Is Kobe Bryant Enough for Carmelo Anthony to Spurn NY Knicks for LA Lakers?

Once upon time, Kobe Bryant was enough.

It didn't matter what the question was or if you liked him—his reputation said it all. He won championships, he won scoring titles and he secured All-Star selections.

With the 2014 free-agency extravaganza less than one year away, the Los Angeles Lakers can no longer count on the number of feathers in Kobe's cap to be enough. They plan to strike free-agency gold next summer, a wish that only comes true if they can afford to sell prospective targets on Kobe.

One of those targets will be Carmelo Anthony, who will likely terminate the final year of his contract with the New York Knicks. 

Anthony clawed his way to New York less than three years ago, and for some, the idea of him leaving this soon is impractical. On course to be pursued by Kobe's Lakers, the New York Daily News' Frank Isola writes otherwise:

The Knicks have between now and July 1 to prove to Anthony that they are building something resembling a contending team.

A person familiar with Anthony’s thinking says that Kobe Bryant could be the X-factor in the Knicks’ negotiations with Carmelo. The Lakers will have cap space next summer and if Bryant promises Anthony that together they can make a run at a championship in Los Angeles, Dolan may be doomed.

Anthony owns a home in Southern California and his wife, La La, has spent a lot of time in Hollywood the last two years making movies.

The possibility of Anthony burning New York in 2014 is very real. His quest for a title could lead him elsewhere if the Knicks aren't fit to contend.

This doesn't mean he'll sign with the Lakers, either. Their ability to give him what he wants lies within Kobe, just like everything else. That's how it's been for the last 17 years. That's how it's still going to be next summer.

We've just yet to figure out if Kobe is enough.

Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers