Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has approached this shortened NBA regular season with what is arguably the greatest sense of urgency in his 15-year career.
And that's really saying something, considering how little it takes to motivate Bryant each season.
Whether it is a perceived slight, a new injury or doubt from his critics, Bryant has always found a way to get mentally prepared for the NBA's regular-season grind, and he certainly has no shortage of motivating fuel this year.
Age, a new coach, questions at the point guard position and a roster in flux have provided Bryant with plenty of obstacles to scale in his continuing quest for greatness, but how much more can Bryant accomplish before his career clock finally runs down?
Bryant has already cleared one major hurdle this season by passing former teammate Shaquille O'Neal for fifth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list, but garnering any other team or individual recognition may be a little more difficult.
As the NBA's leading scorer at 29.7 points per game, Bryant is definitely a strong contender for the NBA's MVP award, but the only problem is other players are having better seasons, and it's reflected in the respective performances of their teams.
Bryant's primary competition for the MVP award at this point is LeBron James, which is a complicated matter for Bryant considering James is currently having what may be the best regular season in NBA history.
Not to mention that James' numbers are backed up by the fact that his Heat are the NBA's top team at the moment based on their record.
Bryant may steal a few votes from those who are impressed by his ability to stave off decline, but the MVP award should go to the league's best player from the league's best team, and James definitely fits the bill.
The prospects of Bryant winning a MVP award beyond this year are also slim, and none when you factor in players like Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose, who are well-equipped to supplant James if his game slips in the coming seasons.
At age 33, Kobe has proven that he is still one of the league's top players, but if this season has been a re-birth of sorts for Bryant, it has also been an excruciatingly slow and painful death for the Lakers' dynasty.
All that seems to be missing is a eulogy.
At this point in his career, Kobe would probably trade any individual awards for a few more championships, but this version of the Lakers is far from accomplishing that goal.
There is even an outside chance that the Lakers could fail to make the postseason at all.
If the regular season ended today, the Lakers would be the fifth seed in the West, which is only a game-and-a-half above the conference's eighth seed.
Considering the Lakers inconsistency this year, there is no guarantee they will hold their current position, much less improve on it. And for Bryant, each season without a championship is a failure, regardless of what individual awards he might win.
Right now Bryant looks like he can play at this level for another five years, but in these instances Father Time is undefeated.
Age will eventually break Bryant down like no opponent has ever been able to do, and ironically the deterioration of his game could run parallel with his team's.
It is widely assumed that Bryant will finish his career as a Laker for life, but unless management addresses some serious concerns, Bryant may be forced to watch the final years of his great career be over-shadowed by the lack of vision from Lakers management.
Whenever Kobe's career ends, he will be remembered as one of the greatest players to ever bounce a ball on the hardwood, but for the first time in his professional career the ability to build on that legacy may be totally out of Bryant's hands.
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