe, if he continues to work hard. And you just know that somehow the Lakers will secure him in exchange for Sasha Vujacic’s expiring contract, don’t you?

#1 My preferred choice as Kobe’s heir: KEVIN DURANT

The kid can flat out ball. He will also be able to carry a team in future years. It shouldn’t be the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant if a focused, ambitious and determined player. Much like a young Kobe. He’s learning early on that the opposing defence is going to key in on him. Don’t be offended, but I can just see it developing this way: Oklahoma City develops him into a bonafide superstar, in the mould of Kobe. Westbrook is not the point guard that Durant needs and Jeff Green plays the wing too much. Durant needs a genuine point guard (Rubio?) and a dominant inside man (Bynum?) to complement his silky smooth game.

The new Showtime featuring Rubio, Durant and Bynum? Nice.