Byron Scott Unsure About Kobe Bryant’s Desire to Play in 82 Games

“That’s the first time he had hinted to me that this might be his past year”, Scott said Sunday before the Lakers played the NY Knicks.

But apparently, that concrete is not dry.

“His answer was, “This might be my last year”, Scott said. “We’re going to talk again”.

“We talked a little bit about the game, talked a little bit about their [top draft] pick”, Bryant said.

“I know how he feels and I understand that”.

Bryant on Monday said that he still wants to be part of the team that USA Basketball sends to next year’s Rio Olympics, a tournament that theoretically could mark the end of his competitive basketball career if he retires at the conclusion of this NBA season. “So early in the game, get him involved, get his flow going”. The Lakers (1-6) play in Orlando against the Magic (3-5) on Wednesday.

“Bryant, however, didn’t keep it to himself during their recent meeting with the Knicks, who are being coached by his former Lakers teammate Derek Fisher on handling the much-celebrated ‘triangle offense”. Since 2013, Bryant has been in and out of the sidelines due to various physical ailments, such as a fracture in his left knee’s lateral tibial plateau and a rotator cuff tear on his shoulder.

Jose Calderon, Robin Lopez and Langston Galloway all scored 14 points for the Knicks, who snapped a three-game losing streak with their first home victory of the season.

As a team the Lakers shot 44.2% from the field and an impressive 50% from three-point range (11-22) but attempted just 12 free throws (making nine, 75.0%). “He’s always been pretty honest with me about that”. Either way, I’m just super glad to have him back.

Yet, the reasons seem more complicated. Perhaps the bigger “turnover” was the fact that D’Angelo Russell didn’t even get a single minute in the fourth quarter of what quickly turned into a blowout.

Do you think Bryant should take fewer shots? Young would hit his first five three-point attempts, four of which came in the first half. Bryant insisted that his play was doing the exact opposite. I wouldn’t say I’m nostalgic or anything like that. “Knowing that man is a legend, he’ll be open a lot and calling for the ball a lot”.

Bryant hasn’t said if his 20th season will be his last.

“The Black Mamba” has been playing professional basketball since the age of 18.

The 12-man Olympic team will be announced in June 2016.

“It would mean the world to me to be around those guys”, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar told The Associated Press in an interview.

He has been instrumental in helping the USA bag the last two championships of the tournament at the 2008 Beijing Games and 2012 London Games. But USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo reported Bryant changing his sentiment last summer.