Kobe Bryant must never change.
Seriously, he can’t. Chills, the bad kind, are sent down my spine when I think of how much more mundane topics of conversation would be if he changed. Or stopped talking altogether.
Case in point: Los Angeles Lakers media day.
It was a glorious occasion, one that wasn’t as filled with all that much pessimism. We still don’t know how healthy Kobe, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash really are, but the Lakers didn’t wallow in their bad fortunes. Dwight Howard’s absence didn’t even linger. Dan Gadzuric was sporting No. 12 already and neither the coaching staff nor the players seemed to harp on his departure.
But not because the media didn’t try to make it so. Kobe was asked about Howard taking his devious smile to the Houston Rockets, and he responded exactly how you would expect him to—with disconnect and a word that rhymes with “spit.”
“Honestly, man, I don’t really give a sh*t,” he said, according to the Sporting News’ Sean Deveney. “It is what it is.”
Got him. Superman, that is.
Kobe isn’t one to be duped into telling us what we want hear (though I most definitely wanted to hear this; I just didn’t know it). He’s going to say what’s on his mind. The unfiltered version. Every time. And we both laud and berate him for it, depending on the circumstances.
In this case, I applaud his uncensored honesty. I’m not sure if I believe him entirely, since I see him as the player who imagines every guy wants to be him, and therefore, play alongside him. But I most definitely support his goal–putting this to bed.
Howard isn’t a member of the Lakers anymore. His tenure is over. Done. Finished. Kaput. Almost three months ago, actually. It’s time to kill this story. There’s no question some of the hype must linger until the Rockets and Lakers face off on Nov. 7, but let’s not continue to revisit Dwight’s decision.
For one, the ever-indecisive Howard has probably done that himself a number of times. Should I have signed with the Rockets? Should I have stayed in Los Angeles? Forced a trade to the Golden State Warriors? Signed with Charlotte Bobcats?
Mostly, though, the Lakers have bigger fish to fry and demons to battle. Like Kobe’s health. And Nash’s health. And Gasol’s health. And Nick Young’s shot selection. And fashion sense.
See what I mean?
There was a time and a place to worry about Howard, and it was when he was actually with the Lakers. Los Angeles cannot afford to get caught up in this storyline again, ergo Kobe is still awesome. If he shows the slightest inclination that he’s interested in this never-ending wave of ridiculousness, his teammates could follow suit.
Really, they should be focusing on winning. On carrying a chip on their collective shoulder. People are counting them out because Kobe is injured and Dwight left. Channel that aggravation into motivation. Bombard your skeptics with reasons to believe in you. More deeply than evident, that’s what Kobe was doing here—helping the Lakers move on.
Also, he probably doesn’t give two-flying poops that Howard left in the first place.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
