Kobe Bryant has been the subject of rumors lately, though none of them have to do with how he'll play this season coming off an injury that limited him to just six games last season.
While Bryant is poised to excel with a new-look roster featuring Jeremy Lin, Carlos Boozer and Julius Randle, there was a chance this offseason (and in offseasons past) that he'd be able to play with two of the other brightest stars in the NBA.
At a time in the preseason when rumors usually aren't swirling around, there's plenty of gossip regarding the Black Mamba and a couple of his peers.
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony was one of the most sought-after free agents this summer. The Lakers were interested in acquiring his services, and rightfully so. Combining Kobe and Melo would've given L.A. a lethal one-two punch.
The recruitment didn't go smoothly, however.
Henry Abbott of ESPN The Magazine wrote in length about the team's struggles to recruit given Bryant's status as team centerpiece:
After [LeBron] James, Carmelo Anthony was high on the Lakers' list. And the particular way that recruitment was botched -- Bryant made news by flying home from Europe, but somehow wires got crossed and he missed the meeting anyway -- reminded Lakers insiders of the manner in which he nearly alienated Steve Nash in 2012. In the days before LA acquired Nash, sources say, the point guard wanted to hear from Bryant that the Lakers' star was amenable to having Nash control the ball much of the time -- a key tenet of the [Mike] D'Antoni offense from the Suns days. When Lakers brass asked Bryant to call Nash, Bryant failed to do so, saying he preferred th...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
