Lakers Rumors: Kobe Bryant Says All the Right Things but Doesn't Mean Them

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant isn't easily pleased.

When things don't go his way, his displeasure is felt even if it goes unsaid. And the last few months have not been happy months for Bryant.

His Lakers were dispatched by the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs.

They then replaced Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson with Mike Brown.

The owners locked out the players.

When the lockout ended, the Lakers lost out on a trade for Chris Paul, traded away Lamar Odom for peanuts and saw their stadium-mates land CP3 instead.

And, in his personal life, his wife has filed for divorce.

Kobe Bryant has reason to be unhappy. But he won't say it.

In a Q&A with Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears, Kobe gives a number of intriguing quotes.

"

Q: Do you see yourself retiring with the Lakers? There’s been speculation you might want a change.

Bryant: “I don’t know where that comes from. I don’t have any feeling about [leaving] whatsoever.”

Q: Why do you believe the Lakers can win a title this season?

Bryant: “We have a good roster here. People look at our roster and it doesn’t have the sexy names people want to see nowadays with the super teams. But I believe it’s good enough to get it done.”

Q: What were your emotions when Lamar Odom was traded to Dallas?

Bryant: “[Expletive]. It’s tough because I didn’t know what was going on or why he got traded. Did he ask for a trade? Was it something we kind of facilitated? I didn’t know. It sucked.”

Q: Do you have any say in personnel moves?

Bryant: “No. That’s how they feel most comfortable handling their business, which is fine by me. I don’t take it personal. I just let them do their thing and trust that they’re trying to win right now. It’s not something where they are just tearing apart and starting from scratch.”

Q: It looks like you guys are adding Troy Murphy. Obviously, you lost Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown. How do you feel about the roster now?

Bryant: “I still don’t know what other moves we are going to make or are we going to try to do anything. I really don’t know. I’m just trying to work every day with the guys and trying to be as sharp as can be with the guys here and then see where we end up.”

"

The Lakers were beat up by the new-look Clippers last night in their first preseason game. Kobe, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, the Lakers' "Big Three," combined for 53 points in the loss.

Los Angeles certainly cannot be overlooked in any capacity this season, but there is also no reason to buy into Bryant's words about believing that this current roster can contend in the West.

There is a reason the Lakers have been linked to nearly every available superstar since their season ended last year.

The trading of Odom has left a ton of pressure on Bynum and Gasol to play better than ever up front.

Bryant is going to have carry a backcourt that will feature a rotation of Steve Blake, rookie Darius Morris and veteran Derek Fisher.

How Kobe could possibly be happy with that is beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

He's doing and saying all the correct things right now, but this facade can't last long.

If the Lakers aren't competitive early on, his silence won't remain for very long.

Don't be fooled by Kobe Bryant saying all the right things.