Even though Kobe Bryant has not yet announced his return to basketball after the Achilles heel injury he suffers, his team- the Los Angeles Lakers- are still attempting to rebound in the 2014 - 2015 season from their lackluster performance last year.

Meanwhile, Bryant was ranked 40th best in NBA by ESPN, but he told the network that he's not motivated by the ranking.

"I've known for a long time that they're a bunch of idiots," Bryant said Thursday after the Lakers' 119-86 preseason loss to the Utah Jazz. He said this in reference to ESPN, hours after the network announced their rankings online.

The Los Angeles Lakers star was ranked 25th best player in NBA in the previous year, which he called his placement on the list as "silly" and "laughable," according to ESPN.

Despite the low rankings that Bryant has been pegged with by ESPN, his Los Angeles Lakers' guard Wayne Ellington said that he's inspired by Bryant's work ethic.

Ellington said that he asked Kobe for advice about footwork and defense as well since. According to Ellington, he doesn't get to see everything that Bryant does as he has a lot of stuff on his plate.

Ronnie Price substituted for the 40-year-old Steve Nash on the game on Thursday as Nash hurt his back after carrying bags in Manhattan beach home.

Aside from Nash, Jeremy Lin also missed the game due to injuries as well. It was reported that he sprained his left ankle before the match.

Coach Byron Scott is figuring out how often he can put the two-time NBA MVP in the court before substituting him to prevent further injuries.

On that note, Nash, who was only able to play 15 games in the previous season, is in his final year contract with the L.A. Lakers.