Kobe Bryant shook off a recent article that cited him as one of the main causes for the Los Angeles Lakers struggles over the last few years.
The Lakers haven't made it beyond the second round of the NBA playoffs since the 2009-10 season that saw them win it all and didn't even make the postseason last year, but Bryant didn't put too much stock into an article citing him as a major problem for the team.
Following the Lakers' 114-108 preseason overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, Bryant responded to an ESPN The Magazine article that held the five-time NBA champion accountable for the Lakers recent side from prominence over the last few seasons.
"It's not the first one and it won't be the last one," Bryant, who is known to speak his mind, told ESPN Los Angeles on Tuesday. "One thing I've come to understand over the years is that you'll have a bad story that comes out on a Monday and it seems like it's the end of the world and it seems like everybody's taking shots at you. But time goes by and then you look back on it and it was just a Monday."
He added: "Then you have another great story that comes out maybe a month later, or something like that, and it's a fantastic story. And then there's a bad story that comes out one month after that. So you understand that it's a cycle, and things are never as good or as bad as they seem in the moment in time."
Bryant, 36, is about to enter his 19th NBA season after signing a two-year extension with Los Angeles, but he isn't focused on what the media thinks of him as he is looking toward Opening Night on Oct. 28 against the Houston Rockets.
"Stay focused on the bigger picture and things are never as bleak as they seem at the time," Bryant said. "I just kind of roll with it."
Bryant is just hopeful to stay healthy this season after being sidelined with a few different injuries during the 2013-14 campaign that limited him to just six games.
While it's a matter of opinion how much impact Bryant's age, health and financial bearings impact the team, the Lakers were swept out of the first round of the playoffs in 2012-13 by the San Antonio Spurs and went on to miss the playoffs last season with Bryant on the sidelines.
Bryant has been emphatic about his desire to win a sixth NBA title before his career winds down.
Los Angeles has brought in Byron Scott to take over as the new head coach and will look to bounce back from a franchise-worst 27-55 finish to 2013-14 that saw the team miss the postseason for the first time since 2005.
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