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NEW YORK -- Kobe Bryant considers Carmelo Anthony one of his closest friends in the NBA, but he will not be actively recruiting the Knicks forward to join the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent this summer.
"Well, everybody wants to play in Los Angeles," Bryant said before the Lakers' 110-103 loss to the Knicks on Sunday when asked about Anthony's potential interest in joining him in purple and gold. "I mean New York is a beautiful place, don't get me wrong, but it is colder than s--- out here. You know, palm trees and beaches obviously are a little more appealing.
"All jokes aside, I think that players, when that time comes, will have to make the best decision for them and their families. I try not to think about it too much. If he wants to call me for advice later as a friend, I will be more than happy to give it to him."
[+] EnlargeBob Donnan/USA TODAY SportsKobe Bryant called friend Carmelo Anthony a "great player," but said he wouldn't actively recruit the pending free agent to join the Lakers.
Part of that advice will surely be how the 11-year veteran Anthony can shake his reputation as simply a scorer who hasn't come close to a championship since his days playing for Syracuse University. That reputation was only exacerbated by Anthony breaking Bryant's Madison Square Garden scoring record of 61 points with 62 of his own Friday, but doing it on a Knicks team with a dismal 16-27 record.
Bryant, who won championships in three of his first six seasons in the league, went through a seven-year drought before winning another one, something that took its toll the same way Anthony's ringless career has.
"It is hard, from a psychological perspective as a player, you don't want to get too frustrated about things that you can't control," Bryant said. "You have to find that balance. At the same time, it is important for the organization to understand the level of compe iveness that you have, that you won't tolerate having a team that is not in contention for an NBA championship, which is what I did. It rubbed a lot of people the wrong way but sometimes you got to kick down a few doors and piss some people off and trust that it will pay off in the long run. If you are willing to do that, more times than not, you will be OK."
Bryant tried to force a trade from the Lakers in the summer of 2007 when he felt like the organization was content on him selling tickets with his scoring ways, rather than spending money to surround him with talent for another le run. The Lakers responded with trading for Pau Gasol the next season, a move that ushered in championships Nos. 4 and 5 of Bryant's career.
"It can contribute to a lot of frustration," Bryant said. "That is why I was so frustrated with this organization back in 2006 and 2007 because I didn't want to be known as a scorer. I wanted to make sure I had a team around me that could contend for a championship. So this is a team sport. A lot of times you have to work with what you have around you. You have to be lucky in the sense of having an organization that can put a great team around you and be successful."
Anthony can opt out of the final year of his contract with the Knicks to become a free agent come July 1. If he chooses to re-up with the Knicks, he could ink a five-year contract worth $129,135,806. If he signs with another team, like the Lakers, the maximum he can earn is $95,897,372 over four years, according to calculations by ESPN salary-cap expert Larry Coon.
Bryant says that Anthony, whom he paired with to win two Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012 for Team USA, is one of the best talents the league has to offer.
SportsNation: Melo a future Laker?Should Kobe Bryant recruit Carmelo Anthony? Will they end up together? Will Melo ever win a le? Vote! »
"He is a great player just like the rest of them," Bryant said. "He is on a, obviously, the upper tier of players. It is tough for players because a lot of times you are really subject to the culture around you in terms of the players and talent that is around you. You've seen it with players from the past whether it is Dominique Wilkins or Bernard King."
As great as Wilkins and King were, they never scored 62 points at the Garden. Bryant said he called Anthony to congratulate him after the game and had something to say about losing his arena scoring record.
"If I was a compe or, I would say that Melo has more opportunities to set a Garden record than I did," Bryant said. "But I'm not a compe or, so I won't say that."
Bryant said that for Anthony, who is second in the league with a 27.1 points per game average, to be viewed as more than a scorer he has to do it with postseason success.
"The only way to do that is win," Bryant said. "That's it. I won five championships and there's some of you guys still say that. You just got to take it and roll with it. The important thing is winning a championship. That's the only way to shake it. That's the only way Michael [Jordan] shook it. That's the only way any top scorer will be able to shake it."
Currently, Bryant is trying to shake a left knee injury that has sidelined him since Dec. 17. He plans to be re-evaluated by a doctor in L.A. next week and begin ramping up his workouts if he's cleared.
"I will finally do more things that just riding a bike," Bryant said. "That's killing me. Absolutely killing me."
Meanwhile, all of the Lakers' losses, 16 in the last 19 games, have been killing Gasol, who unleashed an expletive-laden tirade on his teammates in the locker room following a 114-105 loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday, as first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
"That's the most irritated I've seen Pau in a long long time," said Bryant. "I haven't really seen him come in and have a tantrum in the locker room which is good, good, something that needs to be done. Can't be something where losing becomes accepted or the whole 'we gave it a good effort' sort of thing. We don't do that around here. That is not what it's about. It is not about giving good effort. It is about winning a championship."
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Only way Bryant could recruit a top tier player is by retiring.
Kirby got Memphis to pick up the phone and offer MVPau for Kwame.
Didn't Carmela said he'd rather play with the Bulls before even thinking going to LA?
That may have stung the Mamba's ego just a bit.
i know who they targeting...
lol kawhi, how pissed would the asslickers be if he does sign for the enemy team
Kobe's recruiting blueprint
Step 1: Call and ask for a legendary player to join the Lakers, reassure them that 'you can't do this on your own'. Seem vulnerable and compassionate
Step 2: When they join the team, you remind the media that this is YOUR TEAM and in no way shape or form did you feel you needed that legendary player to join the Lakers. In reality, you're doing them a favor for carrying them to a ring
Step 3: When the team starts struggling, tell them this is not YOUR team and everyone needs to pull up their big boy pants
Step 4. Rip apart your leg in multiple places and cripple your franchise by eating half the salary cap riding on the pine.
& 4: Double cross mine enemies & conspire with Artest to commit an intentional killing in Los Angeles...17 June 2010.
tee, hee.
Step 5. Force the team to buy you out and cripple another franchise?
We have to wait on that contract to commence next season. Kobe is still on the contract that netted me the 5-4 Kobe over the tired old bag Duncan +++ denied the Suns that extra Lottery pick.
So you think Kobe will all of a sudden get better at 36 & 37?
Until you repudiate the release of my personal information by posters on this Board I will respond to you no more, Heel.
I never wanted anyone to release your personal information, old man.
Kobe and Melo couldn't make it more obvious they're colluding.......
Melo: "I'd rather play for Bulls"
Kobe: "I ain't recruting"
very bad actors imho
these guys are awful human beings...I have all of TSA's information (including his extended fam) and would never release it...even though he thought he was screwing me...just goes to show who the real bad guys are...
Nice to know that even Kobe acknowledged that MVPau won those two championships, but now that Kobe can't deny what we all have known along (MVPau and the massive Lakers frontline was the reason they won the b2b), he is trying to claim credit for the trade.
Kobe and Melo couldn't make it more obvious they're colluding.......
Melo: "I'd rather play for Bulls"
Kobe: "I ain't recruting"
very bad actors imhoMeltdown
Please go to the Lakers, Fatmelo
oh boy, the meltdown in July will be glorious. Just like when Howard ditched you guys.Kobe and Melo couldn't make it more obvious they're colluding.......
Melo: "I'd rather play for Bulls"
Kobe: "I ain't recruting"
very bad actors imho
Of course he won't. It would be even more embarrassing when Melo turned him down, giving further credibility to the report no one wants to play with him.
You're one confused pup. You fail to repudiate a welcher, DPG out 500 dollars of real money, but you somehow think others should toe your personal information line.
DPG and I never had a real bet...it was nothing more than a gentleman's agreement and I wasn't in the mood
Culburn and I never had any agreement so shut your mouth.DPG and I never had a real bet...it was nothing more than a gentleman's agreement and I wasn't in the mood
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