The Los Angeles Lakers have already decided to allow Kobe Bryant to become a free agent at the end of the season.
According to the Orange County Register, co-owner Jim Buss has even gone as far as to discuss the issue with Bryant, alerting him the team plans to spend the bulk of the resources they have on upgrading their roster, then come back to Bryant with whatever they have left.
"We've probably talked," Bryant told The Register. "But, I'm putting off any thought of that."
Instead, all Bryant's focus continues to center on returning from a torn Achilles and the offseason surgery he needed to repair it.
"The way I have gotten through all this is to visualize different buckets," Bryant told the newspaper. " I fill this one, check it off and move to the next. It's kind of like what it takes to be a good player, the repetition of just doing it the same way every day. It's like I'm Bill Murray in 'Groundhog Day.
The 35-year-old Bryant later told The Register "you can't beat age, just hope to delay it. I think my relationship with Los Angeles and Laker fans has evolved over time. I think that my competitive drive that has bordered on being psychopathic is better understood now. I think I've become more patient as I've gotten older and allowed people to walk through what drives and inspires me as a player. That's what I felt when I was walking off the court after tearing my Achilles."
Bryant added he doesn't know when he will be ready to return to action but knows he's got to "come out guns blazing."
"I have to make sure I'm ready because now that I'm older I have to worry about the rest of my body compensating for where I was injured," he said. "At this age other things can go quickly if you're not really ready."
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