MV Mamba

"We don't rebuild, we reload!"

-Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers 2004

Those were the words of former Lakers Center entering the 2004 season, a season of turmoil that ended the last Lakers dynasty. Following that year Kobe Bryant opted out of his contract, Shaq was traded, Phil Jackson stepped down and the other role players on the team were scatter amongst the NBA.

Kobe ultimately re-signed with the Lakers amid the notion that playing for them provided his best shot to continue winning championships. But was it?

Following the breakup of the Shaq/Kobe Lakers, the organization did everything in their power to "rebuild" the team opting to surround Bryant with young talent instead of season veterans. Every move they made seemed to imply they were building a team for the next decade (rebuilding) instead of building a team to win now (reloading). Through the following three seasons of mediocrity, Bryant stayed on board, begging for some help. It was until the end of the 2007 season when he realized the organization had been lying to him. Their primary focus wasn't to build a championship caliber team around him; they intended to build a championship core to succeed him. This caused the maniacal and championship driven Bryant to present an ultimatum for the world to hear, "Build a championship around me, or trade me to an organization that will do so."

Listening to LA radio, days after Bryant won the 2008 MVP award and had lead the Lakers to a 6-0 record to start the postseason, many Laker fans still expressed disgust for the disloyalty Bryant showed to the organization.

Somehow these guys missed the point. Mitch Kupchack didn't turn into a genius overnight with the Pau Gasol deal, the history, location, power and appeal of LA had made LA an attractive destination for obtaining high quality free agents at a discount rate. Players like Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, Jason Kidd and Baron Davis all expressed interest in playing in Los Angeles. Kobe and the Lakers could have been competing for championships for the past two years if properly motivated.

I am of the opinion that Kobe's demands done in the way he did so were the only way the Lakers would change their priorities. Without them, the maturation of the younger players (a bit of luck for everyone involved) and Kobe's newfound trust for his teammates, the Lakers present and future would not be as bright as it is today.

Sounds like an MVP to me.