Jerry West: It’s painful watching Kobe Bryant

You know Kobe Bryant is having a miserable season when the man who brought him to the Los Angeles Lakers is having a hard time watching him play.

Jerry West, who orchestrated the trade that brought Bryant to the Lakers in 1996, recently said it has been “painful” to watch Kobe go out like this.

“It has been painful for me to watch him,” West told Steve Ginsburg of Reuters.”It bothers me. A lot of people will remember him for how he’s playing now. I won’t.”

I’d have to disagree with West on that. Bryant has won five NBA championships and is a 17-time All-Star. People are going to remember his accolades. That said, Kobe is shooting a career-low 30.5 percent from the field this season. For those who are used to seeing him dominate games, it has been hard to watch.

“As you get older, you just can’t react as you used to,” West added. “There are little moments where your body betrays you. The way he plays now is just not something I’m familiar with. This has been a season, to me, that has exposed the dangers of getting older as an athlete.

“In watching him play, it’s evident that this is a tough game for him to play right now. It’s sad.”

While people have been mocking Kobe all year (this video game mashup is the best example), he’s not going to ruin his legacy with one airball-filled season. But is it hard to watch? Unless you’re a Kobe Bryant hater, it ain’t pretty.