Time to Shelve Kobe?

As of this writing, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has missed the team's last six games to rest his injured shin. During that stretch, the Lakers have won four, with those games coming from a winning streak.

Now the big question: Should the Lakers shelve Kobe for the rest of the season? I say "YES," with a blaring megaphone.

Apart from the obvious rest Kobe gets with this move (Kobe is averaging 38.4 minutes per game), it gives the rest of the Lakers to step up and gather confidence going into the playoffs. Metta World Peace, Matt Barnes, and Pau Gasol have notably stepped up their games in Kobe's absence and it even gave long-time bench regular Devin Ebanks some burn.

However, coach Mike Brown must keep in mind the risk of resting Kobe for too long-- it may create an imbalance where the team members need to figure out their roles again once Kobe takes 30% of the team's shots and 38 minutes of PT.

Another factor is playoff positioning. The Lakers are just a half-game ahead of their Staples Center co-tenants and getting third seed in the NBA's Western Conference would be major, since it avoids the dangerous Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.

That said, I still think Kobe should hang up till the last day of the regular season. His fresh legs would be more important in propelling the Lakers in the playoffs.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Did the Deadline Trades Make the Lakers Better?

So much for standing pat.

I know what you're thinking Laker Faithful: Did the NBA trade deadline deals make the team better? I see the trades as a mixed bag of positives and negatives.

On one hand, the perennial problem of weak point guard play has been addressed: Ramon Sessions was nabbed by the Los Angeles Lakers, along with Christian Ayenga, for Luke Walton and a draft pick. This is clearly a short to medium term solution to help the franchise get its 17th championship (and Kobe Bryant's sixth ring).

Sessions brings good pick and roll skills, good ball-handling, and aggressive forays into the hoop that can break down defenses. Ayenga is still raw but superb athlete, which is quite similar to where Devin Ebanks is. It's no accident that Ayenga will be sent to the D-League (where Ebanks spent some time early in the season).

From a financial point of view, the deal is good because the team was able to shed Walton's albatross of a contract. Perhaps this is Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert's way of saying "mea culpa" to the Lakers after nixing the deal that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers?

But the deadline didn't come without a price: Lakers fan favorite Derek Fisher was sent to the Houston Rockets for Jordan Hill.

This feels like an end of an era because Walton and Fisher were part of the Lakers' success in the past decade. Fisher's legacy in the Lakers lore is pretty much set, but I hoped he would finish his career in purple and gold.

With the deals, the Lakers' depth chart looks like this:

• PG - Ramon Sessions, Steve Blake, Darius Morris
• SG - Kobe Bryant, Andrew Goudelock
• SF - Metta World Peace, Matt Barnes, Devin Ebanks, Christian Ayenga
• PF - Pau Gasol, Troy Murphy, Josh McRoberts
• C - Andrew Bynum, Jordan Hill

If you ask me, the only problematic area left is the Small Forward position. I guess Michael Beasly would have helped there.

But that's a different story.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers