If Kobe Bryant had any other name, he wouldn’t be playing 30.4 minutes per night for the Los Angeles Lakers. However, the team is awful, and Lakers fans want to see their legend one more time.
But that means the franchise willingly accepts the fact it’s going to lose a couple games it shouldn’t, which is a tough situation for general manager Mitch Kupchak. Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times, Kupchak said the Lakers cannot move forward until Bryant retires.
“We cannot move on as a team until Kobe leaves. Part of that to me is painful because I’ve been here 20 years with Kobe.
Kupchak admitted what we’ve media and fans alike have said throughout the year, that the 2015-16 campaign is nothing but a tribute to Bryant.
“This is a year that’s dedicated to Kobe and his farewell. From my point of view, it gives me complete clarity. … We know what our [salary] cap situation is going to be like.”
Head coach Byron Scott has upset forward-thinking basketball minds — whether analysts or fans, it doesn’t matter — because he’s relegated D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle to smaller roles than what they deserve.
The smartest thing for Los Angeles would be to feature Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr. and Julius Randle in lineups and let the nucleus of the roster develop for 2016-17 and beyond. Instead, the young players are wasting time as complements to the featured player in Bryant.
And the future Hall of Famer simply isn’t that good anymore.
Bryant is shooting a career-worst 34.1 percent from the floor. His 25.9 three-point percentage and 91 offensive rating are the lowest clips of a season where Bryant played more than six games. Los Angeles is six points better per 100 possessions with him off the floor, which roughly translates to five more wins.
Granted, the team is 8-27. No lineup would make the Lakers playoff contenders. This is Bryant’s final season, and many fans are holding out hope to watch his 30-point outlier outburst. That’s OK. It’s just a game.
Nevertheless, that the Lakers are wasting their season isn’t breaking news, but it’s refreshing to hear one of the franchise’s biggest decision-makers acknowledge that 2015-16 isn’t anything more than a tribute to Kobe.