That's still the number Kobe Bryant cares about most. Not five, the number of NBA championships he already has, but six, the number he wants, the number the Los Angeles Lakers want to give him.
One.
That's how many years Bryant will have to wait until chasing a sixth championship becomes possible. Despite his wishes, there is no title for the Purple and Gold to win or contend for next season. Too much rebuilding and retooling needs to be done, and there isn't enough time or talent available to make it happen.
One.
That's also the number of years Bryant will have to win his sixth championship, assuming he intends to retire once his new extension runs its course, putting himself and the Lakers in a race against time and conventional wisdom.
Immediately Stuck
"This organization is just not going to go [down]," Bryant told Darren Rovell for SportsCenter's "Sunday Conversation," per ESPN Los Angeles' Dave McMenamin. "It's not going to take a nose dive. But I think we need to accelerate it a little bit for selfish reasons, because I want to win and I want to win next season."
Never has there been an NBA franchise less inclined to take a "nose dive" than the Lakers, who have turned breakneck rebuilds into art forms. But as Bryant approaches 36, he must find that happy medium between patience and urgency, intentions and reality.
The faith he places in the Lakers' organization is closer to a plea than it is a mandate. He has no leverage after signing his latest extension, putting him at the behest of whatever assurances the Lakers fed him months ago.
"That was one of my concerns [when he re-signed] and they assured me, 'This is fair for you for everything you've done for the franchise and will continue to do while being able to construct a team that is going to contend for a championship here over t...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
