One of the biggest challenges for an NBA coach is managing every player’s jumbo sized ego. The better the player is, the harder the task is.
That’s why Mike Brown is completely screwed with Kobe Bryant.
The Lakers super-star is being stubborn and the rookie head coach can’t do anything about it. After tearing a ligament in his wrist in the first preseason game, Bryant assured the media and Lakers Nation that he would indeed be ready to roll for the incredibly grueling lockout shortened season ahead.
After an 0-2 start and two subpar Kobe performances, it’s clear that the Black Mamba needs to take a seat for a few games.
He describes just how much pain he’s in to Yahoo! Sports reporter Marc Spears:
It hurts more when I fall on it with the impact below the wrist. When I fall and hit the ground, that’s when I feel it the most. It swells daily, it’s painful daily. I try to stay on top of it as much as I can.
Just watching him sludge through the first two games makes you cringe. He is wearing a right elbow pad and a sleeve on his right arm with sleeves on both of his knees. He is struggling to run at full speed and his defense is lacking to put it kindly.
People aren’t aware that he went to Germany in the offseason to undergo a procedure on an arthritic joint in his right knee, and had the same exact procedure performed on his left ankle. The guy is beat up and needs to pace himself for the long road ahead.
His numbers this season are still Kobe-esque, but don’t be fooled by his 28.5 points per game. He’s shooting 44 percent from the field and is averaging a ridiculous five turnovers a game. He has yet to sink a three-pointer and his last second shot that was blocked against the Bulls was pitiful. He refused to find the open man and went one-on-three, only to have his lack of lift come back to haunt him.
It was brutal to watch.
With the final game of their only back-to-back-to-back stretch of the season, it’s time for Kobe to sit. His wrist isn’t going to magically heal overnight, but giving his entire body time to rest is imperative in ensuring he doesn’t do further damage to his wrist or ankle. The Lakers are good enough to tread water in his absence and that’s all you can ask for in a season that features 66 games in the span of 120-something days.
Running Bryant into the ground now will spell failure come playoff time. Brown needs to put his foot down and demand he take a break. Bryant will never sit out on his own, which is a credit to his warrior mentality, but at this point it’s not in the best interest of the team.
It’s going to be the first major decision Brown has to make and judging by Kobe’s thoughts, it’s going to be a very difficult one to make:
There are a lot of fans who expect me to go out there and play, play hard and play well. … For me, the end is closer than the beginning and I want to enjoy every chance I can get.
Brown needs to put his foot down and force Bryant to miss at least Tuesday against the Jazz, and should consider sitting him for the next week or two.
The Lake Show’s 2011-2012 season depends on it.
Steve Garrison Phil Hughes Damaso Marte Mariano Rivera Kerry Wood Francisco Cervelli
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