Kobe Bryant Interested In Ending Career in Europe
Adrian Wojnarowski, who is across the pond covering Team USA in London, writes that Kobe Bryant is intrigued by the idea of finishing his basketball career in Europe. It is well documented that Bryant speaks Italian and Spanish from growing up in Europe when his father was playing overseas. It seems only natural for the thought to cross his mind, and inevitable that he is being asked about it while in London. But is his interest legitimate?
"It would be natural for me to go do it. It wouldn't be a stretch at all. I grew up here," Bryant said.
Bryant has two seasons left on his deal with the Lakers, and Wojnarowski says that if he were to actually do it, that would be the time. During the lockout, Bryant considered signing in both China and the Italian League. Bryant said the following when asked about where he could see himself:
"You'd have to look at the market and what's going on in terms of the level of basketball being played. I understand there's a high level of competitive basketball in Turkey now. They might have the best league in Europe. Spain has obviously been one of the top leagues for a long time."
"And Italy is a place that's dear in my heart, I grew up there, but the level is not where it used to be. When I was growing up over there, that was the best league in Europe."
This isn't the first time we have heard comments like this from Kobe. And while it certainly seems far-fetched and unlikely to happen, these comments do seem to imply a little more genuineness.
Pacific Rumors: Bryant, Johnson, Kings, Clippers
Earlier this evening we asked which team is having the best offseason so far, and right now more readers believe it's the Lakers than any other team. That stands to reason, given their sign-and-trade for Steve Nash and re-signing of backup big man Jordan Hill, along with their ability to convince Antawn Jamison to sign a deal for the veteran's minimum, well below market value. Here's what we're hearing from the Lakers and their Pacific Division rivals:
- Kobe Bryant's influence in the Nash acquisition demonstrates Bryant's improved relationship with the Lakers front office, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times writes. Last year, the Lakers hired coach Mike Brown without consulting their star, while Bryant criticized the team on its decision to trade Lamar Odom and for not being more up-front about Pau Gasol's future.
- Marcus R. Fuller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press looks at what's gone wrong the past two years for 2010 No. 4 pick Wesley Johnson, whom the Timberwolves traded to the Suns today as part of a three-team deal.
- The Kings must show maturity and learn to play with more cohesion for the team to improve, opines Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
- The Clippers have hired Bob Ociepka as an assistant coach, according to the team's website. The longtime NBA assistant spent last year with the Blazers.
Lakers Notes: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash
- Pau Gasol was a trade candidate last year and the Lakers were reportedly shopping him aggressively before the draft. Yet Kobe Bryant, once a critic of Gasol, seems firmly in his corner, saying, "As long as I'm there, he's going to be there," tweets Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press. On the topic of Bryant staying in Los Angeles, the future Hall of Famer spoke about his future earlier this week and alluded to the fact that he may retire at the end of his current contract in 2014.
- Lakers officials also have a renewed excitement about seeing how Steve Nash's playmaking ability can enhance Gasol's performance, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Prior to playing with Ramon Sessions for the second half of the season, Gasol was forced to rely upon the skills of Derek Fisher and Steve Blake to get him the ball from the point guard position.
- Bryant understood that the Lakers needed to use Gasol as trade bait in order to obtain a point guard, but knows that Gasol isn't going anywhere given the team's acquisition of Nash, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Kobe Bryant Considering 2014 Retirement
Kobe Bryant is under contract for two more seasons, and when he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2014, he isn't 100% sure he'll keep playing. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Bryant was reminded that during his rookie season he said he'd retire at age 35, and acknowledged that "it's still probably accurate" (link via Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times).
Nine Assured Of Team USA Spot; Odom Withdraws
TUESDAY, 11:41am: Blake Griffin is expected to take Chris Bosh's spot on the U.S. roster, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. As Goodman adds in a second tweet, that would leave five players competing for the final two spots.
Lakers Notes: Kobe, Draft
For the second consecutive year, the Lakers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. Now, they will look to vault back into title contention this summer. They do not have a pick in the first round currently, having traded Dallas' and their own at the March trade deadline. Here are a few news updates on the Lakers:
Odds & Ends: Spoelstra, Lakers, Krstic, Marshall
The Heat are certainly in better position to advance to the NBA Finals than they were 24 hours ago, but they aren't out of the woods yet, with a Game 7 looming. Given the high expectations in Miami, ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Twitter link) polled 27 NBA executives on 20 clubs on whether they'd fire Erik Spoelstra if the Heat lose the series to the Celtics — 17 said no, while 10 said yes. While we await tomorrow's winner-take-all matchup and prepare for a night without NBA action, let's check in on some other updates from around the Association….
Los Angeles Notes: Paul, Gasol
The latest news and notes from around the Clippers and Lakers on Sunday evening:
- Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes that, whatever the outcome of the Clippers' second-round series against the Spurs, the arrival and impact of Chris Paul has made this season a success.
- Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register wonders whether the Kobe Bryant/Pau Gasol partnership is on its last legs.
- ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin implies the same thing, pointing to Bryant's public blaming of Gasol after the Lakers' Saturday loss to the Thunder.
Odds & Ends: Pistons, Kobe, Nelson, Nene, Nets
Some Wednesday afternoon items from around the NBA:
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News identifies John Henson as a potential fit for the Pistons in the draft and explores the team's upcoming amnesty-related decision.
- Prior to last season's blood-platelet therapy, Kobe Bryant was seriously questioning his basketball future, says Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- In addition to conducting a Cavaliers-centric chat this afternoon, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio examined a few potential NBA coaching openings.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com also answered questions in a chat that featured a number of interesting draft tidbits.
- The Magic and their fans shouldn't let the Dwight Howard saga overshadow Jameer Nelson's future in Orlando, argues Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Michael Lee of the Washington Post writes about the positive influence Nene had on the Wizards' young players following the deal that sent him to Washington in March. When I previewed the Wizards' offseason yesterday, I noted that finding another strong veteran presence like Nene could have a strong impact on the team's young nucleus.
- Fred Kerber of the New York Post wonders which of the Nets' free agents will be re-signed this summer.
Odds & Ends: Vujacic, Lee, Love, Wall
In a tweet, ESPN.com's Marc Stein says that the Raptors have no interest in former Net and Laker, Sasha Vujacic. Here are the rest of the evening's updates:
- The Warriors shut forward David Lee down with what they called a groin injury earlier this month. At the time, the team was well out of the playoff picture, and the Warriors' main goal down the stretch was to lose as many games as possible in order to try and get their first round draft pick back from the Jazz. Lee's injury was treated as a convenient way to tank games, and the announcement was viewed with a skeptic eye by many. Now it appears Lee will have surger on Thursday to repair a torn abdominal muscle, according to the team.
- MercuryNews.com's Marcus Thompson II breaks down what the Warriors need to do if they want to keep their first round draft pick.
- Stephen Curry underwent successful surgery on his ankles today. He's expected to be ready for action in 3-4 months, NBA.com's David Aldridge reports in a tweet.
- The Plain Dealer's Bill Livingston points out the significance of what a third MVP for LeBron James would mean.
- Even before Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge suffered injuries that will prevent them from participating in this summer's Olympic games, there was a strong chance Kevin Love would make the 12-man roster. The Timberwolves forward feels more confident than ever before that he'll make the team, according to TwinCities.com's Ray Richardson.
- Kobe Bryant fully expects the Lakers to win the title, writes ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin.
- John Wall spoke to his friend Kevin Durant about what it took to turn one of the league's worst teams into one of the best, writes FoxSportsFlorida.com's Chris Tomasson.
- The Timberwolves will receive the Jazz's first round draft pick now that Utah is heading to the playoffs, according to the StarTribune's Kent Youngblood.