Count Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant among those impressed by the Dallas Mavericks’ deal for his breakfast buddy, Rajon Rondo.

“It obviously makes them a much, much better team,” Bryant told reporters in Los Angeles via ESPN.com’s Baxter Holmes. “On top of [being] a great distributor [and] an orchestrator, he’s a phenomenal defensive player as well. Makes them even more lethal.”

The Mavs are 19-8 despite Jameer Nelson's struggles as their starting point guard. Does dealing for Rondo make Dallas a legitimate title contender?

“Yeah, probably,” Bryant said. “I would say something nice, but I’ll refrain from saying something nice because of Mark Cuban. So I’ll bite my tongue."