Los Angeles Lakers injured guard Kobe Bryant watches the final seconds of the Lakers 103-82 loss to the Spurs in Game 4 at the Staples Center. (Photo: Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports) El Segundo, Calif. - When it comes to pro athletes who have serious sway within their respective organization, Kobe Bryant might stand alone. Yet the Los Angeles Lakers star tested the limits of his influence Tuesday in a postmortem media session, imploring his bosses to do the unthinkable this offseason: keep this underachieving team together despite a price tag that, because of the NBA's more punitive luxury tax that is about to kick in for the first time, could approach $200 million. Never mind that the 34-year-old Bryant isn't even sure when he'll be able to return from the season-ending Achilles tendon tear that took him out of the Lakers' four-game sweep by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. Bryant still sees a starting five that includes himself and a re-signed Dwight Howard with forward Pau Gasol, point guard Steve Nash and small forward Metta World Peace as championship-caliber and worth the incredible cost. It wasn't a very good band this season, but he wants to keep it together. DWIGHT HOWARD: The waiting game begins PAU GASOL: Realizes he could be a Lakers casualty "I would really love to see our guys come back, our core guys come back," said Bryant, who still hopes to be ready to start next season. "I understand the (salary) cap situation, so that's always a concern. But all I can do is just voice my opinion." Gasol, the 32-year-old who has one season and $19.3 million left on his contract, is atop the list of Lakers players who so many expect to be playing elsewhere next season. Bryant has one season remaining at a league-high $30 million on his deal and has yet to decide if next season will be his last before retirement. It's only been two months since the passing of longtime Lakers owner Jerry Buss as well, meaning questions abound about whether the team will continue to be run in a similar fashion while being run by his son, Jim, and daughter, Jeanie. "When I met with (Lakers general manager) Mitch (Kupchak) … I said, 'I want Pau here,'" Bryant said. "It's not even a question, not even a discussion. I think he gives us the best chance to win titles. You bring Dwight back, and we're off and running. You also have to look at how well (Howard and Gasol) started playing together (late in the season, when the Lakers finished 28-12). That puzzle finally got solved. "It's a tough call to make. But then again, it is one more year. It's one more year. That's how I look at it. "I'm like, 'One more year of this thing, and I don't know how I'm going to suit up. My contract is finished next year. Pau's is done next year. Hopefully we get Dwight locked up so he's here for a while. So the future is kind of set already. Let's take a crack at this thing." EVERYTHING TO GO WRONG FOR THE LAKERS IN 2012-2013 More likely than not, however, reality is about to set in for the Lakers. If the Lakers' payroll is near the $100 million level that it was this season, they would be exposed to a tax that charges up to $4.25 for every dollar spent above the league's tax threshold that was $70.3 million this season. There is a "repeater" tax that starts in the 2014-15 season and that they would be headed toward qualifying for as well, with penalties including another dollar for every dollar over the threshold when teams are in the tax in four out of five years. LAKERS AND CELTICS: Traditional powers headed for down years? Surprisingly, however, Kupchak says it is not a foregone conclusion that Gasol will be gone — even if, as appears likely, Howard returns. "It's in play, yes," Kupchak said when asked if he was considering scenarios for next season that involved both big men. "We haven't ruled anything out." Kupchak shares Bryant's opinion that the Lakers looked like an elite team late in the season, when they recovered from a 17-25 start and fought their way into the seventh seed in the Western Conference despite the seemingly-endless injuries. "That (strong finish) would indicate that this team could contend for a championship," Kupchak said. "We will be a year older. We do have holes defensively and offensively that we have to try and address. ... But certainly, I don't see any reason why we can't be in the hunt." But considering the age of the Lakers' underachieving core, taking that route would not only be expensive but also shortsighted. It seems far-fetched that this Lakers team will look the same, but one never knows when it comes to Bryant and the power he wields. "Yes, it's true that Kobe would like to keep the team together, (but) … the landscape has changed in the NBA," Kupchak said. "When you lose, everything is in play." PHOTOS: SPURS SWEEP LAKERS Story Highlights
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