In ten or 15 years, when Kobe Bryant’s NBA career is over, his legacy won’t be defined by the three titles he won with the Los Angeles Lakers, his upcoming rape trial or his persistent bickering with Shaquille O’Neal.
Instead, Kobe will be remembered for what he does in his next five seasons; seasons that should be the prime of an already illustrious career.
Armed with that knowledge, Kobe Bryant’s decision of which team to sign with becomes easy: if he wants to go down in the annals of NBA history alongside his idol Michael Jordan as one of the greatest players of all-time, Kobe needs to stay in L.A… but not with the Lakers.
That’s right, Kobe should go play with the Clippers.
It’s simple, really.
As has been said many times before, Kobe will always be thought of as playing second fiddle to Shaq in L.A. That sounds like a knock on Bryant, but it’s more praise to the Big Aristotle than anything. It’s not Kobe’s fault that Shaq is so dominant (although it is his fault that he selfishly refused to run the offense through Shaq in the NBA Finals). Everybody acknowledges that Kobe is a superstar, but critics can always say that he won because of Shaq. Nobody is saying the Michael Jordan won because of Bill Wennington.
In order to begin with a clean slate and show how dominant he is, Kobe needs to start over in a new city with a moribund franchise and lead them to the playoffs and ultimately the NBA Championship.
Easier said than done, right?
Probably, but if Kobe is as good as everybody says he is (and as he clearly believes himself to be), then there is no reason he won’t be able to do it.
Think about it: if Kobe Bryant can lead the Los Angeles Clippers to the playoffs, then he instantly becomes a basketball god. He’ll get a pass for a few years while the Clippers build around him, and then in a few more years if he can win a championship, Kobe becomes a Jordan-like savior.
Clippers merchandise will fly off the shelves, a Clippers-Nuggets or Clippers-Cavs rivalry might become the new Celtics-Lakers and Kobe Bryant will be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan, and be deserving of such an honor.
All of this will happen because Kobe decided to take a risk at sign with the Clippers in the summer of 2004.
And don’t be fooled, it is a risk.
Bryant faces a decision similar to what his preferred choice for Lakers coach Mike Krzyzewski had earlier this week. Similar, but different. Both were huge risks, but only Kobe’s would have a huge payoff.
Coach K already built a legacy at Duke, his place in history was secure if he stayed in Durham. Had he won some NBA titles with the Lakers, people would have said, “Coach K is one of the greatest coaches of all-time.”
Problem is, they say that already.
Had Coach K failed in Los Angeles, then his legacy would have been tarnished.
Kobe hasn’t built up a legacy like Krzyzewski. Sure, he’s thought of as one of the best players in the NBA, but history won’t be as kind if he doesn’t win some titles alone. The risk-reward for Kobe is worth it. If he goes to the Clippers and they fail – well – they were the Clippers. But if he wins with the awful franchise, then Kobe can sit at the big boys table with Wilt, Russell and MJ.
And what happens if Bryant decides to stay with the Lakers?
Well, if Shaq leaves, and the Lakers are rebuilt in Kobe’s image and that doesn’t produce championship, then Bryant might always be looked at as a second-tier superstar - one who was good enough to win on good teams, but didn’t have the skills and motivational tools to make the players he played with better. That’s dangerous. If he loses with the Clippers, Kobe can place the blame elsewhere. If he loses with the Lakers, the fault lies square on the shoulders of Bryant.
If Kobe stays and Shaq’s does too (which I think he probably will), then Kobe will never get out of the big fella’s large shadow, until he retires. And by that time, Kobe will still only be 30, but with 13 NBA seasons wearing down his body.
The one downside about the Clippers, and it’s a big one, is owner Donald Sterling. There are some who are asking if Kobe will really put his legacy in the hands of such a cheap owner whose franchise hasn’t won a playoff series in 1976.
It’s a good point, but if Kobe were to sign with the Clips then he could have his agents throw in a clause that says if the Clippers don’t make the playoffs in two years or if Sterling doesn’t spend “X” amount of money on the team, then the contract is voided. Sterling might be a miserly owner, but even he would sign off on that. Two years with Kobe is better than two years without.
These stipulations are fairly common in baseball (Mike Sweeney has one with the Kansas City Royals), and would also ensure Bryant that Sterling would be kept on a short leash.
Kobe Bryant is a great NBA player. Just how great is still a question that is up in the air. Is he a Tracy McGrady-type who puts up flashy numbers without helping the team too much or is he a superstar winner like Magic, Bird and Jordan? Most would say the latter, but few could say so confidently.
If Bryant signs with the Lakers, we might never find out how good he can really be. If he signs with the Clippers, at least he’ll have an opportunity to show us.