We are a day from the announcement of the Dwight Howard Sweepstakes. This decision from Superman will undoubtedly change the fate of the Lakers for a while (a year max). But this post is not about Dwight. It's about the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant.
Basketball is the second longest standing relationship I have with anything close to my heart (My parents are #1). My NBA following started in 95-96 during the second Bulls Dynasty. Like all young fans, I was a fan of the star players and not particular franchises. I deeply loved some players and hated some as well (Sorry Grant Hill. I didn't know what you did but I did appreciate you more recently).Through the years, I grew from the blind media driven fan to the one who appreciates stars for the good character qualities that we can look up to and learn from. And then finally to one loves the game and its history, being able to pick a team team close to his heart and cheer for until he dies. So I have seen the game evolve and Kobe grow to be the man he is today.
I was never a Kobe fan until recent years. In fact, I hated him when he came into the league. Even after the Lakers won 3 straight titles, the hatred did not change. I always thought he was arrogant, selfish and childish. He was a player who would jeopardise the team's future for his own individual glory. I can't remember of how this turned around. But I guess the 04 season where he got into some trouble off the court was a slight nudge in the different direction. Because even though he was going through so much, he never gave up on the season and led the Lakers to the NBA Finals. After that, the Lakers broke up the team and went into a rebuilding process. Kobe never stopped fighting and kept going, and when the Lakers miraculously stole Pau Gasol (WORK YOUR MAGIC AGAIN MITCH!!). The Lakers became championship contenders again. They didn't win the gold easily, getting humiliated by the Celtics on their first trip back to the finals after the Shaq and Kobe era. That however, made them closer and forced Kobe to mix team ball together with hero ball, resulting in back to back titles shortly after.
I grew to like Kobe because this dude works his butt off everyday. Even if he just won the title, he would be back in the gym in next day. He wasn't as physically gifted as Jordan or Lebron, he had to work hard to be elite and yes he did.
However, the Black Mamba's career is coming to an end. Even though he said he wants to play another 2 years and the numbers he put up are the best in his career, he is no longer the Kobe Bryant of old. I remember watching a Kobe-Lebron christmas day matchup a fews back.. They went head to head in one possession and Lebron just blew by Kobe, sending him to the ground. That was when I knew he couldn't keep up with the younger elite player. He is still a great player, don't get me wrong. But we all know that he has time off playing defense to save his energy on offense. Basketball is a two way game.
Kobe is known as the player of his generation (along with Duncan and Shaq). He is the last man and also the last great Laker standing. Now we need him to pass the torch to the next Laker generation. Kobe has never been one to share the ball or the spotlight. Even if he shares, he has to be the lead in the cast. It's either he shoots, or he has to get the assist.
When Kobe got injured, there were talks of the Lakers possibly amnestying him to save money and building. I considered this being the greatest assist by the Laker star ever. But now that he seems firm on coming back next season, the game has changed slightly. Kobe's role on the team has to change. He has to be the mentor and a catalyst of this next Laker generation.
If the Lakers manage to sign Dwight, Kobe must be able to take a back seat at times for Dwight to shine. Having everything go through one player makes the team play predictable and easy to beat. This means that he has to be able to let Dwight play the way Dwight plays best. Whether the Lakers manage to get Dwight or not, they will have capabilities to sign two top players in 2014. But before that, they will probably not be able to contend with the top teams. There will be growing pains and this require patience, especially from Kobe himself. And finally when '14 finally comes, he will have to take on an even lesser role and focus on bringing the team together again to do it the Laker way, not the Kobe way. Playing it out for the team's future and putting his huge ego aside will be the greatest assist ever from the last man standing in Lakerland.
In a couple of years, the conclusion to the basketball legacy of the Kobe Bean Bryant will written but the one for the Lakers will continue. How will we be remembering them then?
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