The LA Lakers have had a very tough season and now Kobe Bryant will remain out of the lineup for the rest of the year and this comes as the team is gearing up for a busy summer and they could chase names like Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love, especially if Anthony leaves New York despite the Knicks bringing in Phil Jackson.
According to ESPN.com, Bryant will remain out for the rest of the season in 2014 and will try and recover to be ready for next season and this comes after he played in just six games. Bryant came back from a serious Achilles injury before injuring his knee and averaged 13.8 points and 6.3 assists in 29.5 minutes during that time and now he will remain on the sidelines for the rest of the season. The Lakers have had their worst season in years and are just 22-42 and now they are hoping that Bryant can heal up and play to his abilities next season.
The Lakers reportedly will try to trade for Kevin Love this offseason and they could go after Carmelo Anthony as well if he opts out of his deal with the New York Knicks. Bryant was injured back in December and that came after he had missed 19 games for the team to start the season.
According to ESPN.com, the Knicks are working on their deal with Jackson and it could be done by the end of the week. The Knicks have been a total mess this season and they have lost any momentum they had from last year when they won over 50 games and the division as well as a playoff series for the first time in years. Anthony looked like a lock to stay after that, but with the way this season has gone anything is on the table and even adding Jackson may not be enough for the Knicks to retain Anthony.
The Knicks are hoping that Jackson can give the team a fast turnaround and after turning down the head coaching job it appears he will take over in the front office. ESPN.com reports that Jackson may be using the Knicks deal as leverage to get back in the front office with another team, but that could just be speculation at this point. Jackson has been rumored to be an option for the Knicks for some time and now it appears a deal is on the way to getting done.
The Lakers and Knicks have both had very tough seasons and in the future they both appear to be in the mix for Kevin Love if he leaves the Timberwolves. He is expected to be the top free agent on the market when he hits and there is a possibility of a trade coming before that.
