Locking Out Kobe

News reports are saying the Los Angeles Lakers are sorry they didn’t consult Kobe Bryant on their new coach. espn.com

You know, keep the talent happy and all that.

I have one thought on that situation: BOO-HOO.

Kobe’s making $25 million this year and they need to ask his permission on who should be the coach? Please.

I think I get the idea that you want cohesiveness. But when it comes to picking coaches, you don’t need too much input. It quickly becomes similar to a family reunion planning session. Everybody has an opinion but reaching a consensus is next to impossible.

Jim Buss, the Lakers executive, said in hindsight he should have contacted Kobe. I say baloney. First, they never intended to contact Bryant. If they wanted his opinion, they would have asked. Do you really think they started looking for Phil Jackson’s replacement and suddenly though: “Hey, didn’t anybody think to call Kobe?”

They left Kobe out because they wanted to, which is fine on a couple of levels. First, Bryant makes enough money that he should be willing to play for a cardboard cutout of Captain James T. Kirk, without complaint. Second, Bryant’s career is tapering down. Do they really want to hire the coach based on a player who won’t necessarily be around that long?

While it might have been a nice gesture to include Bryant, it was unnecessary. As talented as Bryant is, he’s getting paid for playing, not picking coaches. Otherwise, he might just try to hire his cousin.