Kobe has an in-depth interview with Graham Bensinger where he says it’s likely that he’ll retire after two more seasons. He also touches on how he wants to be remembered when he’s all done.

I try not to think about the day when there won’t be a Kobe Bryant in the NBA anymore, but it seems like it’s rapidly approaching …

View the entire interview here.

Kobe Bryant talks with Mike Wilbon about his wrist, the Clippers and Mike Brown’s system.

Mitch Kupchak Q&A w/Reporters

Follow link to read. Was interested in his response to Odom being traded.

Q: On Odom being sent to Dallas:

Kupchak: “Lamar was sent to Dallas because he requested to be traded. That’s not to say that we wouldn’t have done something down the road. But the timing was such, and it’s all tied into what took place last week, the unfortunate circumstances of Thursday and Friday. Lamar is probably more sensitive and emotional than most people, in particular our players, and that’s a plus more than it’s a minus. But in this case, he couldn’t get over the fact that something like that took place. We were hoping that things would change in a day or two, but his representative called me on Saturday and said it’s not going to change, and requested that (Odom) be traded. We worked together to find a spot that would give us the most flexibility going forward. There are a lot of teams in the NBA that would take a player like Lamar and you could probably do it in a day, but you’d have to take back players, and you might not like the players you were getting back, and there might be long (financial) commitments going out. That’s not something we were interested in doing. All that does is handicap us going forward. To find a slot where you can just create complete flexibility and get back a pick (is unique).

Click link to read more.

Kobe sits with Magic Johnson to discuss his inappropriate slur (ugh, again) and the Game 1 loss to the Hornets.

Interview on Lakers.com conducted with Steve Kerr, part of some three-peat teams himself. 

On the most difficult element of three-peating:
Kerr: The thing about trying to three-peat, and remember, the Lakers were in the Finals in 2008, so this is their fourth attempt at reaching the Finals, is that fatigue is a major factor. Both physical and emotional fatigue, and Phil understands that better than anybody.

On what he recalls from the 1998 Bulls three-peat:
Kerr: I know in Chicago in 1998 we ended up winning 62 games, but there were moments of that season where we were fractured, and we had bad losses, and people around us and in the media were panicking a little bit. That’s the way it goes in the NBA. You just keep fighting and getting off the mat, and you have to play your best in the spring. That’s what Phil knows, and what he tries to get out of his teams.

On if anything he saw from the Lakers prior to the All-Star break concerned him, or if it fell under the aforementioned “fatigue” factor:
Kerr: I watched them beat Boston, in Boston, 10 days ago. You can say, ‘Oh my gosh, (L.A. lost to) Cleveland,’ but Cleveland had been playing everybody tough for about two weeks prior to that and just beaten the Clippers. They were a little angry (from the 55-point loss in L.A.), it was the last game before the All-Star break, and sometimes guys check out mentally whether they know it or not before the break. I don’t put that much stock into it. To me, it’s always, in this league, about how you pick yourself up after situations like this, and I would expect the Lakers to bounce back and play well out of the All-Star break and into the playoffs.

On if he’d pick the Lakers to make it to a fourth straight Finals:
Kerr: Yes.

(Source: blog.lakers.com)

Kobe Bryant’s interview on Jim Rome Is Burning by guest host Derek Fisher.

Lamar Odom Talks Team USA, Lakers

“There’s only one thing that’s really important and that’s winning. A lot of people say that but they might not be committed to it or they might not really mean it. There are a lot of guys who wouldn’t be able to start for nine seasons, 10 seasons then decide to come off the bench. But the only thing that’s important to me — in learning so much from Phil, from Kobe, even from Mr. [Jerry] Buss — is win. You see the game a lot different.”

nbaoffseason:

Good Reads

Ron Artest cover story in this month’s ESPN The Magazine.

(@huhwhatandwhere)
 

Pau Gasol on possible trades.

On his ankle:
Bryant: It’s doing OK. It’s still sore, obviously. Just gotta treat it and get it ready.

On missing the All-Star Game:
Bryant: Weird. Especially here. This is a historical All-Star Game being played at Cowboy Stadium, so it’s a shame that I have to miss this one.

On Shannon Brown keeping it “Old School” in the Dunk Contest:
Bryant: What I mean by that is to kind of take it back to the way the Dunk Contest used to be and just showcase your god-given ability, just go up there and fly. Like he can. Not get too fancy, just get up there and do what he does.

On his rehabilitation:
Bryant: I’m doing therapy non-stop, around the clock until it’s ready to go. Hopefully that will be sooner rather than later … The back’s fine, the finger I can’t do anything about - it’s broken. It is what it is. The finger is going to have to be taped probably as long as I continue to play.

On how he thinks he will feel after the All-Star break, with 10 days of rest:
Bryant: I’ll definitely be healthier than I was the last (month). That’s a plus. I won’t have to limp around, won’t have to take short cuts throughout the course of the game. I can play with a lot of energy in the that I was at the start of the season.

On if the Lakers are the team to beat:
Bryant: We’re the champions. Absolutely. I said the same thing about Boston the year before. Until somebody knocks you off, you’re the team to beat. But I feel confident with who we have. I like our depth, I like our size, I like our chemistry.

On if the Lakers need to do anything before the Feb. 18 trade deadline:
Bryant: I don’t think so. That’s (Lakers General Manager) Mitch’s (Kupchak) call.