Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony Team Up In LA Unlikely As Black Mamba Refuses To Recruit The Knicks' Superstar? Who Does Kobe Want?

Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony did not meet in the court during the Lakers loss to the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. The Black Mamba did not play but he talked with his friend who recently broke his MSG record.

As always, the conversation topic would shift to the impending free agency of Carmelo Anthony. After Bryant signed his extension, fans are expecting him to recruit the other max player who will be his running mate in the next two years. Melo is a leading candidate. Did Kobe pitch the Lakers to him?

ESPN recorded his statements prior to the game: "Well, everybody wants to play in Los Angeles. I mean New York is a beautiful place, don't get me wrong, but it is colder than s--- out here. You know, palm trees and beaches obviously are a little more appealing.

"All jokes aside, I think that players, when that time comes, will have to make the best decision for them and their families. I try not to think about it too much. If he wants to call me for advice later as a friend, I will be more than happy to give it to him."

One big issue that Carmelo is facing is his capacity to lead a team and be a 'complete player' and not just a scorer. Kobe recalls when he was in the same dilemma in 2007 when he almost forced a trade out of the Lakers:

"It is hard, from a psychological perspective as a player, you don't want to get too frustrated about things that you can't control. You have to find that balance. At the same time, it is important for the organization to understand the level of competitiveness that you have, that you won't tolerate having a team that is not in contention for an NBA championship, which is what I did. It rubbed a lot of people the wrong way but sometimes you got to kick down a few doors and piss some people off and trust that it will pay off in the long run. If you are willing to do that, more times than not, you will be OK."

This is consistent with the statement Melo shared with the Knicks blog: "No, I think Kobe respects me as a ballplayer, as a person, as a friend, so I don't think none of them phone calls will be coming next."

Rumors have emerged that the Lakers are actually looking to spend their salary cap in the 2015 and 2016 free agencies. Kevin Love is a prime target, as well as Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook.