Kobe Bryant reacts to Derek Fisher’s exit from Los Angeles Lakers – NBA Update
Los Angeles Lakers super star Kobe Bryant has revealed that he wasn’t expecting Derek Fisher to be traded away and the move has left him with a heavy heart. Kobe and Fisher have been teammate for years and Fisher was considered one of the last friends Kobe
had in the Lakers dressing room.
Fisher came to Los Angeles alongside Kobe back in 1996 and the duo has since formed a backcourt partnership as successful as any in the NBA. They won five NBA World Champions together at Los Angeles and were known to be good friends off the court.
It was no surprise then that Bryant found the exit to be difficult, and said it would be strange playing without Fisher by his side in the future.
"Very difficult," Bryant said. "I'm not used to it because I've been with him my entire career, aside from that little stint that he had away from us. So, it's very different for me. It's pretty weird."
The veteran point guard however was visibly too old and too slow to carry the burden for a team that had NBA World Championship aspirations and various commentators had pointed out the need for more urgency at the point guard position.
The Lakers tried to upgrade at the point guard position before the season started when they attempted to lure Chris Paul to Los Angeles. The super star point guard did indeed move to Hollywood but he now plays for the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Lakers have thus acquired Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ramon Sessions to run the game for them. Sessions will definitely bring some much needed pace at the point guard position and the Cavs were happy to trade him since the arrival of rookie sensation Kyrie
Irving.
Kobe has already interacted with the new recruit and so far he likes what he’s seen.
"Extremely fast, extremely crafty and just in the conversations that I had with him out on the floor about execution and things like that, he seems to have a really high basketball I.Q.," Bryant said.
He still, though, was upset about Derek Fisher’s sudden move. Bryant hinted that he had not been taken into confidence about the trade and was as surprised by the move as everyone else.
"I think I was shocked just like everybody else ... We've always been close and we'll continue to be close."
He shot down suggestions that the move could have a huge fallout within the Lakers locker room, especially with Fisher being so close with Bryant. Kobe instead clarified that he was used to losing friends, the latest being Lamar Odom, and had always been
professional about it.
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