However, despite all the star power on the Lakers’ roster, the team has not lived up to expectations. Even though Los Angeles is currently riding a two-game winning streak, no one expected the team to struggle so much at this point of the season.
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The Lakers are currently 19-25 and if the post-season started today, they would not be one of the top eight teams in the Western Conference. Nevertheless, Bryant believes the Lakers can figure it out and he has faith in their ability to win an NBA championship. The Lakers may have a losing record, but Kobe told USA Today that he think he can win a championship with Howard.
Asked if he still believed he could win a championship with Howard, he said, “Yeah, for sure.” Unrelenting and sure as always, he’s trying to teach Howard a lesson he may not want to learn.
“It’s a process for him,” Bryant said. “He wants to be one of the greats of all time, and to do that you have to learn from the greats of all time – be it Bill Russell, be it Shaq. I mean Shaq was a moody, temperamental dude. So if you watch all the big men who have come before, you start to see a common denominator.
“Wilt (Chamberlain), God bless him, was phenomenal, but he didn’t have (the same edge). Russell and (those) guys win repetitive – (Michael) Jordan, Magic (Johnson), myself. You’ve got a little (expletive) in you. I want (Howard) to be great, so I’m trying to push him.”
Bryant is no doubt a very demanding teammate, but all he wants from his players is results. If the Lakers continue to give strong efforts and leave everything out on the floor, this team can go very far.
Howard has the potential to be a dynamic NBA center and he can go down as one of the best centers in franchise history. However, he needs to dedicated on both ends of the court if he wants to make his relationship with Kobe Bryant a successful one.