Kobe Bryant’s quest for a 6th title needs to take a back-seat

Kobe Bryant’s return from a fractured knee has been postponed by three weeks as he still experiences pain in his knee.

Almost a year after tearing his left Achilles in a game against the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant has been asked to wait three more weeks before he can return from a fractured knee which he suffered against the Memphis Grizzlies in just his sixth game back from the torn ACL injury layoff.

It’s been one of the most disappointing seasons in not just Bryant’s career but also in franchise history. Bryant has been seen on the court during games in suits more than a jersey in a season, during which he signed a two-year contract extension with the team.

Although Bryant had his reasons to agree to a 48.5 million dollars two-year extension deal, according to Grantland’s Bill Simmons the agreement ranks as the sixth worst contract ever in the NBA.

How should he, and how will he, respond to this?

At present there are numerous questions surrounding Bryant, like the one above, and they’ve got to do with a lot more than just his injury. Why so?

The performance of the Lakers in this season leaves a big doubt whether the added two years Bryant has with the franchise would add anything to his resume.

Analysing the present situation, a lot of our grey cells are not required to come to the conclusion that Bryant, in possibly his last two years, stands next to no chance of capturing the elusive 6th title.

That’s one among many reasons why his involvement in the rebuilding process should be more and the quest for a 6th ring should take a back-seat. Here’s an analysis of all the reasons why:

Bryant has done it before

Kobe Bryant would have to work towards building another championship team around youngsters such as Jordan Farmar, Xavier Henry and Jodi Meeks

It is true that Bryant has rebuilt a team into a contender before. But the real question is – is it possible to do that in just two years?

After Shaquille O’Neal was traded and Phil Jackson fired in the summer of 2004, it took the Lakers four years to get back to the top of the mountain and be the best team in the league under his leadership.

Pau Gasol was the final piece of the puzzle the last time around, and Bryant needs to actively take part in the franchise to build a team which can once again be a contender and go toe-to-toe with the toughest teams in the league even without him.

It will be tougher this time, at the age of 35, to repeat what he did 10 years ago. But it’s not impossible. The absence of Phil Jackson unlike last time would be a huge setback, but Bryant knows what it takes to motivate and build a team into a championship candidate as the alpha male of the team.