Kobe Bryant: Top Seeds in the West ‘Not Realistic’ for the Lakers

Noting the drastic (and damaging) roster changes the Los Angeles Lakers have undergone this season, Kobe Bryant is managing expectations about what the team can accomplish prior to the Playoffs. But he continues to insist that they’ll be a dangerous foe once the postseason rolls around. From the LA Times: “Maybe the Black Mamba was playing possum, but Kobe Bryant all but conceded the top two spots in the Western Conference, saying the Lakers have endured too many alterations in the off-season to be atop the West. ‘Because of the changes in the players and so forth, you just can’t come out of the gates and fight for a 1 seed or a 2 seed,’ he said. ‘That’s just not realistic, but we want to build and get better and go into the playoffs with momentum.’ The Lakers are 13-9 overall and a dreadful 2-7 on the road. They have an opportunity to improve the latter with a six-game trip beginning Friday in Denver. Though they may falter on the road and remain in the middle of the playoff pack, Bryant didn’t seem overly concerned looking ahead to May. ‘I don’t know too many people that are comfortable playing us, know what I mean?’ he said, smiling. He hoped the Lakers could snare some momentum over the next couple of months, gradually improving as the regular season winds down. ‘If you figure things out going into the postseason and you get a good rhythm, that’s what you want, especially in a short season,’ he said.”