Remember this guy?
Kobe Bryant is arguably the greatest player of all-time. Yes, even a lifelong Laker fan has to put that “arguably” qualifier before that statement. The end of next season will make it 20 years that Bryant has been loyally wearing the purple and gold. It will also be his last year with the team.
Mitch Kupchak is one of the worst general managers in basketball and probably shouldn’t have given him and Steve Nash so much money in the first place. But it sounds like he has finally come to his senses and mutually decided to part ways with the former superstar. Kupchak told SiriusXM NBA radio that the two haven’t had any discussions about a working relationship going forward.
Kobe Bryant is still one of the youngest players to play in the league. He came into the league at 17 in the late 90’s and never had any problem taking his share of shots. When those shots started going in at a high percentage and we started getting rings again, Lakers fans embraced Kobe and even defended him against bogus rape allegations in Denver.
As a Laker fan there is something to say about keeping Kobe these last few years. He will be the first player to play for the same team 20 years. Twice he lead the league in scoring and for 17 years Kobe made the all-star team. However, paying him $48 mil for two years after a torn Achilles is questionable judgement on behalf of Kupchak.
At the beginning of the 2013-2014 season, Kobe suffered a devastating knee injury and had to miss the entire season. His ability and resilience to play through injury is commendable but when your team suffers as a result its no longer endearing to fans. Kobe has been playing through back problems, shoulder injuries and thats just what we know about. We thank Kobe for what he has done but we will not be said to see him released.
