Lakers News: Buzz Surrounding Kobe Bryant Injury, LA Recruitment Push and More
Thursday was supposed to be a special day for Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the ninth anniversary of Bryant's legendary 81-point outburst against the Toronto Raptors, a performance deeply embedded in NBA lore.
Bryant was also revealed as a starter for the 2015 All-Star Game, his 17th selection as a pro. Bryant,who is averaging 22.3 points per game on a paltry 37.3 shooting from the field, certainly isn't the most deserving starter fans have ever elected, but that could be a moot point after some of the day's other developments.
The good Lakers news has been usurped by the bad, and the latest developments regarding Bryant inform some of the other recent rumblings from Los Angeles.
Here is the latest news out of Lakerland.
Kobe Bryant Injury
Bryant and the Lakers organization as a whole received discouraging injury news on Thursday, per Lakers.com's Mike Trudell:
Bryant apparently injured his right shoulder during the Lakers' Wednesday night loss to the New Orleans Pelicans and played the end of the game left-handed—even scoring on a lefty jumper.
However, ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne noted the shoulder has been an issue all season:
In the short term, Bryant's injury presumably means more playing time for backcourt players such as nominal sixth man Nick Young, emerging from a recent shooting slump and perhaps a permanent call-up for combo guard Jordan Clarkson, who has bounced back and forth between the Lakers and the D-League for much of the season.
CBS Sports' Ken Berger also noted it's possible the Lakers could shut down Bryant for the year with this injury:
If the Lakers want a healthy, contributing Bryant next season, that might be the best course of action at this point, even if the tear is small and time off proves to be mainly protective and precautionary.
Then again, If the injury is severe enough, one has to wonder if this is the end for Bryant. There is still plenty to be determined here, but the legendary Laker acknowledged prior to the injury that he's thought about calling it quits at the end of this season.
"I'd be lying if I said that it hasn't crossed my mind,'' said Bryant, via Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times. "Right now I doubt it ... but anything's possible.''
Those flickers of doubt could grow in the wake of this latest setback.
With devastating Achilles and knee injuries not-so-distant memories, this latest setback is a significant blow for Bryant, who has struggled to defy mortality as he nears the end of his glorious career.
Of course, for a 36-year-old who's logged more minutes on the NBA hardwood than all but nine other players—and played those minutes harder and with more uncompromising determination than just about anyone—the injuries probably aren't all that surprising.
Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding offered a potential silver lining from the devastating news, including some more long-term implications:
"Of course, the Lakers don't have many good options besides Bryant, but it's a fair argument that Scott will learn more about building the Lakers' future in running plays for Nick Young or letting Jeremy Lin attack in the pick-and-roll game for which he's made.
The obvious positive is that if Bryant, as expected, doesn't play again this season, it's a way for the Lakers to lose enough that they keep that 2015 first-round pick. If not in the top five, the pick goes to Phoenix. That's a start, but the Lakers have to make this about more than that.
"
Indeed, the Lakers could play a looser, more experimental brand of basketball without Bryant on the court; they've been more efficient without him in any case.
| Off Rtg | 100.4 | 104.5 |
| Def Rtg | 112.6 | 102.8 |
| TS % | 50.9 | 53.2 |
| PACE | 98.34 | 95.78 |
However, the team will remain tough to watch for the remainder of the season, and even an erratic Bryant is something to watch on a night-to-night basis. The implications of this injury, depending on the severity, could be longstanding.
With Bryant signed for one more season, the franchise has little choice but to play this one out and hope for the best.
Bryant, Young on Free-Agent Recruiting Trail
This post is going a bit Quentin Tarantino with the reverse chronological order, but the recent chatter surrounding the Lakers' push for marquee free agents is cast in a different light with news of Bryant's injury.
Bryant, devoted to the Lakers organization and desperately hoping for a triumphant end to his career, commented on his relationship with Dallas Mavericks point guard Rajon Rondo, saying he's not going to stop trying to bring the delightful passer to Southern California until circumstances snuff out the dream.
"No way," Bryant said, via the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett. “I’m not done. I’m not stopping until he signs an extension."
This is a different tune from the one Bryant sang when he was spotted breakfasting—NBA players are rich enough to use that verb here—with Rondo back in December, when the latter was still a member of the Boston Celtics. According to CBS Sports' Ken Berger, Bryant characterized it as a "basketball geek conversation."
That specific instance may have very well been casual, but it's clear Bryant is jonesing to play with a slick passer like Rondo, who averages 8.5 assists per game for his career.
Bryant might have more time on his hands to stump for the Lakers with his injury, but he's going to have to be much more convincing to sway a player like Rondo, who can look forward to playing with the likes of Dirk Nowitzki, Chandler Parsons and Monta Ellis on a contending team if he signs a new contract with Dallas.
Rondo would likely need assurance another star is headed to Tinseltown; perhaps Young can make sure that happens. Swaggy P has apparently been talking up Los Angeles to several potential free agents.
"I told Goran Dragic on the court, ‘You might be my teammate next year.’” Young told the L.A. News Group shortly after the Lakers’ loss on Monday to the Phoenix Suns. “I’ll talk to Marc (Gasol.) Me and him are cool. Kevin Love, I’ll talk to him," said Young, via the Los Angeles Daily News' Mark Medina.
You can take most things Young says with several shakers full of salt, but it's probably heartening for Lakers fans to see a solid contributor like Young willing to remain positive regarding the Lakers in the midst of trying times. If Young is selling Bryant and the team's history, it could be much tougher at this point.
Other than dollar signs, Byron Scott isn't a bad selling point, considering he proved with the New Jersey Nets that he can steer a team to greatness with the right combination of players in tow.
Sure, potential Lakers can look up to the rafters and see the championship banners and the jerseys emblazoned with Hall of Fame names, but Bryant is the living, breathing on-court embodiment of the franchise's glorious past. With his future in doubt, the sales pitch might be in need of a page-one rewrite.
Lakers Most Valuable NBA Franchise
The Lakers' 12-31 record and dreadful on-court product can't stop the organization as a whole from topping at least one list this year.
According to Forbes.com's Kurt Badenhausen, the Lakers are the most valuable NBA team in 2015 at a tidy $2.6 billion, a staggering 93 percent increase over last year.
That sure sounds like a hefty number, and Badenhausen provides one the major reasons why the values for all 30 teams have taken quantum leaps this year:
"In October the league inked expanded national media deals with Walt DisneyDIS +1.04% (ESPN /ABC) and Time WarnerTWX +1.23% (TNT) that are worth $2.66 billion a year, nearly three times the current contracts. They will begin with the 2016-17 season. The NBA has bucked the overall decline in ratings across TV with viewership for regular season games up 26% since the 2002-03 season.
With live sports proving one of the few DVR-proof plays (people watch the commercials), local rights deals are surging, too. The Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings all signed new local TV deals in the last six months with rights fees roughly triple their prior agreements.
"
The New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers fill out the top five, in that order.
Of course, the whopping number here isn't likely to be anything more than an academic discussion when it comes to the Lakers, as they are a Buss family business through and through. Don't expect this monstrous sum to be thrown around in price-point sales talks anytime soon.
Instead, let it speak to the Lakers' ceaseless presence as one of the Association's flagship franchises, a valuation built on an illustrious past that defies the team's dusky, opaque future.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
