Ever since Mike Brown was hired as the new Lakers Coach, Kobe Bryant has been famously refusing to comment on the issue. Kobe had earlier publicly supported Brian Shaw, the Lakers Assistant Coach, for becoming the new Lakers Head Coach. He said that Shaw would be a great coach because of his in-depth knowledge about the franchise, the triangle offense and the players. It seems the Buss family made good on their earlier declaration about not consulting players on hiring decisions. Though Bryant was asked time and again about what he felt about Brown getting the job, the man has refused to comment on the matter.
But the latest news is that Mike Brown and Kobe Bryant have met and they are getting along just fine, thank you very much. Kobe is still silent about his feelings on Buss’s hiring decision, but people who are close to both Coach Brown and Kobe say that Brown has already won his new star player over.
The two have had a couple of face-to-face meetings so far. The first meeting was on 31 May at Kobe’s home in Newport Beach. Brown probably decided to stop by on his way to the news conference in downtown Los Angeles. They met again a second time at the El Segundo practice facility, 10 days later.
If Brown and Kobe are comfortable with each other, why is the issue still unsettled? Brown did talk about how fabulously the meetings went, but Kobe is yet to make a comment. As long as Bryant remains silent, it will only serve to foster the perception that he is unhappy.
It seems like Kobe is letting his silence speak for himself, expressing his displeasure on having been left out of the loop on the hiring decision. Remember that perplexing time in 2007 when he did not bother to report to the training camp for three months, leaving the Lakers to wonder if he will ever show up?
