Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Sports
Sports

Kobe Bryant Flies in to Help Pitch Lakers to Carmelo Anthony

Posted byBy Curtis Bunn | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

nba_g_melo11_300x300

Kobe Bryant posted “selfies” on Instagram of himself in Athens, Greece, on Wednesday as he vacationed with his family. Soon after, apparently, he boarded a plane to Los Angeles to join in on the Los Angles Lakers’ pitch to free agent forward Carmelo Anthony.

Anthony opted out of his contract with the New York Knicks and is being courted by, among others, the Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks and the Knicks. The Lakers seem to be a long shot, but with some maneuvering they can have enough cap space to sign the lethal scorer and pair him with Bryant, who is coming off a season in which he played just 13 games because of injuries.

Bryant and Anthony have had a long, close relationship and if anyone could influence Anthony to take a flyer on the struggling Lakers, it’s Bryant. His pitch could be that they’d be a special duo and that when Bryant retires in two years, Anthony would continue the legacy of Hall of Fame talent in purple and gold.

The Lakers have made Anthony and fellow superstar free agent LeBron James  their primary points of interest, going so far as to hold off hiring a coach and signing other free agents until they could make pitches to the two players.

While they have called Rich Paul, James’ agent, and were hoping to meet with him soon, sources maintain James and Paul have yet to grant formal meetings to any teams.

Anthony is far from a consolation prize, however. Sources indicate the Lakers are enamored with his game and believe he would complement Bryant well. The Lakers hope to pair the two wings with center Pau Gasol,  with whom they met on the first day of free agency.

ESPN reported Wednesday night that the Oklahoma City Thunder duet of stars, Kevin Durant and Michael Westbrook, made a strong case for Gasol to join them. But OKC seems limited on what it could pay Gasol. The Bulls are scheduled to meet with Gasol on Thursday in Los Angeles.

However, the Lakers can pay Gasol more than any other team, and his fondness for the city and playing with Bryant should not be discounted. If the team can add to its roster with Anthony, sources said, Gasol would be far more inclined to re-sign with the Lakers.

 

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top