The Kobe Saga Might Not Be Over, It Might Just Be Starting Again.

Kobe Bryant. Photo Courtesy of Aaron Frutman, Flickr.com/34495711@N06

So, while the world is all wrapped up in how wonderful Kobe’s fourth ring is, and how much weight is now off his shoulders, the fact that his contract has an opt out clause this summer provided a sobering reminder of where he was little more than two years ago.

It was May two years ago that Kobe told Stephen A. Smith on ESPN Radio that he wanted a trade, and there was nothing the Lakers could do to change that. Now, in fairness Kobe backtracked on that a little and used his website to point out the obvious: he wanted to win, and he didn’t particularly care where he did it.

“When you love something as much as I love the Lakers its [sic] hard to even imagine thinking about being elsewhere, but, the ONE THING I will never sacrifice when it comes to basketball is WINNING.”

Ok, so the Lakers brought in Pau Gasol and suddenly they were in the finals. Despite the absolute thrashing that the Celtics gave them, the progress was apparently enough to keep Kobe quiet. Now, with another ring and his post-Shaq legacy safely sealed, Kobe is ready to re-commit to the Lakers.

The AP reported today that Bryant has said he has no intention of opting out of his current contract with the Lakers this summer. Specifically, Bryant said:

“I’m not going anywhere. I know I ain’t going nowhere, so it’s just a waste of our breaths just talking about it.”

Of course, Kobe had a similar sentiment when he re-signed with the Lakers in 2004. Now, that was only 2 years after the Lakers last championship that he re-signed, and then it was only 2 more years until the trade demands started coming. So, If I were a Lakers fan (Don’t kid yourself, I’m not) I wouldn’t be resting too easy. Assume the lakers don’t resign Odom, and Andrew Bynum continues his membership in the Greg Oden club for constantly injured young players, the Lakers could easily fall apart over the next three years. And such a collapse could upset the peace and restart the Kobe trade demands all over again. Now, in 3 years Bryant will be 34 and keeping him might not seem like such an important issue. Of course, I don’t think anyone in LA wants to go through any more Kobe Bryant drama regardless.

Either way, if the Lakers manage to re-sign Odom and Ariza, and repeat next season, I doubt Bryant will ever be an issue again. Then again, a few key injuries and departed players here or there could start this whole saga all over again. Maybe its a small price to pay for the best player since MJ, maybe its not. But Jerry Buss is the only one who really has an opinion that matters, and he is clearly committed to Bryant until the end.