What do you know? Lakers fans rejoice! No. 24 came out and said he’s happy he wasn’t traded. While he did bypass rescinding his trade demands with a cool, “I don’t get into that stuff,” he also said, “My boys and I have such a tight bond.”
That’s excellent news for anyone who loves the purple and gold. It’s also very timely following Phil’s inking a 2-year extension not but yesterday. Hmm.
Kobe’s been having a sub-par year in comparison to his last few, but after taking 27 shots per game in 2006 and 23 last year, he’s down to 20. He’s getting guys involved, though his average assists don't paint the whole picture. Just watch him actually look for—sometimes like a hawk zeroing in on its prey—Andrew Bynum.
Kobe has gone out of his way in games to get the big kid involved in the offense. Almost to a fault at times. Kobe’s also been looking for Vlad Rad, whose had some monster games. And I even saw Kobe give it to Lamar Odom for an end-of-the-game shot. Who would have thought?
The Lakeshow have endured one of the NBA’s toughest schedules, a couple of key injuries (Brown for all his awfulness, makes a huge difference on the defensive end) up to this point and are sitting sixth in the impossibly tough west with a 12-8 record.
Not too shabby for a team whose second oldest guy is 29. That would be Mr. Bryant. Welcome back.
