Lakers and Kobe Bryant agree to terms on a contract extension.

I brought up those other guys to illustrate the difficult decision a team has to make in view of its injured franchise player. The Bulls may face the same thing if Rose's injury woe persists. You never know for sure how it will turn out until after the fact.

Aging players are different. You know they are going to get worse faster and faster, but you have to pay them more and more. The most sensible thing to do is for the aging star to agree to be paid according to his projected real abilities (not what he has done), and let the franchise honor him financially and/or otherwise in some other capacities after the guy retires.

 

This. They may get one of them definitely not two of them with the salary Kobe is getting.

 

Hes worth every cent. For single one, he brings two back to the organization.

 

Kobe should've taken a pay cut. He just killed his chances for one more ring.

 

Bulls cut ties wiht a healthy MJ and he was stiil the best player in the league

 

Lakers handing out extensions like their the Texans, great news for the rest of the NBA!

 

^^ texting from phone ,can u compare MJ's situation to Kobe's

 

KOBE IS BECOMING THE MASCOT?

 

Terrible move. They won't be resigning Gasol, it appears!

 

haha its pretty clear Kobe doesn't a shyt about winning another ring lmao

 

btw found this excerpt from an article...feel free to comment away

"Kobe will make $23.5 million in 2014-15 and $25 million in 2015-16, according to widespread reports.

That's a 7 million pay cut from his 2013-14 salary of $30.5 million.
Under NBA contract rules, the maximum value of a potential two-year Lakers contract for Kobe was ~$67.9 million ($32.8 million in 2014-15 and $35.1 million in 2015-16).

He ended up leaving 19.4 million on the table in order to stay a Laker."

 

Lakers brass just care about the money, then. They're not winning a title any time soon.

 

He didn't leave anything on the table considering no one else would/could pay him the 67.9M for 2 years in the first place.

 

Not even close. You really think another team would give him the max? The Lakers paid him way more than any other team would even with this paycut. It was strictly to avoid the backlash from Kobe Nation had they let their savior go. It absolutely kills this team for the next two years though.

 

So....the Lakers made a 35 year old coming off one of the worst injuries an athlete can suffer the highest paid player in the league?

I refuse to believe an organization that is paid to run a team can be that dumb. There is no way this is true, is there? IS THERE????

 

Answer: Jim Buss

 

....and give Kelvin Cato and Maurice Taylor massive contracts.

Yes, very smart indeed.

 

Well, this certainly clears up Kobe's priorities. Never really bought into that "Kobe wants 6th ring" thing. He seems quite happy to just gun for Kareem's scoring leader record for the next few years.

Now all the Lakers have to do is sign Melo in the offseason and their mediocrity will be complete. I just hope Stern doesn't rig the lottery for the Lakers to get a top 3 pick though.

 

hahahahahaha X 48 million!

Kobe's ego is the downfall for Lakers.