Kobe Bryant Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kobe Bryant Wants ‘Two More Cracks’ At Title

June 14th, 2013 at 5:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kobe Bryant is eyeing a triumphant return from his Achilles injury next season, and would like to have "two more cracks at it to win seven NBA titles at least," a source tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Bryant, who has won five championships, said shortly before he suffered his torn Achilles that he would decide on his future this summer.

Bryant had indicated in the past that 2013/14 could be his final season, but the latest news piggybacks on remarks he made about a week ago suggesting he wants to extend his career beyond next season. The 17-year veteran will make a league-high $30,453,805 in 2013/14, the final season of his contract.

Before he got hurt, the Lakers were planning to discuss an extension with Bryant, but the injury has complicated that situation, Shelburne reports, adding that the team is nonetheless "determined to treat Bryant well." He's eligible for an extension that would give him a 7.5% raise in year one and run through 2017, for a total of $105,763,686, but such a large sum would make it difficult for the Lakers to surround him with the talent necessary to win the additional championships he seeks.

It's more likely Bryant's next contract will come at a discount, but just how much of a paycut he'll take will be a matter of intriguing negotation beginning as early as this summer. Both team and player may want to wait until next summer to determine how Bryant performs after the injury, though that's just my speculation.

Kobe Suggests He’ll Outplay Contract

June 8th, 2013 at 12:26pm CST by Zachary Links

In a radio interview with Stephen A. Smith of ESPN Radio, Kobe Bryant suggested he might play beyond his current contract with the Lakers, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. Bryant, whose deal expires after this season, spoke at length of the possibility of topping Spurs forward Tim Duncan in the title chase.

“My goal is to win more than five,” said Bryant. “If he does win five, hopefully that pushes our organization upstairs to be even more determined and more driven to make the necessary expenses to make sure we continue the next year and the year after that.“

Previously, Bryant has said that he doesn’t want to play too far beyond his prime. As it stands, Bryant’s deal is set to expire after the 2013/14 season.

Kobe On Recovery, Retirement, Howard

June 3rd, 2013 at 9:35pm CST by Zachary Links

It would be an understatement to say that the 2012/13 season was a disappointment for the Lakers and Kobe Bryant. Bryant helped will the Lakers into the playoffs with a late-season surge but had to watch his club get bounced by the Spurs from the sidelines. Now, six weeks into his rehabilitation program, the 34-year-old sat down with Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com to discuss his future and plans for the summer. Here's a look at the highlights..

Will you be ready for the 2013/14 opener?

"I hope so. That's the challenge. With the tendon, there's really only but so much you can do. There's a certain amount of time that they deem necessary for the tendon to heal where you don't overstretch it and now you never get that spring back. So, you just have to be patient, let the tendon heal and then when that moment comes when they say, 'OK, we can take off the regulator so to speak and now it's on you to train as hard as you can to get back to where you want to be,' that's going to be a good day."

On courting Dwight Howard back to L.A.:

"For me, you kind of let him do his due diligence and then move in and talk to him and figure out if this is a place he wants to be. We all want him here. But then that's when the selling begins [after Howard is courted by other teams]. You don't start the selling process right before he goes and does all this stuff. You want to get the last word. You want to have the final word and the closing argument. I'll give him a little opening statement, but then I have to make sure I have the final word."

What if Howard goes elsewhere?

"This franchise is a franchise that you really don't have to worry about too much, because no matter what happens, whether it's a year from now, two years from now, whatever the case may be, they're always going to find a way to have an impact on this league. It's gotten to a point at this stage in my career where those lines of communication are more open and we talk more frequently both with [general manager] Mitch [Kupchak] and [vice president of player personnel] Jimmy [Buss] and [vice president of business operations] Jeanie [Buss] to a certain extent. Those lines of communication are open."

On Phil Jackson's book stating that Michael Jordan is the superior player:

"I talked to Phil about it. I said, 'You know, you can't compare me at [age] 21-22-23 to Michael at 28-29-30. That's not a fair comparison. But, you know, I'm comfortable at resting on my five [championships] and what I had to do for this team to be successful. We both had different roles and [Jordan has] had his level of frustration coming up as a young player and challenges that he had to deal with and I had mine in playing a different role to what I thought naturally I could do. We had different career paths, man, so it's kind of tough to [compare]. At least for me it is, anyway."

On retirement plans:

"I don't know if I want a farewell tour because I want that competition. I want the crowd being on top of you all the time. I wouldn't want a farewell tour. No. I wouldn't do that."

Western Rumors: Lakers, Paul, Josh Smith, Mavs

May 10th, 2013 at 9:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

According to Grantland's Bill Simmons, who finishes off his three-part trade value column, there's "increasing buzz" that the Lakers would amnesty Kobe Bryant if they were guaranteed to sign both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul. That appears a longshot on multiple counts, since the Clippers seem all but assured of re-signing Paul, while the Lakers have insisted they're not considering the amnesty move on Kobe. Even if the Lakers take Kobe's $30MM+ salary for next season off their books, it would still be difficult for the team to fit a max contract for Paul under the cap. Regardless, the offseason figures to be full of intrigue in L.A., as always. Here's the latest from the City of Angels and other Western Conference locales:

HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram identifies the five teams most likely to lure Josh Smith away from the Hawks, with the Mavericks at the top of the list. If the Hawks want to pursue a sign-and-trade, however, that would probably eliminate Dallas from the equation, Ingram figures.
In the same NBA PM piece, Ingram points to recent comments from GM Donnie Nelson and sizes up the Mavs' chances of landing Paul.
George Karl tells Marcos Pineiro of Marca.com that he's had conversations about someday coaching in Europe, since doing so may give him the opportunity to coach with his son, Coby Karl (translation via HoopsHype).
Charley Rosen of HoopsHype identifies the ideal coaching fit for each of the six teams with a current opening. Rosen, a longtime confidant of Pistons adviser Phil Jackson, wouldn't be surprised to see Brian Shaw wind up in Detroit, even though Rosen believes Stan Van Gundy is best suited for that job.
Los Angeles is a destination for many, but the idea of coaching either the Clippers or Lakers doesn't appeal to Van Gundy, HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler hears (Twitter link).
The Jazz will host six second-round draft prospects for workouts tomorrow, as Jody Genessy of The Deseret News details.

Lakers Notes: Gasol, Bryant, Howard

April 30th, 2013 at 7:46pm CST by Alex Lee

Not only were they swept by the Spurs, but the Lakers lost all four games to San Antonio by double digits, culminating in Sunday's game four defeat at the Staples Center. Today was exit interview day for the Lakers in Los Angeles. Let's round up all the news coming out of those meetings here as it is reported throughout the night:

D'Antoni expressed confidence that a full offseason with the talented Lakers squad could make a world of difference under his command, writes Trudell. The Lakers coach thought the team progressed in the second half and that their playoff hopes were largely derailed by injury.
Like D'Antoni, Blake thinks the Lakers have the talent to win now, per Trudell. Blake thought he fit well into D'Antoni's system, but admitted that either the system or the roster would probably have to be tweaked to make it work.

Earlier updates:

Pau Gasol acknowledged on Tuesday that he may not be back with the team next season, writes Eric Pincus of the L.A. Times. As Pincus points out, what happens with Dwight Howard in the offseason will go a long way to determining Gasol's fate in Los Angeles. If the Lakers re-sign Howard, speculation that Gasol will be traded or amnestied is sure to accelerate. Gasol did express his desire to remain a Laker.
One Laker who seems to want both Gasol and Howard back is injured guard Kobe Bryant, writes Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News. Bryant's torn Achilles has him unsure of his own NBA longevity, but in the short term he plans to help sell Howard on the Lakers as well as continuing to lobby for the retention of Gasol. Bryant said, “I want Pau here. It’s not a question or discussion. He gives us the best chance to win titles."
Howard was continuously asked about his offseason plans after his exit interview, writes Lakers.com's Mike Trudell. Howard didn't hint one way or another, per Trudell, but did say that he needs to "clear his head" to think. He also expressed relief that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said he wouldn't pressure him into making a decision.
Kupchak reiterated as much during his media session on Tuesday, adding that he is "hopeful" and "optimistic" that the Lakers will be able to re-sign Howard, writes Medina. Kupchak said that because of how the Lakers lost, "everything is in play" when it comes to improving the team, which includes bringing back Howard and Gasol. The Lakers GM insinuated that Howard's decision won't affect Gasol's future in Los Angeles more than that of any other of the current Lakers.
Finally, Kupchak maintained that Mike D'Antoni will be back and dodged a question about the state of the Lakers amnesty provision. Medina writes that of the possible candidates – Bryant, Gasol, Metta World Peace and Steve Blake – only Gasol and World Peace seem to make sense as amnesty candidates. World Peace has a $7.7MM player option to consider. Kupchak said he has "no idea" if he plans to exercise it.

Pacific Notes: Bryant, Amnesty, Cousins

April 16th, 2013 at 8:17pm CST by Alex Lee

With three NBA games scheduled, the Clippers are the only Pacific division team in action tonight. Let's round up links from the division here:

Just because the Lakers aren't thinking about amnestying Kobe Bryant just yet, doesn't mean everyone else isn't. An ESPN Los Angeles poll shows that most do not think the Lakers should use the amnesty provision on their longtime star. Amin Elhassan of ESPN is in favor of cutting ties with Bryant, writing that the team could conceivably re-sign him if he can return to full strength. On the other hand, Arash Markazi sees Bryant helping the Lakers next season and thinks the franchise's image would take a hit should they release him.
Markazi follows up on Twitter, clarifying that the Lakers can only use their amnesty provision on Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Blake or Metta World Peace, adding that he believes the team will use it on either Blake or World Peace. Markazi also tweets that for a player to be eligible for the amnesty provision, he must have been with the team that amnesties him since July 1st, 2011, as Luke Adams noted in his amnesty refresher this afternoon.
In an all-access interview with Bleacher Report's Jimmy Spencer, Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins insists that he is not interested in a change of scenery. "No, I am loyal to this organization," Cousins said. "The biggest reward to me would be, at the end of the day, hearing them say, 'He turned this around. He stuck with it through thick and thin and he made it happen.'" While the story comes with a disclaimer that Cousins granted the interview with an agenda in mind, there are plenty of worthwhile quotes that make it worth a read.

Odds & Ends: Coaches, Mavericks, Pacers

April 13th, 2013 at 9:04pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The NBA has its first official playoff matchup cemented in the postseason schedule, as the Bucks' loss to the Bobcats tonight guaranteed them a first round dance with the Heat. Now that Boston is a lock for seventh place, five of the remaining playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference are still yet to be determined. We've got plenty of miscellaneous links to share tonight, and you can find them below:

Kurt Kragthorpe of The Salt Lake Tribune thinks Tyrone Corbin will face plenty of scrutiny next season from the Jazz front office. Corbin appears likely to keep his job regardless of whether the team captures the final playoff spot this year.
Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times figures on at least six coaching vacancies in the offseason, with the Pistons most likely to have one of them. Woelfel hears Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson is already drawing serious consideration from a couple of teams. Sampson was recently linked to the Bucks, where coach Jim Boylan appears on unsteady footing.
According to Paul Franklin of The Times of Trenton, Lakers assistant coach Eddie Jordan is expected to be announced as the new head basketball coach at Rutgers University. Tom Luicci of the Star-Ledger heard about the possibility earlier this afternoon (Twitter link).
Dirk Nowitzki believes the outcome of the Mavericks' attempt to retool this summer might determine the effectiveness of Mark Cuban's decision to break up his 2011 championship team, observes Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
Even without a superstar, the well-balanced Pacers appear to be primed as a dangerous post-season matchup, writes Zach Schonbrun of the New York Times.
Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register tweets that Kobe Bryant will likely seek advice from soccer star and friend David Beckham, who also suffered an Achilles injury but returned after six months. Dan Woike (also of the OC Register) says that Clippers guard Chauncey Billups – who also suffered the same injury last season – is also willing to lend his support (Twitter link). Lastly, the LA Times' Sam Farmer and Broderick Turner gathered some thoughts from NFL star Terrell Suggs, who shed some light on the process of recovery.

Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors contributed to this post.

Kupchak on Kobe, Amnesty, Lakers

April 13th, 2013 at 7:19pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Shortly before the announcement that Lakers guard Kobe Bryant underwent successful surgery (according to NBA.com) and faces a six-to-nine month road to recovery, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak spoke to reporters and fielded questions about his thoughts on Kobe, Mike D'Antoni's decision to give him heavy minutes, and what's next for the Lakers heading into the playoffs. Kupchak also mentioned that Kobe was in good spirits before the operation and has his sights set on returning in time for training camp in November. Here are some more of the highlights from the transcript (via NBA.com):

On the idea of possibly amnestying Kobe:

"That’s not even something we’ve discussed. From my understanding without going into great detail, that’s not something that gets to the fall. I think that's something that happens in July, so that’s not something that takes place next year. That’s the furthest thing from my mind right now."

On Mike D'Antoni's decision to give Kobe extended minutes as of late:

"…I don’t think Mike is at blame here one bit. Certainly everybody can second guess looking back on it now and say maybe you should have done something different. But even if you take Kobe out of the game, there are a lot of times where he’ll just get up and put himself back into the game. Just because you say you’re out of the game doesn’t mean he’s going to come out of the game or going to stay out of the game."

On whether or not Kobe could have been convinced to sit:

"At a certain level, when you’re talking to players, these guys are different and Kobe is at the top of the list when it comes to being different. They’re wound up differently and they’re cut differently. When you’re at the top of your profession, you just look at things differently. His message to me was: ‘Mitch, I hear what you’re saying, but we have to get in the playoffs. I’m playing and there’s nothing you can do about it."

Asked if Phil Jackson could have said no to playing Kobe heavy minutes:

"Kobe is no different under Phil (Jackson) than he was under Rudy (Tomjanovich) than he was under Mike (Brown) or under Mike D’Antoni."

On Dwight Howard's importance moving forward:

"It’s not just Dwight. Everybody’s going to have to raise their level of play. He’s the main guy. Certainly a lot will fall on his shoulders. When we get Steve Nash back, a lot will fall on his shoulders. Last night, Pau was one of our best players, too. I’m not going to say that it’s all on one person’s shoulders, but everybody has to carry a little bit more right now and Dwight is one of them."

Lakers Confirm Achilles Tear For Kobe Bryant

April 13th, 2013 at 2:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

Longtime Lakers trainer Gary Vitti told reporters, including Arash Markazi of ESPN.com, that Kobe Bryant has suffered a torn left Achilles tendon and will be out for six to nine months (Twitter link). Bryant suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter of last night's win over the Warriors. He stayed in the game to take a pair of free throws, making them both, before limping off. It's a third-degree rupture, meaning the tendon is completely torn, Vitti said, as Eric Pincus and Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times note (Twitter links). Bryant's surgery is set for later today, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Vitti told McMenamin and others that the plan is for Bryant to be ready for the 2013/14 season opener, though that would represent the early side of the timetable (Twitter link). A doctor who's unaffiliated with the team told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that Kobe Bryant could be back in time for the start of next season, but it's more likely recovery will take nine to 12 months. Another doctor tells Deveney that Bryant will never regain 100% of his athletic ability.

Vitti vehemently dismissed the notion that Bryant's heavy minutes of late contributed to the injury, according to Pincus (Twitter link). Tim Grover, Bryant's personal trainer, agrees, telling Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com that he'd be "shocked" if the increased playing time led to the tear (Twitter link). Coach Mike D'Antoni nonetheless absorbed blame in response to a question last night from Brian Kamenetzky of SheridanHoops.com.

"Yeah, definitely. It's my call at the very end, so if he gets hurt, then (I feel responsible)," D'Antoni said. "But I'm not going to sit here and go, 'Maybe he wouldn't have gotten hurt if (he played less).' You don't know. You've got to go forward, and we made decisions collectively and tried to make the best ones we can. Right now, that's not turning out to be great. But it might not have been good, anyway. If you're a couple games out and not making the playoffs, then he can rest all summer. We'll go back and forth, but I don't know, hypotheticals — we can talk about it, but it's not going to help any."

There's been speculation, from Grantland's Bill Simmons and others, that the Lakers could waive Bryant via the amnesty clause this summer, as he's set to make $30.454MM next season, the highest salary in the league. That's not likely, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who points out that the Lakers would lose Bryant's Bird rights if they did so (Twitter link). Thus, the move would only come in handy if the Lakers are certain they'd have enough cap space in 2014 to re-sign him, as Stein argues via Twitter. However, Steve Nash is currently the only commitment the Lakers have beyond next season, so the team probably wouldn't have trouble fitting Bryant back under the cap if need be.

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said amnestying Bryant is "the furthest thing from our minds," Shelburne tweets.

Latest On Kobe Bryant

April 13th, 2013 at 10:33am CST by Zachary Links

Last night, the Lakers received devastating news when they learned that Kobe Bryant has torn his Achilles tendon. The Lakers already had their work cut out for them in a potential first-round matchup with the Thunder, but they'll really be at a disadvantage without their star guard in action. The injury could also have long-term ramifications for the Lakers and speculation is already ramping up about the club possibly amnestying the future Hall of Famer this summer. Here's more on Kobe and the Lakers..

Bryant took to Facebook to vent his frustrations about the injury early Saturday morning. Within the rant, Bryant wondered aloud if he could come back strong from this injury as he approaches 35 but also voiced that he is determined to overcome the setback.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter) could only see the Lakers amnestying Bryant with his blessing. If Bryant knew that he needed a full year to recover, the Lakers could hypothetically use the amnesty clause on him and re-sign him for the following season.
For Bryant, overcoming the injury will be yet another thing that Michael Jordan never did or had to do and will be another way to separate himself in history, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.