Milwaukee Bucks Opposition Intel: Los Angeles Lakers Q&A With Cody Williams
By Adam McGee
Dec 12, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) reacts after a play during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Lakers 126-97. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
AM: Kobe Bryant’s retirement certainly marks an end of an era for the franchise. Are you glad that it’s coming when it is or would you have preferred to see it either sooner or later?
CW: That’s a pretty loaded question that’s going to warrant a relatively complicated answer. In terms of him retiring after this season, I think the timing is definitely right. He had to come back after all of the injuries and see if he still had anything left in the tank to help this team along and, though he’s played well lately, it’s pretty clear he’s far from the same player he used to be and that it’s time to hang it up.
The timing that’s problematic, though, is his announcement midseason. From the get-go I thought that the announcement only served as a distraction from how poorly the Lakers were performing (get fans off the scent, so to speak) and it’s only served as more of a distraction since.
Scott and the Lakers are now essentially forced to play Kobe more than he probably should ever be playing at this point of his career because the fans are paying to see him one last time. That takes away minutes and possessions from guys who deserve minutes to help along their development. It’s sad to see a legend of his caliber to be leaving, but from a practical outlook for this season the timing really fouled things up.
Next: Who Has Been LA's Most Impressive Offseason Signing?