Lou Wei: Rockets don t trade Green, like the Lakers vs. Kobe, unless it s sold for Durant or Morant

Former NBA player Louis Williams decided to make a pretty bold comparison between Rockets' Jaylen Green and Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

Jaylen Green performed poorly in the Houston Rockets' seventh loss to the Golden State Warriors, which seemed to have put his future in Houston full of doubts. But this wouldn't have been the case if Louis Williams made the decision.

Williams played for the Rockets for half a season during his 17-year NBA career. He admitted Green was underperforming in the playoffs, but he then made a very bold comparison.

"Actually, he did not perform well in the playoffs this season," Williams said of Green on Run It Back. "But this is his debut. Imagine if the Lakers turned down Kobe [Bryant] when he played, like he did when he was young against the Utah Jazz. No, you go play, you have your experience, you have your ups and downs, you wipe yourself dry, and then you come back this summer, you make adjustments and learn how to be a better basketball player. In this series, I think he understands there are other ways to affect the game."

"Imagine if the Lakers abandoned Kobe when he was young, like he did when he was against the Utah Jazz... by then, there wouldn't be many players like Jaylen Green." @TeamLou23 says the Rockets shouldn't trade Green...unless it's for Durant or Ja Morant.

For some NBA fans, especially Lakers fans, this comparison is undoubtedly almost blasphemy. Kobe is one of the greatest and most popular players in NBA history. He has won the NBA championship five times, won the Finals MVP twice, and won the league MVP once.

However, as Williams mentioned, Kobe did experience some struggles early in his career. In the first two appearances in the playoffs in 1997 and 1998, Kobe, a junior at the time, averaged less than 9 points per game and shot poorly. The Lakers lost to the Utah Jazz in the past two years.

Kobe's form began to recover after he was 20 years old. Under the leadership of Shaquille O'Neal, the Lakers won the championship for three consecutive years from 2000 to 2002. Afterwards, under the leadership of Paul Gasol, Kobe won the championship twice in 2009 and 2010.

23-year-old Green just completed his fourth NBA season and his salary is expected to reach $105.3 million in the next three years. Given his salary increase — nearly tripled from this season to next season — coupled with the Rockets’ failure to make their first round as a No. 2 seed, it seems logical that the Houston Rockets will at least consider trading Green (and likely to trade other players) in order to get a star.

Nevertheless, Williams still advocates that the Rockets should cherish their young talented players.

"Anyway, there aren't many players who are idle and have nothing to do, and you can't get them on the court," Williams said. "I think this is where the league needs to improve. We can't wait to see these players get stuck, so we just 'bang' and ready to give it a try. No, let him grow, let him learn, let him improve his game."

The Rockets have been rumored to have an affair with Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who once again may file a trade application in the offseason after being eliminated in the first round.