The Lakers take on the Celtics at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday night, so the purple and gold flew into Boston last night to get ready. This morning, Kobe Bryant was captured getting some grub with Rajon Rondo at Beach Hill dining establishment, The Paramount. The r/NBA thread where the image was posted is running rampant with rumors right now about what it all means.
The rumors of a Rondo-to-Lakers move were buttressed by a comment Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski made about current Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin on The Home Team morning show. Woj claims Lin is just a one-year option at point guard, since he’s not really a starter in the Association and the Lakers just needed a subsitute when Steve Nash went down for the count. Here’s what Woj said:
I think this Lin is a one-year player with the Lakers. He’s a backup point guard in the NBA. He’s obviously be thrust into a bigger role because of who they have [on the Lakers roster], with the injuries and with Steve Nash being out for the year. You can see that Lin’s confidence is not there. There’s not a great chemistry between Kobe and Lin, that’s obvious.
Listen to the full interview HERE.
On top of that comment from the heralded NBA Insider, Rondo and Kobe have a mutual respect for one another despite representing rival franchises. They jokingly referred to one another as “a**hles” in January last year, since both can get prickly with other players and media members. That was sorta fun, but we didn’t know they were eating breakfast together tight, though it’s not THAT surprising.
Rondo could be on the trading block before February if C’s GM Danny Ainge doesn’t want to re-sign him next summer when he becomes a free agent; the Celtics can offer Rajon the most money and a fifth year, but they’re in a rebuild, and Rondo probably doesn’t want to waste what should be his prime spearheading the reconstruction still needed to become a championship contender again.
That being said, we doubt this happens. Rondo bleeds green like his former teammate Paul Pierce; although, if he’s a free agent, it’s not as improbable sounding. To be traded to the Lakers, of all teams, seems too crazy to even comprehend. They had breakfast at a ritzy spot in Boston. Good on them, but we doubt it means anything other than they eat breakfast, too.
Plus, this picture was just too bizarre to ever become a reality:
Imagine that! My pre draft workout with the C's 1996 with the late Dennis Johnson #countonhistory pic.twitter.com/v4CSF2cJ
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) February 6, 2013
All we care about is whatever’s so important the guy on the computer can’t be bothered to look up and see the two NBA rivals together.
Does this sighting of Rondo and Kobe together mean anything at all?
Follow Spencer on Twitter at @SpencerTyrel.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.