Lakers on Hot Streak Under Coach Kobe Bryant

Okay, that's kind of a joke, but I'm sure it's not far from the truth. In fact, Ramon Sessions said as much after the Lakers win over Dallas yesterday. 

That's Coach Bryant now, he's over there drawing stuff up on the board. He's pulling us over to the side and helping us out tremendously.

There you go. Kobe has missed the last five games with a shin injury, and the Lakers have won the last four with Coach Byrant helping out head coach Mike Brown. It raises the question, are the Lakers better without Kobe?

Jason Whitlock of Foxsports.com wrote this article a couple weeks ago, saying Kobe needs to 'grow up or get out,' and it stuck with me for some reason. With each passing win with Kobe on the bench, Whitlock looks more and more right.

Maybe this time off the floor is just what Kobe needs to see that he can trust him teammates. We've been down this road before in L.A., where we hear that Kobe has to figure out that the other guys are capable basketball players, and we should be way past that.

Andrew Bynum, when he's got his head straight, is proving to be one of the most dominant big men in the NBA. Pau Gasol is just as consistent as ever, and Matt Barnes has become a really solid option off the bench. The Lakers aren't terribly deep, but once the playoffs start the rotation gets shorter anyway.

Kobe said he'll be back before the playoffs start. I don't think he needs to rush it. The truncated season after the lockout has been tough on players all over the league, so some solid rest before the playoff grind starts would be a good thing.

For now though, Kobe looks really comfortable on the bench in those expensive suits.

Article by Eric Gray