Paul Pierce Says Kobe Bryant Won’t Accept A Reduced Role With The Lakers

Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant have been bitter on-court rivals over the years. They’ve met in the Finals twice, where they’ve split their two series, and they’ve squared off in countless other duels. They’re both savage competitors, and this season, they’ll add “crosstown rivals” to the narrative now that Pierce has signed a short-term deal with the Clippers. As in Washington, Pierce will have to accept a diminished role in Los Angeles behind Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan, and he’ll likely be competing just for playing time against Jamal Crawford and Lance Stephenson.

And that’s where The Truth says there’s a fundamental difference between he and Kobe, one that will likely have all sorts of implications for anyone caught up in Vino’s rapidly decaying orbit. According to Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk, Pierce doesn’t think Kobe has it in him to embrace a reduced role as his career winds down.

To be fair, this isn’t so much throwing shade as it is simply pointing out the obvious. A willingness to do precisely that is absolutely what’s extended Pierce’s career the past two seasons as he chases one last title, and if that somehow comes to fruition this season with the Clippers, Pierce has claimed that he’ll call it quits and go out on a high note.

But Kobe seems unlikely to take a similar route with the Lakers, regardless of whether it’s in his team’s best interests moving toward the future. Los Angeles has a lot of young talent that needs time and space to develop as Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, and D’Angelo Russell are all primed to be the core unit of the Lakers’ future plans.

But if Kobe comes back feeling healthy and feeling like he has something to prove (both good bets), they might have to put that development on hold for another year. Kobe has hinted that this could very well be his final season, although his former coach Phil Jackson isn’t buying it and even went so far as to suggest that Kobe could leave the Lakers after next season and ply his wares elsewhere.

It’s either that or retirement if the Lakers do, indeed, try to ease him into a more complementary role. As always, it will ultimately be up to Kobe. Byron Scott has already indicated that he wants Kobe to go out “standing up,” so any minutes restriction will be subject to Kobe’s veto power. And if last season is any indication – Scott was permitting Kobe to play an ungodly number of minutes in the lead-up to his season-ending injury – Kobe is going to be on the court a lot.

Regardless of how things pan out, the Lakers will be a fascinating team to watch this year as they try to navigate these treacherous waters. Did we mention that they’re bringing back Metta World Peace on a (non-guaranteed) short-term deal and that he’s already proclaiming that the Lakers will be a playoff team this year? So yeah, it’s gonna be fun. L.A.’s about to party like it’s 2009-2010.

(via Kurt Helin)

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