Lakers News: Analyzing Plans for Kobe Bryant and Current Trade Buzz
One play sums up Kobe Bryant's highly anticipated return to the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night: his last-second, rim-rattling miss as his team fell at home to the 17-21 Miami Heat.
Still, Lakers fans got what they wanted to see this season:
In a sense, things are back to normal. Bryant is in the lineup and taking more shots than anybody on the roster. Only slightly normal, as the days when Bryant returns and plays the hero are far over—he went 3-of-19 from the field with 12 points, tied for the team high.
Mitch Kupchak and the front office are in rebuild mode, which means Bryant's future blotches of playing time, as well as the construction of the roster as a whole, remain very much up in the air.
Preserving The Mamba
Father time doesn't lose battles—even with Kobe Bryant.
Bryant was horrific Tuesday night, as numbers provided by ESPN Stats & Info show:
Struggles upon a return are natural, though, and the Lakers are not going to panic over one poor performance.
More important to the staff is how much Bryant has left in the tank over the course of the next season and a half.
See, this is somewhat of a normal rebuild. Normally the Lakers go all-in and never have to experience a season like this, but the front office has its eyes on next year's free agency and continues to add young building blocks in the meantime.
The Lakers want Bryant to be 100 percent for next season, which, in terms of planning, is the season. Coach Byron Scott echoed the desires of the front office recently.
“The one thing we want to do with a year remaining on his contract is make sure that he can play as much as possible that year," Scott said, per Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. "The more minutes that I play him [now] is probably the worst thing that I can do.”
According to the article, the Lakers want Bryant to hover around 32 minutes per game rather than the 37.1 in November that wore him down and led to this fatigue situation in the first place.
For Bryant, Tuesday was just the beginning of a process, per The Associated Press (via ESPN.com):
"The hard part is sitting down for stretches and then trying to get back in. I feel like the Tin Man, you know what I mean? But that's just part of the process, part of the challenge. It's not something I'm whining or complaining about. I'll just work through it and get my legs used to playing again.
"
For observers of a dreadful season, some Kobe is better than no Kobe—especially if it means he takes the court next year, too.
Making Moves
Although the Lakers have their eyes on next offseason's free agency, that does not mean the staff has sat idly by and watched others make moves.
According to a note by ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne, the Lakers have been in on players, such as Brandon Jennings, Greg Monroe and Dion Waiters:
Remember, Waiters is the guy who was recently shipped to the Oklahoma City Thunder after never really fitting in with Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers. At 23 years old with intriguing upside, the Lakers' interest at least shows they are sticking to their guns when it comes to a mostly youthful rebuild.
Monroe, who averages 15.1 points and 9.7 rebounds with the Detroit Pistons, would be a similar fit at 24 years old.
Jennings is the wild card of the group. While he's 25 years old, his insistence on taking a hefty load of shots would be an interesting fit alongside Bryant and Nick Young.
It all comes down to what tradeable assets the Lakers actually have, though. Darius Soriano of Forum Blue and Gold outlines a few:
If only it were so easy, right?
The Lakers would like to keep some of those young pieces. Jordan Hill just went down with an injury, per Mike Trudell of Lakers.com. Nobody wants the contracts tied to players like Steve Nash or Jeremy Lin.
The important thing is that the Lakers are trying. Really, some of the names the team has sniffed around should encourage observers, too, as they show that the front office continues to stick to its guns in this time of adversity.
Still, the situation remains one very much mired in a long-term outlook. Like Bryant's eventual return to form, patience is a must.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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