"No Coach Has Been Able To Control Kobe" - Lakers GM

There has been plenty of talking swirling around Kobe Bryant's rehab and return to the Lakers, and with Dwight Howard's departure this summer it was initially looking as if the Lakeshow may write this season off.  With Mamba "shattering" the timetable for an achilles injury recovery, he is expected to play early in the year.

At a presser, L.A.'s GM, Mitch Kupchak addressed questions about the team's franchise player.  The GM showed some displeasure at the Vine Bryant posted of him jumping off a high-dive diving board as his first Vine post.

Addressing the fact that the Lakers have not opened contract negotiations yet with Kobe, Kupchak did say that he is confident that KB24 will retire in the purple and gold, and believes this is just part of the negotiating process.

“I’m wondering at night if he’s going to a gym someday. He jumped off a diving board,” Kupchak said, referring to a video Bryant posted on Vine. “Not great judgment.”

 “Kobe has made it clear he intends to retire in a Laker uniform,” Kupchak said. “As an organization we feel the same way.”

Perhaps most interesting is what the GM had to say about Mike D'Antoni's relationship with Kobe Bryant. Many have speculated that Phil Jackson returning would have been more beneficial to Kobe and the Lakers, and Kupchak wants to see coach D'Antoni figure out how to use Bryant most efficiently, but adds that, "No coach has been able to control Kobe."

“The best Mike can hope for is to get to know Kobe better and figure out a way to manage it as best he can,” Kupchak said. “No coach has been able to control Kobe.”

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