An interview with Kobe Bryant was posted today on ESPN.com headlined “Kobe pleased with Lakers’ progress, says he wants to stay put”. Some of the important to note comments Kobe made during the interview:
“I’ve always wanted to be here, I just felt like I was in a position where I didn’t really have a
choice. They wanted to go in an opposite direction. My legs aren’t as
young as they used to be. Just let me know.”
“I love the weather. I love my ’63 drop-top Impala. I love the 405 [freeway]. I love my guys.”
“I’ve been sitting on this for four years now,” he said. “After three
or four years of not getting anything done, to see it today, it feels
pretty damn good. It’s been a hell of a ride.”
About GM Mitch Kupchak he said he has gone from an “F” to an “A-plus” adding, “He believed in the draft picks he made, he had the patience”.
“I love this team. If they want to win right now, I’m all for them.
That’s all I’ve said the whole time. We have a job to do here, so it’s
important to focus on what we’re doing and not get distracted from that.”
“I don’t want any big stories. The journey we’ve been on is fun. It’s
been a blast. With that being said, we play for titles. We want to win
the championship. We’ll be disappointed if we don’t. But if it does
happen, we’ll regroup and go at it again. We’ve got some great pieces
here. Now it’s time to put it all together. We get that big fellow
[Bynum] back down there and we’ll really be rolling.”
Instead of looking back at Kobe Bryant’s demands as a negative point in his career, we should admire him for it. Kobe, the name and head act of the Lakers franchise is ultimately responsible for the success of the Lakers. He is the franchise player. That is the franchise players responsibility. If the team doesn’t perform, everybody including the Lakers organization turn to Kobe Bryant for the answer. And if he doesn’t have it, he’s gone. And his legacy as a basketball player is forever dependent upon it.
I’m glad Kobe called out Mitch and Dr. Buss. I’m glad he called out his teammates. For that alone he deserves the MVP. For putting everybody to the fire. Kobe Bryant has been the one since day one, that is all about winning. Kobe’s decisions are all about winning. That’s just what he’s about. The success of the Lakers this year, is all about Kobe Bryant and what he did to light a fire under everyone in the Lakers organization by calling them out. Thank you Kobe!
