The Los Angeles Lakers are getting closer to the regular season and fans are wondering about the most recent news and rumors.
Check out the latest buzz below.
Bryant Ranked 40th Best in NBA
ESPN has been slowly rolling out rankings for nearly every NBA player, and says Kobe Bryant is 40th.
Among those ranked higher than Bryant--LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul.
There are also some surprising inclusions in the top 40, such as Goran Dragic, Andre Iguodala, and DeAndre Jordan.
Lin the the Laker ranked the next-highest, at 100. Carlos Boozer is 137, Julius Randle is 149, and Nick Young is 150.
Young responded to the ranking on Twitter, saying: “I don’t care there not a 149 ppl better then me in this league #ESPNHigh.”
Bryant was ranked 25th last season, dropping from 6th a season prior.
Bryant told ESPN that he’s not motivated by the ranking. “I’ve known for a long time [that] they’re a bunch of idiots,” Bryant said Thursday after the Lakers’ 119-86 preseason loss to the Utah Jazz.
“Honestly, all jokes aside,” Bryant said, shedding his smile, “it really doesn’t bother me too much. I’m going to do what I do regardless. God willing, I can stay healthy, and if I wind up proving a lot of people wrong in the process, that will just wind up being collateral damage.”
Meanwhile, gambling website Bovada says that Bryant is the 11th most likely player to win MVP, coming in with 30-1 odds.
James is first with 5/6 odds, Durant is second at 4-1, and Blake Griffin is third at 12-1. Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, and Carmelo Anthony are ahead of Bryant.
Randle is slated as the fourth-best favorite to win rookie of the year.
Ellington Inspired by Kobe
