Kobe staying.... Good for Rudy...that would have sucked to have nothing....then again...I'm not worried about the Lakers or the Clippers anymore...
Of course he stays, Lakers did everything they can to keep him. They even force out P. Jackson and Shaq, no team love Kobe more than Lakers.
By Tim Brown, Times Staff Writer Kobe Bryant will remain a Laker. The six-time All-Star notified the organization today that he would accept its seven-year, $136-million offer, ultimately choosing the familiarity of the Lakers over the novelty of the Clippers. Four weeks after Coach Phil Jackson was told he would not be back and a day after Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat, Bryant chose to rejoin a Laker team that reached the NBA Finals four times in the past five years, won three championships and then decided to rebuild. Rudy Tomjanovich replaced Jackson. Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and Caron Butler were acquired for O'Neal. And, as owner Jerry Buss, General Manager Mitch Kupchak and a city's basketball fans held their breaths, Bryant, 25, opted to continue as the future of the franchise. Bryant will stand trial for felony sexual assault beginning Aug. 27 in Eagle, Colo. If found guilty, he could serve four years to life. In that event, the Lakers would not be liable for the entirety of the contract, and NBA sources have said the league would not allow a deal in which Bryant was paid if in prison. The trial is expected to last three to six weeks. NBA training camps open around Oct. 1. The Lakers have been steadfast in their support of Bryant, who routinely missed practices and other team events because of pretrial hearings. They shared the cost of private jets that brought Bryant to and from those hearings in Colorado. Team officials, including Buss, have voiced their support for Bryant, who despite the pending trial, was courted by a handful of teams. The Denver Nuggets, Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks, along with the Lakes and Clippers, met with Bryant in the past two weeks. Buss said this week that Bryant being unable to play next season or beyond because of his legal issues had never been discussed. "That's never really gone through my mind," Buss said. "I have trouble believing that won't work out well for him." Despite the apparent distractions, Bryant averaged 24 points and 5.1 assists on a team thick with talent. Staples Center and the Lakers split the cost of a page in Saturday's Miami Herald to thank O'Neal for his eight years in Los Angeles.
DAMN!!!! oh, well...i'd be more concerned about the competition with a bryant-led clipper team this year than i would a bryant-led laker team at this point.
Actually, 610 Radio's Matt Jackson confirmed this in the other thread......posted 1 MINUTE before I could beat him to it. Mods please lock this thread and revert all posts to the Matt Jackson thread........
Not surprised in the least! I always thought it was abotu 90% chance he would be a Laker. He has no faith in Clippers ownership that they will be willing to committ to winning. Kobe can now shoot 30 times a game, lead the league in scoring and their team will probably be only good enough to be an early playoff exit.
