On Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers put an end to the speculation of whether or not one of the greatest Lakers--and players--of all time would return when Kobe Bryant inked a two-year, $48.5 million contract extension deal.

For those of you looking at how that breaks down over the next two years for the 15-time NBA All-Star, 2008 NBA MVP and five-time world champion, ESPN reports that the deal will pay Bryant $23.5 million next season and $25 million in the following year.

Since that signing, a lot has been made about the staggering amount--for us mere mortals and non-billionaire types--that the future NBA Hall of Famer signed to wear the purple and gold for what will likely be the rest of his career.

Some offered their congrats, such as Carmelo Anthony--who the Lakers are eying as their next big star in the offseason, and even a few of Kobe's teammates chimed in:

"Congratulations to my friend @KobeBryant on his extension with the Lakers! #LakerForLife," tweeted Lakers teammate Pau Gasol, who won two titles alongside Bryant.

Others, in an opinion that has been floated about often, have a different point of view--that being that the Lakers may have just made a huge miscalculation, particularly when looking at the Lakers' chances at landing the big fish in the free agency pond over the next two years. There are plenty of good reasons why fans and analysts are wary of this deal. It's not a question of Bryant's basketball pedigree, as that should be unquestioned by now. At one point last season, the two-time NBA Finals MVP was averaging 40 points per game, and he was the main reason as to how a sputtering, aging and out-of-sorts Lakers team were even in position to make the playoffs last season, literally sacrificing his body for the sake of the team. The image of Bryant tearing his Achilles in the closing seconds of a 118-116 April 12 win against Golden State and still staying in the game to sink two critical free throws before limping off the court is still an indelible image of what it means to be a true 'baller'.

And yet, Kobe is playing against an opponent that even he might not be able to beat: Father Time.

When it's all said and done, Bryant will be 37 years old by the end of his contract extension. As great as he is, the clock is not on his side and betting nearly $50 million over the next two years on the idea that an aging star coming off of a debilitating Achilles injury will still perform to the standards that Lakers fans have been used to seeing of him for more than a decade is one heck of a gamble. Of the $34 million the Lakers have already committed next season, $23.5 million of that will belong to Bryant. Roughly $9.7 million goes to Steve Nash next year, and the rest is fairly menial. But the Lakers were projected to have between $46 million and $52 million to play with next summer before Bryant's contract was finalized. Now, that number shrinks to about $29 million under the salary cap-not a heck of a lot for them to start luring in all those big name free agents i.e. Carmelo Anthony. For a team looking to rebuild after their Dwight Howard-Steve Nash combo signing last season fell apart, that news isn't promising.

However, the Lakers could conceivably still make things work for them. Signing Anthony and pairing him with good friend Bryant looks good on paper-putting together two scoring super powers like Melo and Kobe always does-but then again, the last time the Lakers went with a roster that looked good on paper, it was more trouble than it was worth. Almost literally. Yet that does not mean that the Lakers can't make a few good, smart moves towards laying the foundation for the next great Lakers squad.

1. Don't Splurge on a Big Name for Next Season

Why rush? Sure, the instinct of finding the next big superstar to pair alongside Kobe and Co. is a natural one for the Lakers, who are used to the "Win Now" mentality that has powered them for three decades. However, short of LeBron James, there's really no one big name that can guarantee the Lakers an instant title shot. It might be a smarter move for the Lakers to hold off on spending that big cash so they can...

2. Spend on a Solid Cast of Support Players

No one man is a team, and even the all-time greats and legendary dynasties had a strong cast of players that filled the defensive and offensive needs critical to building a championship team. Jordan and Pippen had Steve Kerr, Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley and Toni Kukoc. Bird's Celtics had Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge. It might not be the sexiest move, but the best place to start next offseason is to build the base for a title team with a strong supporting cast. Names like Kirk Heinrich, Shawn Marion, Nate Robinson, Shane Battier, Matt Bonner and old Lakers favorites like Derek Fisher and Metta World Peace will be on the free agency market next season. These are good role players, some of them with championship experience, like Fisher, World Peace and Battier. Robinson can be a sparkplug off the bench for any team. Heinrich is a tough defender. Battier is very good from three-point range. Having a superstar makes a team formidable, but only with the right pieces around them is a team a championship threat.

3. Consider a coaching change

If the Lakers are planning to have Mike D'Antoni at the helm for the foreseeable future, then it sets a specific tone of what kind of team they need. D'Antoni is a wizard on offense, but he isn't big on defense-never was--and unfortunately, without defense, a team can't win a championship in this league. D'Antoni thrives when he has young players with young legs to run opponents ragged with his "Seven Seconds or Less" offense, which is part of the reason why his strategies didn't take off the ground last season with an aging L.A. squad. But a young roster is built to win in a few years; that's not going to cut it in L.A. with an impatient fanbase. And D'Antoni isn't a coach with world titles on his resume, quite frankly. Better to get a coach who can balance things out on both ends of the floor.

4. Keep Their Eyes on Summer 2015

By that time, Kobe will be officially off the books. That leaves a plenty of cash to go around for the Lakers to play with. Sure, the list on the summer of 2015's NBA free agents might not be as star-laden as the one before, which will feature James, Anthony, Chris Bosh. Danny Granger and others, but there are still plenty of superstars and rising stars on that list, including Kevin Love, Tony Parker, Roy Hibbert, Rajon Rondo, Kyrie Irving, Paul Millsap, and more. With a strong cast already in place, stars like these could help the Lakers catapult back into serious NBA title contenders.