The Lakers Do The Unthinkable

The biggest deal in sports history. It's right under your nose. Why didn't YOU think of it, right?!

So, what's under my nose?

Kobe.

Huh, what, chu talkin' about Willis?

Kobe. It's about Kobe.

I still don't get it.

What is Kobe doing?

I don't know.

He's resting. All those years without a break. He's resting.

Resting for what? A game of ping pong?

Who came out of retirement in the nineties?

Jordan.

Why?

He's a competitor.

Uh huh.

But why?

2018.

Ah.

More rings.

Ah.

Yeah, now it makes sense.

If the Lakers can land who they want in George and James, it makes more sense to sign Kobe than it does to not sign Kobe. Think about it. Think about the totality of the decision and this would be the new "The Decision" it would almost be laughable. It will go down without a doubt the biggest deal in sports history. It will cover every media outlet for the longest period of time that Michael Jordan himself will buy his own sports media company so he can write about it himself! When the Lakers walk onto the court and face the Warriors, Golden State will cry. They will call no fairzies, they will crawl into a safe space, they will attempt to tear down Laker statues at Staples Center in retribution, start a riot in LA, then say LA colluded with the Russians!

This makes total sense. It is the biggest story ever. Three stars who make it so unfair in a league that doesn't care its unfair, design a team with the two greatest stars in the last twenty years and a third star that tops it all off with his youth and local childhood dream of being a Laker, along with the draft picks that will catapult the Lakers into so many rings that Kobe will need to hire someone to wear them all. But also understand this makes sense from a narrative point of view. Kobe needed a rest. He really did. He played so hard for so many years, sometimes recklessly causing injuries and not the kind of results we wanted because we just were not a very good team after 2004. We win two more with Gasol, but that wasn't enough as he was still shy of one more, even two more rings. But he gave it up and rightfully so. It was time, he was injured and adding another year to his tired body would prove nothing. But that's not where the story ends.

This is just the beginning. Because as you know, teams are built in one year or at least can be. But Kobe should come back if the pieces to the puzzle are there. Because Kobe doesn't need to be the heart of the team anymore. He can be a star participant, contribute wisely. He knows how to do that. Jordan did it and he did it well. It's much wiser to pull up for a fifteen footer than it is to drive to the basket and test those tired bones and joints. So what? It's still two points and most importantly the league, the fans, the media, the world, the Martians in another universe will be watching.

This will be the final chapter in the life of Kobe, but most importantly the Laker fans who were truly disappointed in how he left with a team that couldn't help him. Remember, he scored sixty points in his last game. Kobe only needs to score ten to be relevant to his new team. You know he will score more, but the reality is the young core and James and George will score a hundred and ten at least each night.

Can you imagine Kobe coming back with an even different number? You know how Los Angeles will react? Sports media will discuss is comeback like it was the Thrilla in Manila. But most importantly Kobe will have some fun playing with young guys and players who are seasoned winners and he can sit back and just be a participant in such a unique and special way, because he will still be the same old competitor who may and will put up shocking numbers. Dominance creates more dominance. If the Lakers can dominate, they will dominate even more in other areas. It's like a fire that spreads, like a Tsunami that hits the mainland and just takes over in a fury. The merchandising, ticket sales, streaming requests of every Laker game, the advertising dollars would skyrocket for Laker games, it would be overwhelming in the level of sports drama it would create in all eighty two games, post season and NBA finals.

Most importantly, it would be a chapter in Kobe's life where he just may say, "This is the most fun I have ever had in my career in playing the game of basketball, the most memorable, the most appreciated," and now that his kids are older, they can appreciate it with him makes it all the more eventful. Everyone will celebrate the championships from around the world as the most spectacular comeback that surpasses Jordan's (which is truly special) and overreaches the boundaries anyone would have thought possible in professional sports achievement.

This would actually not be a comeback. This is truly a chapter, just like Jordan's because they wanted to take some time to do other things, put their feelers out there and demonstrate to sports history that superstars who have an iron mind beyond mere mortals, can simply open the closet door and put on the Nike shoes once again and pick up where they left off. This is so obvious, I'm not sure why I didn't think of it earlier. Kobe has to sign a veteran's minimum and play two years.

This will only happen if all the pieces are in place. Health, the 2017 season looking prosperous, young players shine, Ball is an elite passer and ball controller and the welcome sign out.

Imagine

-- John Lennon

EDW - Out!