An Open Letter to Kobe Bryant

Dear Kobe,

How are you? How is your summer coming along so far? I know that last season was a trying one for you, what with your on-going feud with a certain 7-1, 340-pound teammate, the shoulder injuries, the loss to the Pistons, and, oh, by the way, that legal problem in Colorado. But, you've had all summer to put all of that stuff behind you and start fresh.

And, to this point, you've done pretty well for yourself. You told everyone that you would file for free agency at the conclusion of the season ... and you did. You were the most highly sought-after free agent on the market, which must have been great for your ego. You were able to hold at least two teams, the Lakers and Clippers, hostage until you finally came to a decision. And when you finally did make your decision, choosing to return to the Lakers, you did so after the team had undergone a stunning transformation, one that many claim you helped orchestrate.

Fairly or not, you are now viewed as the puppet master, the one pulling all the strings of owner Jerry Buss, forcing him to make one of the most difficult decisions in the history of team sports: Kobe or Shaq?

So, I guess congratulations are in order. You won. You got what you've wanted all along. You got your max contract and Shaq got shown the door. You are now the unquestioned leader of this new-look Laker team, while Shaq has been shipped off to South Beach and Pat Riley. No longer do you have to argue with him over whose team it is. You don't ever have to worry about dumping the ball inside to the "Big Soundbyte" again. You don't have to worry about whether or not he's in shape. The fate of the Lakers now rests on your twice-separated shoulders. Just what you've always wanted.

However, there is a problem with all that. Although often out-of-shape and seemingly disinterested in playing defense or playing hard in the regular season, Shaq is, and has been for many years, the unquestioned "most dominant player" in the league. He is a beast, a freak of nature. And his presence on the court always made your job that much easier. Without him in the paint and drawing multiple defenders, the defensive focus of all the Lakers' opponents from here on out shifts almost entirely to you. Not exactly a comforting thought, is it?

Do you remember the NBA Finals against Detroit last month? Do you remember how they keyed their whole defense to you and how tough it was to get quality shots? Do you remember how they kept running different defenders at you, forcing you to take difficult, and often impossible, shots? Do you remember how badly you played? More importantly, do you remember the feeling you had after the last buzzer sounded in Game 5?

Hopefully you do. Hopefully you realize how easy you've had it for the last five years. Three championship rings. Four trips to the Finals in five years. Comparisons, legitimate or not, to the new Basketball Jesus, Michael Jordan. Things were great. But, apparently, that wasn't good enough for you. You were determined to do things by yourself. And now, your wish has been granted. The most dynamic big man/guard tandem the league has seen since Magic Johnson was feeding the ball inside to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, is now no more.

Now Kobe, I don't want it to seem as though I'm blaming you for the breakup of the closest thing the NBA has had to a dynasty since the Bulls, because I'm not. But, you should understand the perception of the average fan. This whole situation has made you appear selfish and self-absorbed, more concerned with your stats and your eventual place among the NBA greats, than keeping a team intact that would be favored to win the NBA championship every season until one of you left. You appear more concerned with the comparisons to Jordan than getting along with a teammate that makes your job a whole lot easier and gives you the best chance at winning more rings.

Unfortunately, there's just one little thing: for all your wondrous talents, you are not Michael Jordan. You cannot do it alone, no matter what you think. No matter how much confidence you have in yourself and your own abilities. You may indeed be the closest thing we have seen to Jordan since No. 23 retired, but what you must realize is that not even Jordan himself could win championships alone.

Sure, he was the straw that stirred the drink, to borrow a phrase from Reggie Jackson, but he had help. This is in no way an indictment of the talents of Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant, your new teammates via the trade that sent Shaq packing, but they won't give you the same amount of support that the big man provided.

Contrary to what you might think, one-man teams rarely win anything in the NBA. Even Jordan, the best player the league has ever seen, needed Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and your old coach, Phil Jackson, before he won anything.

If you need more recent proof, you need look no further than Kevin Garnett. Garnett may be the most physically gifted player in the NBA, a seven-foot power forward with the skills of a 6-6 wing forward. Garnett may also be the most difficult player in the league, not named Shaquille O'Neal, with which to matchup with, yet he had been unable to lead his team past the first-round of the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons.

That all changed, however, when the cavalry arrived this past offseason in the form of Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell. Almost immediately, the T-Wolves were transformed into championship contenders, Garnett was named league MVP, and they made it all the way to the conference finals, where they lost to you and your Lakers. For all of K.G.'s skills, last season would never have happened had he not gotten the support he needed from Cassell and Sprewell.

Need more proof? Ask Tracy McGrady, the player who most clearly challenges your title as the best perimeter player in the game. Last season with Orlando was a mess. He won the scoring title again, but his back literally, and figuratively, buckled under the weight of carrying an entire franchise.

McGrady said as much earlier in the season, when in an interview, he basically stated that if he didn't bring his "A-game" nightly, the Magic had no shot of winning. Period. And although your Lakers will have more talent this year than McGrady's Magic team had, the Lakers will find it more difficult than ever to win now, even more so when you struggle.

Kobe, I know that there are more pressing concerns in your life right now, especially with your trial beginning soon and with the prospect of life in prison looming overhead. However, if you are eventually cleared of all charges and allowed to resume your basketball career, you will be stuck with a team that is no longer the juggernaut it had been over the last five years.

You may be happy with the amount of shots you'll be able to put up without recourse, but how soon will your desire to win another championship outweigh your urge to put up numbers? And how soon before you realize how much of a mistake you made by your inability to peacefully co-exist with Shaq and Phil Jackson?

I hope you have a wonderful summer, Kobe. I hope that you are found innocent of all charges and allowed to continue playing the phenomenal brand of basketball that you play. I just hope that you don't live to regret all of the moves made by the Lakers to appease you. Your job has just become infinitely tougher and I hope you're up to the challenge. You're going to need all of the help you can get. Unfortunately, your biggest ace in the hole now plays in Miami. Good luck, Kobe ... and have a great summer.

Signed,

A Concerned Fan