Letโs
take a look at four factors that could possibly push Kobe Bryant into retiring
after this season.
FACTOR
#1: DECLINING SKILL SET
Kobe
Bryant is more than aware that heโs no longer the player that he used to be.
Unfortunately, his reaction to that awareness is to deny it and try to prove it
false. Thatโs leads to him putting up horrible numbers on a team thatโs lost 5
of its first 6 games.
Bryantโs
season stat line seems respectable enough: 16.2 ppg 2.6 apg and 3.8 rpg. But
thatโs before you realize that he gets his 16 points on 32% shooting and,
worse, on 21% from the 3pt line. His threeepoint percentage is especially
horrible since heโs shooting almost 8 threepointers a game. For context, Kevin
Durant is only shooting around 7 threepointers per game and heโs hitting 42% of
those.
When
Kobe Bryant finally accepts (or when the leagueโs better players force him to
accept) that his skill set has deteriorated enough for him to no longer dominate
the league, heโll more than likely hang up his laces.
FACTOR
#2: CONTRACTS
The
Lakers have been known as a team who will spend money to earn money (or, in
this case, championships). Theyโve never
shied away from spending money going after superstar free agents (Shaquille
OโNeal and Dwight Howard come to mind) and thatโs not likely to change soon.
The
problem now is whether Kobe Bryant will finally accept that he isnโt a max
contract player. Right now, he is the highest paid player in the league, with a
25million dollar contract. Is he worth it? Based on performance, not even
close. On reputation, maybe. But games arenโt won on reputation.
If
Kobe Bryant wants to play a couple more years, the Lakers should offer him a
respectable veteranโs deal, maybe in the 10-12million dollar range and offer
big bucks to whoever they deem to be Kobeโs successor (Kevin Durant, anyone?).
If Kobe canโt deal with that, then he will likely retire.
FACTOR
#3: CHAMPIONSHIP WINDOW
Simply
said, if the Lakers start winning this year, Kobe Bryant will be back. All it
takes is for the Lakers to miss the playoffs by a couple of games or, God
forbid, sneaks into the 8th seed before being swept, Kobe Bryant
will see it as the Lakers being 1 more year or 1 more piece away from being
championship contenders.
If
he starts thinking that, it can motivate him to be more sensible about his
salary, all in the hopes that he can add another championship to his belt.
FACTOR
#4: LEGACY
This
year, Kobe Bryant has been ranked by ESPN as the 93rd best player in
the league. That means you could build 7 full All-Star teams before you get to
Bryant and heโd still be the 8th best-ranked player on that 8th team
of pseudo-All Stars.
Bryantโs
last few playing years have been plagued by leg-related injuries, which have
robbed him of his jumping ability, athleticism and foot speed. Now, he has to
rely more on guile, court positioning, shooting, and veteran moves to get his
points.
And
that isnโt like the Black Mamba. Kobe Bryant is one of the most cerebral
players in the NBA. He, of all people, is highly aware of what happens to
fading stars. He knows the importance of leaving an untarnished legacy. Once
Kobe realizes that he canโt live up to the first 17 years of his legacy, heโll
finally call it quits.
Follow me at
Twitter: @SportadoPH
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