Kobe agrees to contact extension with Lakers

[USA]

I don't get why Laker fans are vehemently denying that this doesn't hamper future move for the 2 next seasons and how it makes it extremely hard to win a title in the next 2 seasons.

Essentially, you're cool with the Lakers being mediocre for the next 2 seasons.

A lot of Laker fans do admit that they think Kobe is being overpaid with this extension (myself being one) and that it does potentially hamper future moves more so in the second year of the extension. But I also think it is being way overstated by saying it makes it 'extremely hard' to win a title in the next 2 years.

That being said, I am a Laker fan and I trust this organization. The Lakers have won championships before Kobe and I am quite confident they will win championships after Kobe. Instant gratification is not a virtue of building a championship team with this CBA.

[Next Coming]

If I was a Laker fan I'd much rather enjoy the last two years of Kobe Bryant's career in a Lakers uniform then some chance at winning the Finals again.

Eff the Celtics for being responsible & trading away Pierce. He should've retired there.

[Michael Lucky]

Just sounds to me like Jerry's kids just want to make a profit and that winning isn't the top priority anymore.

You make it seem like they haven't won anything. The Lakers have been to 7 Finals in 13 years. 7! SEVEN! They've won 5 in 13. That's ridiculous.

yeah when Jerry was still alive and the final monetary decisions still came from his bank account.

[CharlieMurphy]

http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/131126_kupchak

As I mentioned, we continue to have flexibility during the offseason not knowing what may take place during the offseason with these free agents. People continue to look at the offseason as the year to get a free agent, which is true. But for financial flexibility, it (helps) in a lot of ways in terms of making deals, so we do maintain that as well. In a capsule, that’s where we are on the whole thing. We looked at his career, we looked at what we think he’s going to do when he gets back, and the reality is, two years from now, we’ll look back and see what he actually did do. Maybe we got a deal, maybe we didn’t. Those are all factors. It wasn’t just a negotiation. A lot of it had to do with what he’s meant to this franchise. Not all of it, at all. A lot of it had to do what we think he’ll do this year, and the next year or two.

You guys don’t have the sense we do because I’m in the building every day watching. He has not played in an NBA game. We don’t have that sense. We (know) historically what players have done with this injury. We have consulted with the physicians and the doctors in terms of re-injury and stuff like that. The bottom line is that everybody expects him to get back on the court and to have a complete recovery. I don’t think anybody does not expect that.

Q: On if he feels the Lakers have enough cap flexibility to build a championship contender in the next couple years with Kobe under contract:
Kupchak: I think we do, I think we do. The challenge is there. The collective bargaining agreement doesn’t make it any easier for anybody. It’s restrictive and challenging, but yes, I do believe we can.

[Free Rider]

I don't get why Laker fans are vehemently denying that this doesn't hamper future move for the 2 next seasons and how it makes it extremely hard to win a title in the next 2 seasons.

Essentially, you're cool with the Lakers being mediocre for the next 2 seasons.

please make sure to differentiate between kobetards and lakers fans here. There's been a huge backlash from lakers fans towards Kobe these last two days locally. You can just tune in to 710 on espn radio and just hear them calling in one after another to voice their displeasure at kobe's selfishness. There's been more hate towards kobe than there has ever been in the last decade.

Agreed, you can't put all Laker fans in the same category. There's a HUGE contingent of us Laker fans who are absolutely opposed to this extension and believe that it will severely impact the team's ability to contend in the near future. This is not going over well with a significant portion of the fan base who expected Kobe to take some kind of a discount to allow the organization to build around him. A lot us are disappointed that Kobe appears to be choosing money over rings, despite being one of the best paid athletes in the world.

[kingkirk]

This Laker fan is vehemently supporting the Lakers org. to retool and a build a team. Will it be harder? Sure. And what should I do? get mad they offered Kobe a contract? Or get mad at Kobe for taking it?

Support your organisation. Do it proudly, but also don't blindly back them in to the point where this deal is being justified as 'he makes the Lakers 10x more than that'. Its not the issue and never has been.

If this organisation is all about winning rings and if this organisations fans expect nothing less than that, then you should be mad because this deal seriously hampers any chance of that in the next 2 seasons.

Some people think that my POV is about what's best for Kobe. I don't care that much about Kobe. If the headline today read the Lakers will not resign Kobe this summer, I would be in full support of that as well.

This confuses me. Looking at the spectrum, Kobe walking and Kobe getting paid 48 million are on the opposite ends yet you say you would support the FO regardless of the decision.

Why?

I understand supporting a FO from a holistic POV, but do you need to on every agenda item?

This Laker org has spoiled me with putting together winning teams, when their backs were against it ...over and over...and nobody thought they could pull off moves they have made. So given that aspect of it, I as a fan of this org. feel it's in my best interest to be patient and see what the team does from here.

Yes, you have been spoiled, and good on you for that. But just because you have been doesn't mean you can't ask the question or ponder why this deal makes any sense.

It doesn't make you any less of a fan to not support this decision. You want to be patient and see what the team does from here on out. That's fine, but i put it to you that your FO has done the exact opposite of that.

I fully expect Kobe to return to some level of all star play before the season is done, and i really hope he does. The league is better with him in it playing at a high level. Having said that, why do an extension now before he has played a minute? Why given him such a massive deal without any guarantee that he comes back the player he was?

They are not going to tank, that was never going to be an option. So they are left to construct the roster with what they have available. Even if they have limited some of those options knowingly.

I'm not saying for the Lakers to tank. It makes no sense to tank after this season. What they did have is cap space. They may not have signed Lebron James, but they could have found some other pieces that could be used a trade pieces down the line should they try and look to form a team around Love & Westbrook in seasons to come. Hell, they could have found some nice role players to fill around these 2.

Now, instead, they will have Bryant making 24 million. I won't be surprised if they give Pau a 2 yr 20 million deal. 34 million tied to 2 aging stars. Surely they don't let Jordan Hill walk after his play this season. There is another 6-7 million.

It starts piling up.

If you or anyone else don't think they can put something together and or don't know what they are doing. That's fine.

I was scared of what they had brewing. A Lakers team with cap space is damn scary if you're a team trying to hold onto your free agents. With Kobe taking 24 million, they have reduced their scope of players they can nab from elsewhere. Other teams will be happy about this.

It is a gamble and they know it. They choose this route and I support them for it. What else can I say?

But it didn't have to be, that's the point. Who were they bidding against at this point of the season?

Who is going to pay a 36 year old 48 million over 2 years?

They could have had their cake and ate it too. If no max free agents present themselves in the offseason, resign Kobe to 2 years 30 million. Bring back Pau for cheap on 2 years. Get in some quality role players for 1-2 seasons with the freed up cap space that allows a better team whilst also preserving the cap.

This move basically means the Lakers will be hovering around .500 for the next 2 seasons. They could have had the same players, but pushed for more playoff success if they gave Bryant less and brought in additional players.

This move just makes zero sense. As i said, even if you're a Laker fan, you don't have to support every single decision. You can critique it fairly and still be just as big a fan as the next guy.

From a basketball perspective, its not a good deal, and there is no way around that imo.

[LastNameEver]

If I was a Laker fan I'd much rather enjoy the last two years of Kobe Bryant's career in a Lakers uniform then some chance at winning the Finals again.

Eff the Celtics for being responsible & trading away Pierce. He should've retired there.

[Father Time]

Absolute worst case scenario is that the team is mediocre for the next two years. Not a big deal in my opinion. Three years from now things may look very different.

[Michael Lucky]

http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/131126_kupchak

As I mentioned, we continue to have flexibility during the offseason not knowing what may take place during the offseason with these free agents. People continue to look at the offseason as the year to get a free agent, which is true. But for financial flexibility, it (helps) in a lot of ways in terms of making deals, so we do maintain that as well. In a capsule, that’s where we are on the whole thing. We looked at his career, we looked at what we think he’s going to do when he gets back, and the reality is, two years from now, we’ll look back and see what he actually did do. Maybe we got a deal, maybe we didn’t. Those are all factors. It wasn’t just a negotiation. A lot of it had to do with what he’s meant to this franchise. Not all of it, at all. A lot of it had to do what we think he’ll do this year, and the next year or two.

You guys don’t have the sense we do because I’m in the building every day watching. He has not played in an NBA game. We don’t have that sense. We (know) historically what players have done with this injury. We have consulted with the physicians and the doctors in terms of re-injury and stuff like that. The bottom line is that everybody expects him to get back on the court and to have a complete recovery. I don’t think anybody does not expect that.

Q: On if he feels the Lakers have enough cap flexibility to build a championship contender in the next couple years with Kobe under contract:
Kupchak: I think we do, I think we do. The challenge is there. The collective bargaining agreement doesn’t make it any easier for anybody. It’s restrictive and challenging, but yes, I do believe we can.

he's paid to say there's a chance, so what else is he going to say?

[kingkirk]

[A lot of Laker fans do admit that they think Kobe is being overpaid with this extension (myself being one) and that it does potentially hamper future moves more so in the second year of the extension. But I also think it is being way overstated by saying it makes it 'extremely hard' to win a title in the next 2 years.

How is it being overstated?

If Bryant was retained on a 2 year 30 million deal instead of a 2 year 48 million deal, do you not concede that it’s going to be a lot harder for Mitch to fill out the roster with better talent now that he has less cap room to use?

Look, this deal is not going to crush the Lakers in the long term. It’s a 2 year deal, not a 5 year deal, so they have that in their favour.

Having said that though, it doesn’t change the fact that it is a ‘what the?’ type move.

If he comes back on a lesser deal that still pays him handsomely on a 2 year deal in comparison to every other 36 year old in the game, he still gets his coin whilst getting a better chance at a title by allowing the team to have greater flexibility to build a more complete unit.

Laker fans can look towards 2015 and beyond with great opportunity, and i do envy them, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t hampered themselves in the next 2 seasons.

Simple maths says they have.

[LLcoleJ]

Support your organisation. Do it proudly, but also don't blindly back them in to the point where this deal is being justified as 'he makes the Lakers 10x more than that'. Its not the issue and never has been.

I don't really recall bringing that up.

If this organisation is all about winning rings and if this organisations fans expect nothing less than that, then you should be mad because this deal seriously hampers any chance of that in the next 2 seasons.

Any chance?
It poses a great challenge to the Lakers FO. No doubt. Not sure you can say what you are saying in finite terms though. We will see though.

This confuses me. Looking at the spectrum, Kobe walking and Kobe getting paid 48 million are on the opposite ends yet you say you would support the FO regardless of the decision.

Why?

Overall, they have not shown a consistent pattern of ineptitude. So until then, I will support their moves.

I understand supporting a FO from a holistic POV, but do you need to on every agenda item?

I don't support them in every decision. Maybe you missed my name, but I am a huge Phil guy. I wish they brought him back. They didn't, and I still follow the team. I know crazy, right?

Yes, you have been spoiled, and good on you for that. But just because you have been doesn't mean you can't ask the question or ponder why this deal makes any sense.

Decisions have to be made. Good or Bad. The Lakers are a team that gets stars, pays alot of money and wins. It makes sense to them, because they did it.

It doesn't make you any less of a fan to not support this decision. You want to be patient and see what the team does from here on out. That's fine, but i put it to you that your FO has done the exact opposite of that.

Is this an instant gratification thing? Tell you what. Let's pick this up in a year from now and see if the Lakers are in a better position or a worse one.

I fully expect Kobe to return to some level of all star play before the season is done, and i really hope he does. The league is better with him in it playing at a high level. Having said that, why do an extension now before he has played a minute? Why given him such a massive deal without any guarantee that he comes back the player he was?

They clearly had their reasons. I would have waited until the summer, but I am also not involved in that process. As I have said, for me, the Lakers have always been about getting on top and for me that's enough to believe they have a plan.

I'm not saying for the Lakers to tank. It makes no sense to tank after this season. What they did have is cap space. They may not have signed Lebron James, but they could have found some other pieces that could be used a trade pieces down the line should they try and look to form a team around Love & Westbrook in seasons to come. Hell, they could have found some nice role players to fill around these 2.

well, they are also not going to attempt to under pay Kobe or not at all and then sit on cap space and min players until Love and Westbrook are going to be FA's. That's just not in their nature.

Now, instead, they will have Bryant making 24 million. I won't be surprised if they give Pau a 2 yr 20 million deal. 34 million tied to 2 aging stars. Surely they don't let Jordan Hill walk after his play this season. There is another 6-7 million.

It starts piling up.

I am certain they have factored all this into their decision.

I was scared of what they had brewing. A Lakers team with cap space is damn scary if you're a team trying to hold onto your free agents. With Kobe taking 24 million, they have reduced their scope of players they can nab from elsewhere. Other teams will be happy about this.

If the Lakers cap space meant Lebron was coming to town, I would agree with you that it would be scary.They are not getting him.
If other teams are happy about this.. great! So why do other teams/fans care?

But it didn't have to be, that's the point. Who were they bidding against at this point of the season?

Who is going to pay a 36 year old 48 million over 2 years?

The Lakers. That's their decision to make.

They could have had their cake and ate it too. If no max free agents present themselves in the offseason, resign Kobe to 2 years 30 million. Bring back Pau for cheap on 2 years. Get in some quality role players for 1-2 seasons with the freed up cap space that allows a better team whilst also preserving the cap.


This move basically means the Lakers will be hovering around .500 for the next 2 seasons. They could have had the same players, but pushed for more playoff success if they gave Bryant less and brought in additional players.

This move just makes zero sense. As i said, even if you're a Laker fan, you don't have to support every single decision. You can critique it fairly and still be just as big a fan as the next guy.

From a basketball perspective, its not a good deal, and there is no way around that imo.

Man, sounds like you got it all figured out. You are right. Damn the Lakers for doing this! What do I do know?

[mopper8]

I don't get why Laker fans are vehemently denying that this doesn't hamper future move for the 2 next seasons and how it makes it extremely hard to win a title in the next 2 seasons.

Essentially, you're cool with the Lakers being mediocre for the next 2 seasons.

A lot of Laker fans do admit that they think Kobe is being overpaid with this extension (myself being one) and that it does potentially hamper future moves more so in the second year of the extension. But I also think it is being way overstated by saying it makes it 'extremely hard' to win a title in the next 2 years.

That being said, I am a Laker fan and I trust this organization. The Lakers have won championships before Kobe and I am quite confident they will win championships after Kobe. Instant gratification is not a virtue of building a championship team with this CBA.

This is a totally fair take. I actually do think it will be extremely hard but I can see why you'd disagree. My POV is basically that the path to a title will go through at least one and probably several teams that have one or more players better than Kobe who are nonetheless paid less than Kobe. LA will have to beat them with depth or somehow get another elite talent at a heavy discount. Even with another elite talent though it will be difficult for them to fill out the roster 4-10 at a level to compete with the elite deep squads like OKC, Miami, Indy, and SA. And under the new CBA its very difficult to build up that sort of depth in one offseason. You look at those teams and they're all the culmination of several years of adding talent. The best way to shortcut that process is of course to have a lot of capspace.

[ShowTimeERA]

Once again, I don't understand what all the bickering is about pertaining to Kobe's new extension?

There were two logical choices?

Do everything possible to make sure Kobe is kept in LA as box office attraction

or

Do what Detroit did when they spent money on Ben and Charlie back when they had cap space.

What good is capspace if there is no SUPERSTAR free agent available? Is Lebron leaving Miami? Perhaps. Is he taking his talents out west? Not a chance.

Then that leaves ____________ during the 2014 free agency period?

What signing Kobe does is

1. Keep staples busy
2. Keep TWC satisfied
3. Increase revenue
4. Sign Kevin Love in 2015
5. Sign Westbrook in 2016

Spending money on Rudy Gay caliber players isn't smart.

Before Kobe signed the extension, not one person believed Lebron was heading to LA nor thought LA had a chance to compete within the next two years or so.

After Kobe signs extension - Kobe is greedy thus not allowing LA to retool and become a championship contender.

[MaliBrah]

wonder what lebron is going to get now after this. Wonder if he goes for money or takes a paycut

[markjay]

I don't get why Laker fans are vehemently denying that this doesn't hamper future move for the 2 next seasons and how it makes it extremely hard to win a title in the next 2 seasons.

Essentially, you're cool with the Lakers being mediocre for the next 2 seasons.

Of course it makes it harder to win a championship the next two seasons.

I guess one charitable explanation could be that it makes it easier to win championships AFTER the next two seasons. It still maintains sufficient cap space to sign Kevin Love in 2015 and, with Kobe's contract coming off the books, to sign Kevin Durant in 2016. And perhaps by overpaying Kobe at the end of his career it sends an extra signal to the likes of Durant that the Lakers are loyal to their superstars.

I have no idea if the Lakers have any chance to actually get Durant (I do think they have an excellent shot at Love), but this deal only makes sense if you are looking 2-3 years down the road. Maybe the Lakers simply looked at this year's free agency class and said it wasn't worth trying to invest in it.

Or, on the other hand, maybe they have no idea what they are doing and just threw a lot of money at Kobe!

[bigpimpatl]

Once again, I don't understand what all the bickering is about pertaining to Kobe's new extension?

There were two logical choices?

Do everything possible to make sure Kobe is kept in LA as box office attraction

or

Do what Detroit did when they spent money on Ben and Charlie back when they had cap space.

why is every choice at polar opposites? Like seriously, why are you bringing up Detroit as an "example" of cap space when there have been countless other examples of teams better managing their resources? Do you truly believe the Lakers FO is as horrible as Detroit's? no!

[ShowTimeERA]

Once again, I don't understand what all the bickering is about pertaining to Kobe's new extension?

There were two logical choices?

Do everything possible to make sure Kobe is kept in LA as box office attraction

or

Do what Detroit did when they spent money on Ben and Charlie back when they had cap space.

why is every choice at polar opposites? Like seriously, why are you bringing up Detroit as an "example" of cap space when there have been countless other examples of teams better managing their resources? Do you truly believe the Lakers FO is as horrible as Detroit's? no!

There is no in-between as far as signing championship caliber free-agents. In 2014, there is Lebron and then....no one else worth pursuing. Melo would be worth pursuing IF Kobe was 27 years old, Melo was younger, or he came as package deal with Lebron. Other than that, spending that amount of money on a one-dimensional player who's reaching 30 is foolish..

[An Unbiased Fan]

If he comes back on a lesser deal that still pays him handsomely on a 2 year deal in comparison to every other 36 year old in the game, he still gets his coin whilst getting a better chance at a title by allowing the team to have greater flexibility to build a more complete unit.

Laker fans can look towards 2015 and beyond with great opportunity, and i do envy them, but that doesn't mean they haven’t hampered themselves in the next 2 seasons.

Simple maths says they have.

The Laker attitude since the days of Jerry West has always been about building through star players. Throughout history, titles are are almost always won by teams surrounding this type of player. I remember the Van Exel, Jones, Campbell, Cebballos teams that were fun to watch in the mid 90's. None of that mattered when it came to trading Vlade for a 17 year old kid named Kobe. or bringing in Shaq. In fact LA traded all those guys from those fun teams for lesser roleplayers who could thrive around Shaq/Kobe, and had manageble contracts. During the 3-peat, LA had AC Green one year, Ho Grant the next, and then Samaki Walker at PF. They had Ron Harper, then Fisher running point. they had Rice then Fox at SF.

The reality is that "filling out the roster" is not a prime goal for LA, nor should it be. The key is to get the premium pieces like Kobe, Melo, Love, KD, Westbrook...and then find mid-level guys who can fill a role around them because mid-level guys are a dime-a-dozen. the current Laker team that's 7-7 is comprised with guys they got for cheap, and they all can be easily replaced. i don't say that to be messed up, but anyone watching LA should know this.

So in terms of "flexibility" there is NO issue. I understand that most teams don't operate this way...but then again, almost no team has had the consistent title success the Lakers have since 1980. When i see people questioning LA's desire to win, I'm puzzled. This is the same team that has pulled the Kwame/Pau, CP3 for Pau/Odom, Bynum for Dwight trades in just the last 6 years. Once Dwight left, it screwed up their 2014 plans, but they moved on and are still looking to strike.Think about this, Ariza, Shannon Brown, Jordan Hill, were all throw aways in trades that LA developed. Xavier Henry was nowhere before this season. Think back to a guy like Smush Parker who was dropping 14 ppg in LA. Dude did nothing before or since LA. Mitch is excellent at finding mid-level guys.

LA title hopes hinge on pairing Kobe with stars, point blank, everything else is irrelevant in Lakerland. they're ability to do this hasn't been hampered at all, which is the point many of us have been trying to explain.

[Wonderllama]

If Kobe leads the Lakers to a championship at age 36 or 37 while also being the highest paid player, I would put him over Michael Jordan as the GOAT.

No chance of that happening though.

[bigpimpatl]

Other than that, spending that amount of money on a one-dimensional player who's reaching 30 is foolish..

I think my head just exploded.