Latest LALakers news by ESPN regarding Kobe Bryant's ranking next year in the list of top 10 shooting guards is blasphemous, according to SportsIllustrated, as former Showtime member James Worthy claimed that the Black Mamba will be back to his all-star form.

Bradford Doolittle wrote LA Lakers news for ESPN Insider as he ranked the top shooting guards coming into next season, by using the WARP system, "which is perfect for this kind of exercise because it accounts for a player's efficiency, volume of production and team context."

Using the system, he ranked the top shooting guards in this order: James Harden, Dwayne Wade, Monta Ellis, Jimmy Butler, Dion Waiters, Tyreke Evans, Victor Olapido, Klay Thompson, Manu Ginobili and Lance Stephenson.

But Jason Gold of SportsIllustrated's FanSided called the list as "atrocious."

He acknowledged that Kobe Bryant is coming off two serious leg injuries which allowed him to play only six games last season, and the Black Mamba won't be the same player, "But to rank Kobe outside of the Top 10 shooting guards in the NBA for the upcoming season, a position that lacks any sort of depth, is preposterous."

In other LA Lakers news, James Worthy said in an interview with Time Warner Cable SportsNet per LakersNews that the Black Mamba will return at an all-star level.

"He's an all-star as long as he's in the league, but he might have to make a few changes of his game. He's got a lot of miles on that body, so I hope he's willing to accept that. Byron understands him very well, and I think Byron will be able to convey the proper message to Kobe," he said.

James Worthy played with new Lakers coach Byron Scott and Magic Johnson during the Showtime era.

"Then when we need him down the stretch he's still going to have that bump-and-fade-away game, below-the-rim type of game. He's still a strategic player so he knows how to play the game," James Worthy added.