Lakers News 2014: Kobe Bryant Doesn’t Care About Mike D’Antoni Resignation? Wants To Be Consulted In Search For Next Coach?

Lakers news 2014 gets more intriguing as Mike D'Antoni's resignation hardly affected the injured Kobe Bryant who also wants to be consulted in the search for the team's next coach.

The injured Kobe Bryant appeared on Thursday on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" where the comedian asked him what he felt about Mike D'Antoni's resignation.

"Honestly, I didn't care. Mike was dealt a really bad hand in dealing with all the injuries that he had here," Kobe Bryant said. "This is a tough place, man. If you're not winning, you're not going to survive, man."

Various Lakers news 2014 pointed at Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol not wanting to play for him, as well as the team not picking up the coach's option, as the main reasons for the Mike D'Antoni resignation. The offensive guru accepted the buyout amounting to almost $2 million from the Lakers.

Pau Gasol, who will be a free agent on July 1, has been at odds with Mike D'Antoni over his "small ball" philosophy. Earlier this year, Lakers news 2014 was abuzz with the statement made by the Spaniard that his return will hinge upon Mike D'Antoni's resignation and the injured Kobe Bryant.

But the Spaniard is changing his tune as he told Marca.com: "Mike leaving was not the be-all and end-all, but it is another factor."

He said he wants another shot at a title although he admitted that the injured Kobe Bryant may influence his decision to stay.

"I know that he is going to be one of the main reasons why I would come back to the team," the Spaniard told Lakers Nation.

The injured Kobe Bryant, who calls himself the "Black Mamba," also told Jimmy Kimmel that hopefully, the Lakers will try to get his input in the next coaching hire. He then said that he wasn't consulted when the team hired Mike Brown, the head coach of Cleveland Cavaliers, and Mike D'Antoni, which both ended in tragedy mainly because of the slew of injuries that cut half the team roster.

"On the last two they didn't," he said. "On the third one, I'm hoping they do."