Kobe agrees to contact extension with Lakers

[USA]

When all else fails just say "5 titles"

It is more than any other active player. Also more than any other organization in Kobe's tenure.

True, I don't really blame him though. End of the day it's only two years and we knew he was gonna get a high contract.

I am of the Laker fan group of him being overpaid. I said $15 million would of been about right. But the more I read about the salary cap and how you have to spend a certain amount or get hit with a penalty. I rather Kobe get the money on a 2 year deal then someone like Melo on a 5 year deal. There just aren't any big time free agents out there for the Lakers to sign this off season and I doubt they can keep going for these 1 year deals this team is full of now. Maybe next year though.

[Maroko]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imZM90LxB2s[/youtube]

[bigpimpatl]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imZM90LxB2s[/youtube]

so do you just post clips from First Take in every thread? what are you the producer of the show?

[Alex Trevelyan]

That deal is just nuts. Kobe isn't serious about winning by demanding and getting a deal of that size. But the Lakers should take the bulk of the blame here for giving him the money. In all likelihood, when the Big 3 in Miami opt out of their deals, they're all looking at taking less, at least two of them are going to end up taking considerably less to give that team flexibility, but Kobe still demands to be paid like he's the best player in the NBA? That's an ego run amok. His compensation, just in team salary is approaching 300 mil. for his career. Why can't he bring himself to say, its time for me to step back and be lieutenant and not a general, let me help someone help me contend for another title.

If I'm a Lakers fan, this sort of stuff has to scare the hell out of me going forward. The Buss children are the proverbial idiot sons and daughters of the super-rich. They owe their position in life to their birth and they're proving it now. Since the revered Dr. Buss essentially yielded the decision-making to his children, specifically Jim, it's been one inane decision after another. How often have we seen in sports or business heirs run an enterprise into the ground? Just a dumb, dumb move here. I about fell over when I heard what he was getting. Kobe wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't taking a paycut.

[CPThree]

Whatever you think of Kobe, that's an insane contract given the circumstances.

Must be bittersweet for Lakers fans.

[Maroko]

Spoiler:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imZM90LxB2s[/youtube]

so do you just post clips from First Take in every thread? what are you the producer of the show?

I saw the video and it was interesting, feel free to not watch it !
Now i know that i have who is checking my post, i have never believed i will have a fan, you made my day

[Shem]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/tomhaberstroh/status/405077269892186112[/tweet]

[MisterWestside]

It is more than any other active player.

It's also a team game.

[bigpimpatl]

Spoiler:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imZM90LxB2s[/youtube]

so do you just post clips from First Take in every thread? what are you the producer of the show?

I saw the video and it was interesting, feel free to not watch it !
Now i know that i have who is checking my post, i have never believed i will have a fan, you made my day

Sorry to burst your bubble, but you posted in the two most popular threads at this time (each with over 20+ pages). I found it quite odd that someone would post clips from First Take (of all shows) with that in mind.

[black bart]

Mitch Kupchak continues to show that he is a really bad gm

[roc]

He helped bring 7 chips to the Lakers. How many teams even have 1 championship in 17 years?

He deserves to retire a Laker.

7?

[Sting3r]

Looool honestly to me this just means kobe aint ready to go the kg and duncan route and make less money cause they know their on the decline. He still believes hes one of the best players if not best in his mind,...which isnt a bad thing.to me this is kobe saying hes gonna come back better than he left off and still maintain being an excellent player for another 2 years. Maybe after these 2 years hell take a paycut lol.

As for the lakers organization, this tells me that if carmelo anthony is the top free agent next year then perhaps waiting 2 more years for maybe a durant is a more better option..
I mean Lakers still have enough ti sign another max free agent or 2 really good players plus they have bird rights to the plyers on the current roster. Is the contract bad? Hell yea but if it saves us from signing a melo type of player for 5 years then i dont mind having kobe and a medicore team for 2 more years

[bushybrah_]

Wow, dude is coming off a major injury in his mid 30's, hasn't even played this season, and got locked up for two years on a max.

[Rasho_libre]

Hey atleast your guys aren't paying Rudy gay 19 mil a year, like my franchise.

[Doctor MJ]

Sorry gotta say it:

Garnett took a serious paycut simply to help his team at age 27.
Duncan NEVER earned more than $23 per mill despite easily having the power to do so.

Kobe meanwhile pushes to remain the highest paid player per year into his late 30s even as its clear the team will go nowhere without signing other major players, and still some will praise him for his will to win above all else.

What exactly would it take to hammer in his extreme level of selfishness to people?

[Br0ken_Sp0ke]

Kobe's reply on Instagram to someone that commented: “Loyalty only to his bank account! Should have taken pay cut to bring in talent if he really cared about winning legacy.”

[Doctor MJ]

Looool honestly to me this just means kobe aint ready to go the kg and duncan route and make less money cause they know their on the decline. He still believes hes one of the best players if not best in his mind,...which isnt a bad thing.to me this is kobe saying hes gonna come back better than he left off and still maintain being an excellent player for another 2 years. Maybe after these 2 years hell take a paycut lol.

As I stated, those guys didn't take paycuts because they didn't think they deserved the money. They did it because they thought it would help the team build around them easier, which it would of course.

[An Unbiased Fan]

Whatever you think of Kobe, that's an insane contract given the circumstances.

Must be bittersweet for Lakers fans.

Not really. it would be insane if the 2014 FA class had much to offer. There are real benefits to giving Kobe a loaded contract of only 2 years, because that means they have a lot of cap room to work with in 2016 when KD is out there, and still capable of going after Love in 2015 who's max is something in the 16-18m range.

On the flipside, if Kobe takes a 15 m salary,a nd LA signs Melo, and 2 other costly players, they would demand contracts longer than 2 years, effectively ending a chance at those 2. And to boot, that Laker team wouldn't have enough to contend.

[ILOVEIT]

48 million is quite a bit outrageous amount for an old player coming back from a serious injury. It makes the Lakers desperate, and will certainly prevent them to bring any good free agent any time soon.

It also tells, sadly, Kobe wants to have nothing to do with another ring. He was supposed to sign for half of that (and even less considering his age and injury) to make the Lakers a championship contender again.

Pretty much. BTW....doesn't it sound a bit like the two year deal MJ got back in the day BEFORE he retired in Wizard land? Kobe is so much about copying MJ I could even see this as a copy cat move.

Anyway...as a Warriors fan...I'm happy

[An Unbiased Fan]

Sorry gotta say it:

Garnett took a serious paycut simply to help his team at age 27.
Duncan NEVER earned more than $23 per mill despite easily having the power to do so.

Kobe meanwhile pushes to remain the highest paid player per year into his late 30s even as its clear the team will go nowhere without signing other major players, and still some will praise him for his will to win above all else.

What exactly would it take to hammer in his extreme level of selfishness to people?

Kobe's deal doesn't hurt LA's ability to sign major players, it helps them. Tieing up capsace on mid-level guys from the 2014 class WOULD prevent Love, KD, or Westbrook from being able to come here though. The 2 years length is key, as is the ability to stretch Nash's contract, and Pau's expiring.

I'm kinda amazed people don't see Mitch/Jim's plan.