When you’re Kobe Bryant, certain things bounce your way that wouldn’t bounce anyone else’s way. Only if you’re the Black Mamba, your farewell is more important than the team that’s in the process of rebuilding and reestablishing a winning culture. According to the Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, player development sounds good in theory, just not this year. Why? Because Kobe Bryant is more important.
From ESPN.
“Under normal circumstances [in a season like this], at some point, you would probably concentrate on just developing all your young players,” Kupchak told ESPN on Tuesday. “But we can’t do that right now.
Sounds ideal, right? But it makes half-sense, if that even makes sense.
“This [season] is really a justified farewell to perhaps the best player in franchise history. And, God-willing, he’s going to want to play every game and he’s going to want to play a lot of minutes in every game, because that’s just the way he is.”
This isn’t to be taken the wrong way, but too bad Kobe’s ego can’t handle taking a Kevin Garnett role of playing limited minutes. All in all, you have to give the people what they want at the end of the day; Bryant playing and starting on game nights. Politics rule everything around us.
“Our younger players can make mistakes, and it can kind of go under the radar because Kobe garnishes so much attention. Every game, it’s about Kobe. Even when he doesn’t play, it’s about Kobe.”
With it all being said and done, can’t deny Bryant deserves a pass for the lack thereof of player development for the Lakers. Besides, it’s Kobe Bryant, and these next few months will be the last we see of the Black Mamba. Might as well enjoy the ride with him.
