Kobe Signs 2/$48.5M extension

[Capt. Factorial]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...s-lakers-two-year-contract-extension/3698463/

Wow. Coming back from a torn Achilles (or, more accurately, not yet coming back from a torn Achilles) and they give him silly money.

I guess to be fair, they have practically nobody under contract after this year, but wow.

 

[Padrino]

it's a legacy contract. kobe bryant makes the lakers relevant, whether or not they're a title contender. he's a cultural touchstone, an institution in his own right. the lakers' immediate prospects are minimal, and they know it, so it's either a) bite the bullet and hope for the best in the lottery for the next few seasons, or b) bite the bullet and ride the kobe-train until it finally runs out of steam. the former option would likely be met with some level of consternation from many fans who have difficulty remembering the last time the lakers required salvation from the draft, while the latter option will likely be met with some level of praise from many fans who view kobe as the greatest of his era, the last tie to a tremendous dynasty who is deserving of the organization's loyalty as he inches closer to retirement. is it the smart long-term move? no, not really. but it keeps asses in the seats until jim buss and co. can erect a legitimate plan for the future, for better or worse...

 

[Glenn]

Kings fans have a case of the vapors every time someone signs a contract more than $6 mil.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I endorse this signing one MEEEL-EON percent! Every penny they give Ol' Kob' is one they can't throw at a top free agent.

 

[rainmaker]

As I keep saying, Jimmy Buss is the best thing to happen to the Pacific Division in years.

Absolutely running the Lakers into the ground, and I'm loving every minute of it.

 

[mac]

it's a legacy contract. kobe bryant makes the lakers relevant, whether or not they're a title contender. he's a cultural touchstone, an institution in his own right. the lakers' immediate prospects are minimal, and they know it, so it's either a) bite the bullet and hope for the best in the lottery for the next few seasons, or b) bite the bullet and ride the kobe-train until it finally runs out of steam. the former option would likely be met with some level of consternation from many fans who have difficulty remembering the last time the lakers required salvation from the draft, while the latter option will likely be met with some level of praise from many fans who view kobe as the greatest of his era, the last tie to a tremendous dynasty who is deserving of the organization's loyalty as he inches closer to retirement. is it the smart long-term move? no, not really. but it keeps asses in the seats until jim buss and co. can erect a legitimate plan for the future, for better or worse...

Yeah. From a basketball standpoint it's clearly not a very smart move, but in some sense the organization is doing what they feel is necessary to keep an iconic player that has been the face of their franchise for many years. With their history and pull they can afford to "throw away" two seasons and still retool after Kobe's retirement to potentially become a contender faster than we can.

 

[Cold]

Extremely stupid move. Kobe is months away from being productive and his defense has been horrendous for 3, 4 years now.

Doesn't matter if he won 4 titles for them. If you want to reward him, send him a fat retirement thank you check.

 

[LPKingsFan]

I endorse this signing one MEEEL-EON percent! Every penny they give Ol' Kob' is one they can't throw at a top free agent.

Agree to some extent, but I was hoping for a maxed-out Kobe and Melo dysfunctional drama in La La Land the next few years...

 

[jalfa]

Agree to some extent, but I was hoping for a maxed-out Kobe and Melo dysfunctional drama in La La Land the next few years...

still a possibility, they barely have any players on payroll for next year. an insane amount of cap holds, but only Nash (who's likely retiring), Sacre and Kobe as guaranteed money.