"I hear the chatter of Kobe should ask out and he should go and play for a contender in this latter stage of his career," Bryant told Yahoo Sports. "But that's not what I do. I'm extremely loyal to the Lakers.
"I believe in fighting through the tough times as well as enjoying the good times. It's my responsibility to get us to be the best that we can be. It's important that we approach that on a day-to-day basis."
via Kobe Bryant: I don't even think about leaving the Lakers - Yahoo Sports.
So... what about that 2007 episode when Bryant, according to everyone under the sun was demanding a trade to the Bulls? From the AP in 2007 via TrueHoop:
"I would like to be traded, yeah," Bryant said on 1050 ESPN Radio in New York. "Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative, you know?"
Bryant, interviewed by Stephen A. Smith, was asked if there was anything the Lakers could do to change his mind?
"No," Bryant said. "I just want them to do the right thing."
via Kobe Bryant Says He'd Like to be Traded - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN.
But wait, Bryant references that, in the Yahoo article. Back to the present, where he talks about free agents:
"It was really tough to land those free agents just because of the opportunities that they had," Bryant said. "You got 'Melo going back to New York, LeBron going back home to Cleveland. The odds just weren't in our favor. But I took comfort in the fact that the Lakers did absolutely everything possible to make it happen. Absolutely everything possible.
"We offered Pau an incredible deal. I saw them put the work in. It's much different than in 2007 when I felt like they were just sitting on their hands. This is not that case. They were going after it and being aggressive. I will fight for that till the end. They tried, tried and tried and it didn't work out. I stand behind them 110 percent. I bleed purple and gold."
via Kobe Bryant: I don't even think about leaving the Lakers - Yahoo Sports.
So, wait, that's not what he does, except for that time that he did it, but that was different because they weren't just "sitting on their hands" so it's OK that he did? But that still means he did demand a trade. I'm confused.
To back up: Kobe doesn't do the thing that he din 2007, because that was different and therefore he doesn't do that.
Except he did.
Anyway, I wrote on Sunday morning that the idea of the Lakers trading Bryant was a non-starter for both sides anyway. Bryant has a legacy to protect, the Lakers have ratings and profitability to protect.
The Lakers are 0-4 with the worst point differential in the NBA.
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