The Los Angeles Lakers won their opening game of a seven-game road trip, but there seems to be more warning signs rather than points of encouragement.
Yeah, the Lakers did beat the Chicago Bulls 117-109, but the Lakers had to climb out of a double-digit halftime deficit and Kobe Bryant continued his mini-shooting slump-- Kobe shot 10 for 25 in the field for the game. In the last five games, Kobe has shot 41%, well below his season average of 47%. Prior to the last five games, Kobe had averaged close to 48% of hitting his shots.
This could be symptomatic of fatigue for Kobe as the increased dependence on him since Andrew Bynum went down last January 31 could be taking its toll.
Is time to shelve Kobe for the rest of the regular season? The Lakers have a very comfortable lead over the San Antonio Spurs for the Western Conference crown, and it may be high time for Phil Jackson to give Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Derek Fisher some rest before the playoffs.
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