Lakers Rumors: Mike Brown is Smart to Cut Kobe Bryant's Minutes

Despite Kobe Bryant's torrid scoring pace, Mike Brown is doing what is best for the team in planning to cut the Mamba's minutes. This isn't just to preserve the future Hall of Famer's legs, it's also to allow other players to step up in key situations.

Before the Lakers' thrilling victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, Kobe had been almost the entire offense over a four-game stretch. During Kobe's four-game streak of scoring 40 or more points, he represented 45 percent of the Lakers' points scored. It's even more slanted in the fourth quarter, where Bryant scored 48 percent of his team's points. That won't be successful in the postseason.

While the scoring exhibition was amazing to see, actually watching the games showed some disturbing trends. Bryant was ignoring double and sometimes triple teams, hoisting up bad shots. While many were happy because Kobe, in his greatness, was making a lot of them, the body language of his teammates (especially Andrew Bynum especially) indicated some frustration.

Bynum is having an outstanding year. He's healthy and working hard. The big man has averaged 16.5 points and 14 rebounds per game. He wants the ball, and he deserves Bryant's trust. Allowing the Lakers to play more stretches without Bryant on the floor will facilitate more time for Bynum to be the go-to guy for the team.

The Lakers have a pair of young guards on the team in Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock that have shown an ability to contribute. They need time on the floor without having to defer to Bryant as much.

Am I suggesting that the Lakers cut Bryant's minutes in half? Absolutely not, he is playing about 38 minutes per night. That total should be at about 33 minutes per night.

As the season rolls on, that cumulative rest will allow Kobe to feel fresher, and during that time, players like Bynum, Morris and Goudelock can gain some valuable experience.

In the end, it all works to better prepare the Lakers for the long playoff run they are capable of producing.

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