What a Difference a Year Makes

Following an early first round exit from the post-season in 2007, there was nothing but turmoil and dismay in downtown Los Angeles. The Lakers were a team that was everything but a team. With a coach that just three seasons before “retired” after thousands of rumors were flying around about who was to blame for the Lakers lack of success and the departure of the Big Diesel. The team was ousted from the playoffs two years in a row by the talented Phoenix Suns and no one seemed to have an answer for the recipe to success in L.A.

Then came the off-season for the Lakers and with the off-season came rumor after rumor of their star player wanting out of Los Angeles. Eventually came the on-air interview announcing to the entire world that Kobe Bryant wanted to be traded. As expected, Lakers management had no intention of getting
rid of “the next Jordan” and instead did what they could in order to please the centerpiece of their franchise. They made an attempt to acquire the very sought after Kevin Garnett, but the Timberwolves decided to move him to the East for a handful of young players from Boston.

Kobe was then seen in a video making comments criticizing the General Manager Mitch Kupchak and management for not taking advantage of trading Andrew Bynum for Jason Kidd when Kidd was on the market. Management did what they could and re-signed the former Laker fan favorite Derek Fisher and so the 2007-2008 season began. Kobe was still on the roster, but he was clearly not content. Although Kobe was unhappy, he was ready to compete even after months earlier, he openly admitted he was requesting a trade. Luckily the early play of the Lakers this year drastically improved, primarily with the emergence of their new big man in the middle Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom playing like he should.

The Lakers had a productive two months of play from their entire team and things were looking up until they were dealt a crushing blow in the form of a knee injury to Andrew Bynum on January 13th. Kobe Bryant realized what he was going to have to do in order to keep his team in the playoff hunt in the terribly challenging Western Conference.

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Kobe kept up the intensity and was greatly rewarded for his dedication with a late Christmas present in the form of Pau Gasol, in exchange for the unpopular and unproven Kwame Brown, rookie Javaris Crittenton, veteran Aaron McKie, the draft rights to Marc Gasol, and first round picks in 2008 and 2010 for the Spaniard. With the addition of the all-star on February 1st, the Lakers instantly became playoff contenders and soon to be a finals-bound team. Kobe continued his excellent MVP quality play throughout the rest of the season losing only two games in February, only nine games the rest of the season following the trade and eventually claimed the number one spot of the western conference because of the addition of Gasol and Odom’s versatility as the third option.

The Lakers took care of business in the playoffs going 12-3 against the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, and the defending champion San Antonio Spurs to make it back to the NBA finals for the first time since their loss to Detroit in 2004. But what is more of an achievement for the Lakers was Kobe Bryant’s ability to thank his city, organization, and teammates for helping him win the league’s Most Valuable Player award, after the off-season trade rumors and numerous years of people writing him off as a selfish player. In an interview with Steven A. Smith following the Western Conference finals, Kobe Bryant’s first words of the interview were, "It's amazing what a year does."

by Ja-Quan Greene
DFN Sports Staff Writer

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