Kobe Bryant – Team Player

Kobe Bryant is willing to do whatever it takes for the franchise. By Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA, via Wikimedia Commons

How far do you think Kobe Bryant would go to scheme another shot at a title. How much would he give up to give the Lakers a continued shot at relevance in a league that has caught and passed the Lakers franchise in the blink of an eye since the loss of Dr. Buss?

The prize

The prize for this year’s Lakers team, which hasn’t ever had a real shot at championship contention, is the ability to get into the lottery and potentially draft a player named Parker, Wiggins, Gordon, Vonleh, Randle, Exum, Embiid, or even Levine.

A trip to the playoffs as a 7 or 8 seed wouldn’t be good for the franchise, even in this great draft year. Only a lottery ticket will do. Here’s where Kobe has already put his stamp on the season.

The comeback

Kobe’s comeback was destined to be fast. You can’t even say “faster than anyone anticipated,” because it’s Kobe, and everyone anticipated it. Here’s where it gets interesting though. When he came back, the Lakers were playing decent basketball. The team was 10-9, coming off a streak where they’d won six of the past eight games. This was starting to look like a team that was going to fight for a playoff spot.

The thought of an entertaining team of lovable misfits is something that we’ve sat through before, and there are worse things than a team reminiscent of the Elden Campbell/Sedale Threatt/Cedric Ceballos/Vlade Divac era. For Kobe though, that kind of mediocrity is unacceptable.

So, Kobe did what he always does. He outfoxed everyone and came back in time to play horribly. The team lost the first three games he played and have gone 2-4 overall since his first game of the season. Kobe knows that there is no way to win this year, and so losing is best for the franchise. For a hall-of-famer to recognize that and throw a monkey wrench in Mike D’Antoni’s ball-movement offense, while playing very little defense is truly remarkable.

Since Kobe’s return, I’ve seen more angry rants from Lakers fans who want them to “win now” than ever, a sign that Kobe’s diabolical plan is working. Lottery, here we come.

The injury

So as not to soil his sterling reputation, Kobe decided to once again do what was best for the team. In the game against Charlotte, he broke his knee and continued to play throughout the game helping the team to victory. In one game he once again proved that a) he’s the toughest mofo in the league still and b) made sure that as soon as the Lakers looked like they might be getting their feet back under them, something else tragic happened.

If the Lakers want this to be a successful (and by successful, I mean horrific) season, other guys are going to have to take Kobe’s lead. The purple and gold can’t have a motivated group of scrappers giving their best shot to other teams night after night. C’mon guys, this is the NBA, and it’s time to mail a few games in. The future of a potential lottery pick already depends on it. Guys need to realize that it’s just as important to lose now as it will be in April and May.

And what if the Lakers go on a winning streak over the next few weeks? Well, you know who will be working hard to rehab that broken knee. Just don’t forget — it’s all for the team.