With the Los Angeles Lakers in the tank machine for another season, I told myself one thing -- I wouldn't watch Laker basketball this season. But with it being Kobe Bryant's final season, the player I grew up idolizing, it's been just as hard not to watch my favorite player in his final year as it's been hard to watch them suffer another disappointing season.
With the Lakers playing terribly to the sound of their worst record in franchise history (17-65) and Kobe in his farewell tour, this season was supposed to be about the young guys -- rookie DeAngelo Russell who was selected second overall in this year's Draft and last year's first round pick Julius Randle who is basically a rookie himself, having missed all of last season with a broken leg aside from playing just 14 minutes in the season-opener. And with both players getting their much needed playing time to get their feet wet and help their development in the league, everything was going as planned. And then the news broke of Russell secretly videotaping a discussion with Laker teammate Nick Young. The conversation which touched on the subject of Young hooking up with numerous women and cheating on his fiance Iggy Azalea soon made its way onto social media. What was meant to be a joke on Young evolved into a prank gone wrong, making matters worse and adding salt to the wound that's been the Lakers' season.
So when it came time for L.A.'s final game of the season on Wednesday, Laker fans were more than relieved that the nightmare season was finally coming to an end. And then we were forced to accept that it was the ending of an era and that the career of one of basketball's all-time greats was coming to a close. The last time we would see Kobe Bean Bryant take the court in a Laker uniform. What was being referred to as "Mamba Day" began bright and early in downtown L.A. as Laker fans flocked outside of Staples Center to show their respects to "the greatest Laker in franchise history" as Magic Johnson proclaimed. With tributes being made for Kobe all season long and gifts given from opposing teams since he announced his decision to hang 'em up back in November, nothing came close to what the home team did for their beloved superstar as video messages were played on the big screen all night long. And then came the game that needed to be played. With enough celebrities in attendance for it to be an award show, the pressure on Bryant coming into the game was insurmountable. And with an 0-for-5 start from the field for Kobe, the jitters showed early on. It would soon wear off, however, as Kobe put on a show and treated us all to a spectacle in a way that only he could.
Facing the Utah Jazz who were eliminated from playoff contention earlier in the day with a victory by the Houston Rockets who claimed the eighth and final seed, Utah didn't have a whole lot to play for aside from having the chance to sweep the season series versus the Lakers for their first time ever. Utah jumped out to an early lead and maintained control of the score for nearly the entire game until the Black Mamba rose to the occasion and took over late in the fourth quarter like he's done so often in his memorable 20 year career. During a timeout discussion with former teammate Shaquille O'Neal, Shaq challenged Bryant to go out by scoring 50-points. Kobe would do him one better by scoring 60. Trailing by as many as 10 points with just over 2 minutes remaining, Kobe outscored the Jazz 23-21 in the fourth quarter including 13 unanswered while making a series of tough shots both in and outside of the three-point arch. While it was Kobe who stole the show and went on to score the most points in NBA history by a player in his final regular season game, the most important part of all for Bryant is that he did it in a winning effort as the Lakers prevailed, 101-96. As we've learned over the years, Bryant isn't one who takes losing lightly and that hasn't changed one bit over the course of his 20 year career.
Kobe shot 22 for 50 from the floor and became just the fourth player to ever attempt 50 field goals in a game. Say what you want about him taking the amount of shots he took, but understand that this one was for the fans who were forced to pay for tickets three and four times more than face value to sit in the nosebleeds if they wanted to see the iconic player in person one last time. Not to mention his teammates fed him the ball on just about every possession and encouraged him to shoot the ball. And even then, Kobe didn't disappoint, giving his supporters one last performance worth celebrating and putting an exclamation point on the storybook ending to the career of one of the game's all-time greats. A performance that had to have made the late Dr. Jerry Buss smile from the heavens above. Just to put his remarkable night into perspective, no Hall of Fame player had even scored 30-points in their final regular season game. Kobe who will undoubtedly join them and is a future Hall of Famer himself, scored twice that mark. It would be the sixth 60-point performance in his illustrious career and his first in over seven years.
With the future of the franchise unsure at this point moving forward, it's worth noting that a new era of Lakers basketball is on the horizon with Kobe out the door. With a chance to better their squad and help make the recovery from this rebuilding mode a bit easier heading into June's Draft, the Lakers will be in on just about every major free-agent on the market. But nailing the Draft is what's most important of all as Los Angeles will enter June's Draft with a top-three protected pick which will likely be used to select one of either LSU's Ben Simmons, Duke's Brandon Engram or Oklahoma's Buddy Heild. That's if they don't fall out of the top 3 spots or trade the pick. While Kobe's playing career comes to a close, his legacy will live on forever and his impact as a basketball icon and a global ambassador for the game will never fade. Bryant, a 5-time NBA Champion and former league MVP, is the Michael Jordan of his era and is the reason many players in the league today play the game of basketball. No one player made the game an international phenomenon quite like Bryant has and his name and number will be seen adorned L.A.'s Staples Center for many years to come as they sold a reported $1.2 Million worth of Kobe Bryant merchandise on Wednesday, a single-day record for any arena.
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The Mamba's still venomous - While we all knew this was the end of the Kobe Bryant era entering the 2015-16 season but refused to believe it, the Los Angeles Lakers guard finally put the rumors to rest three weeks ago when he held a live press conference regarding his decision to finally hang 'em up at the end of the season after 20 years in the league. Along with Kobe explaining his decision in front of a live television audience, was a poem he had written explaining that he was ready to let go of the game of basketball. After appearing to have shot himself to an early retirement with many pleading for the Mamba to call it quits in midseason, Bryant has instead responded to his critics by playing his best ball in years as of late. That's right, Kobe is finally beginning to resemble the iconic basketball player we all know and love.
In his last four games, Kobe has put up the following:
31 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists.
22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists.
22 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists.
25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists.
Even if it is just a small sample size of the Kobe Bryant we all grew accustomed to seeing on a nightly basis, the fact remains -- it's refreshing to see one of the most celebrated players the game has ever known playing good basketball once again. Though I can truly say I didn't go as far as saying Kobe needed to reconsider his decision and retire now during his slump, I can admit that I thought Kobe had begun to resemble a man who was forcing himself thru something he can no longer do and that's taking on a rigorous 82-game season for a 20th time. But over the last four games he's proven otherwise. He's also ditched the poor shot selection that was eating away at his shooting percentage at the start of the season and has been a lot more productive in every facet while also getting others involved. As hard as it was to watch one of the game's all-time greats struggling the way he was, I wasn't ready for my all-time favorite player to walk away from the game for good. Bryant, a 17-time All-Star and 5-time NBA Champion, had this to say about his recent play, "I just feel good. my legs feel fine. I feel like me."
With the Lakers currently owning a record of 5-23, worst in the Western Conference and above only the 1-29 Philadelphia 76ers who's lone win on the season came at the hands of L.A., the last three seasons which saw Kobe plagued by different injuries, has somewhat helped us all accept this whole rebuilding stage that the Lakers and their fans aren't necessarily used to and has helped prepare us to move on towards a Kobe-less Laker team. With a good crop of young talent picked in the last two NBA Drafts in guards Jordan Clarkson, DeAngelo Russell and forward Julius Randle, L.A. is once again in good position to acquire some top talent in next year's Draft while preparing for life after Bryant. And as the season wears on and the games dwindle down, the only advice I can say to you as not only a Laker fan but an all around fan of basketball is this -- soak in as much of Kobe's final season as you can as we may never seen a talent quite like his again. Not to mention one who's played a record all 20 seasons with the same franchise. We may see another turnaround jumper and another intense first pump after a made basket, but we'll never see another hunger on the court like the one we saw when Kobe Bean Bryant was on the hardwood.
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Earlier today, Laker fans were given the news nobody wants to hear regarding their team's star player when news broke that Kobe Bryant's 2013-14 campaign would come to a premature end. The 16-time All-Star who missed all but six games this season for the injury-rattled Lakers while batting ailments of his own, was officially shutdown for the remainder of the season on Wednesday, a joint decision made by Bryant and team doctors. Kobe, the franchises' all-time scoring-leader who signed a 2-year, $48.5 Million extension back in November, has been out since December 17 while nursing a fractured left knee that has healed much slower than anticipated.
Eight months after going under the knife to repair a torn Achilles tendon suffered last April, Bryant was forced to miss the first 19 games of the season which led to the highly anticipated return that would last only six games before the Black Mamba was once again bit by the injury bug and forced back on the shelf. In the small sample size we got to see Kobe on the court, each game saw him get better than the last. After being given very little time to shake off the cobwebs, Bryant averaged 13.8 points, 6.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and a 42.5 shooing percentage, statistically the worst season of his career despite still being voted by fans into the NBA All-Star Game. Whether or not Kobe would've been game ready before the end of the regular season, a return this late in the year with the Lakers this far behind in the standings would make virtually no sense and would do more harm than good. Though it's never positive news when your star player is ruled out for the year, it could be in L.A.'s case.
With the Lakers unofficially in full on tank mode, Bryant's return at this point in the season would not only jeopardize his career in what's been a lost season but it would also hurt his team's draft stock. In what's been a historically bad season for the purple and gold who sit tied for the worst record in the Western Conference at 22-42 and will miss the playoffs for only the sixth time since 1948, the team's best bet at this point is to continue losing in hopes of improving their chances in the NBA Draft lottery. With this year's draft class regarded as the best in quite some time and expected to showcase the talent of many future star players, rebuilding from the ground up might be general manager Mitch Kupchak's best way to construct a winning team for the long haul as father time has seem to have caught up to the team's franchise player who has 18 years under his belt and will celebrate his 36th Birthday in August.
With all eyes now on the start of the 2014-15 season as the expected timetable for Kobe's return, the questions of whether or not he can return to the All-Star caliber player he once was will begin to form. But regardless of his critics, nobodies expectations of Kobe will be as lofty as his own.
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Just six games into his return from a torn Achilles tendon in his left foot suffered back in April, Kobe Bryant will once again be watching games from the sideline rather than playing in them. Basketball fans and Laker fans alike were given just a small sample size of the Kobe Bryant post-Achilles injury as his highly anticipated return which was eight months in the making, was once again put on hold due to the injury bug. On the road facing the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, Bryant went down on the count after appearing to have tweaked something in the third quarter. Though he lied there clutching his knee for a good minute or so, there didn't appear to be any major damage as Kobe was able to walk off the court under his own power and continued to play the remainder of the game as the Lakers eventually went on to win by a final of 96-92. But after experiencing soreness the following day, an MRI on Thursday revealed Kobe had in fact fractured the lateral tibia plateau in his left knee.
The injury comes just three weeks after the Lakers signed their superstar player and all-time franchise scoring-leader to a two-year, $48.5 Million extension. A deal that might end up hurting the team more than it helps. In the limited time Kobe played on the court before once again having to trade his Lakers uniform for a pair of crutches, he managed to score at least 20-points in three of the six games he starred in and logged a 13-assist performance in another. Though Kobe's presence will be missed, his injury is just the latest name added to the laundry list of players the Lakers have seen miss time this season. At the moment, coach Mike D'Antoni will have to make due with a depleted lineup as Bryant joins Steve Blake, Steve Nash and Jordan Farmar on the sideline. Upon his return, Kobe was being looked at as the saving grace, being able to move from shooting-guard to point-guard but his absence forced general manager Mitch Kupchak to seek an alternative as the team signed free-agent Kendall Marshall. The former first round pick out of North Carolina in last year's NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns, Marshall was most recently waived by the Washington Wizards and has yet to produce anywhere near the numbers he put up while with the Tar Heels.
In the handful of minutes we got to see Bryant play this season, he showed flashes of his old self as he got his feet back more and more after each game. But in no way did we see the explosiveness as to be expected given the repercussions of his Achilles injury. One department Kobe's absence will benefit the team in, however, is in the Draft lottery. With the Lakers franchise in desperate need of rebuilding from the ground up, the 6 to 8 weeks Kobe is out for should help the team further solidify themselves in the lottery sweepstakes.
I'm one of the biggest Kobe supporters you'll meet but what he did on November 25 by signing his two-year contract-extension for $48.5 Million set me back a bit. In no way am I hating on the man for taking money, but I am a bit surprised given how much Bryant says he wants that sixth ring to add to his legacy. Taking up $24 Million a year in payroll at the age of 35 does little to help his team's case in pursuit of NBA Championship no. 17. Compare Kobe's deal to that of the aging Tim Duncan who in 2012 went from making $23 Million the year before to $9.7 Million a year, a deal which helped the franchise sign pieces to surround Duncan with and helped them get to the NBA Finals this past June. It appears Kobe's latest contract is more of a 'thank you' from Lakers owner Jim Buss for what he's done in the past rather than what Kobe can accomplish in the next two seasons. Maybe it was just wishful thinking when I thought Kobe would take a page out of Tom Brady's book by taking a pay-cut to help his team.
As for any doubt we had in the past on whether or not Kobe's last seasons would be in the purple and gold, the contract-extension means Kobe will be a Laker for life. After it's all said and done, Kobe will have been with the team for 20 years, one year longer than John Stockton was with the Utah Jazz, the longest tenured player in NBA history with one franchise. The fact of the matter is Kobe's hunger for greatness is unparalleled and nothing will prevent him from playing these final two plus seasons unless he's got to be carried away from the game for good. With all that said, get well, Mamba, and take your time recovering.
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