Last week, Lakers Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Jim Buss told the media he was fed up with hearing rumors about the possibility that his organization will trade or release Kobe Bryant before he returns from the Achilles tendon injury he suffered at the end of last season.
“I want to put an end to any speculation that we would allow Kobe to become a free agent,” Buss said. “That’s not going to happen. Kobe is a top priority for us. He’s a Laker legend and always will be. I don’t think we’re done winning championships with him yet.”
Buss’ bold words beg the question: will Kobe Bryant win another championship with the Lakers?
Looking at what they’re working with, there’s hope.
Once Kobe returns, the Lakers starting five will likely be Steve Nash, Bryant, Pau Gasol and newly acquired players Nick Young and Chris Kaman. The bench has also gained depth in the offseason, with the acquisitions of wing players Wesley Johnson and Xavier Henry.
With fresher, younger legs in Young, Johnson and Henry, head coach Mike D’Antoni may be able to get his team into faster offensive sets, more similar to what he ran in New York with the Knicks.
Kaman and Gasol have worked well together in the preseason thus far, and there’s hope for the tandem in the paint this year. Gasol has always been one of the best passing big men in the league and always averages a double-double, and Kaman is a quality fundamental rebounder and low post threat. Both big men are aging, however, which may be a problem when facing younger, more athletic big men.
Jordan Hill and Steve Blake are two bench players returning for the Lakers. Blake is usually one of the higher-scoring players off the bench for the Lakers, and is able to go off from the three-point line if he gets into a rhythm. Hill is coming off an injury from last season, so it will be interesting to note how he plays and where he fits in LA’s scheme.
Ultimately, the Lakers’ chances of contention this year will come down to how Kobe plays after his return. Kobe is aging as well, and at 35, playing at the level he was playing at prior to tearing his Achilles could be impossible. He may lose lateral quickness and be hesitant to pivot or shoot on that ankle. This could create problems for Kobe early in the season, and he may not be able to return to his regular form.
Despite losing Dwight Howard to Houston in free agency, LA may actually be improved given the fact that they’re younger and more athletic. It’s hard to see them contending in a stacked Western Conference, however, especially with so much uncertainty surrounding their best player and his return to the hardwood.
They would need younger, all-star caliber players surrounding Kobe to have a real shot. I’m not counting the Lakers out given their history of player spending and the fact that they have the second-most championships in NBA history, but Buss may have jumped the gun with his assertion that LA can still contend for titles in the Bryant era.