Kobe Bryant Reconciling with Vanessa Would Make Mamba Better Teammate

If Kobe and Vanessa Bryant reconcile, the Los Angeles Lakers will get a milder and easier going Mamba.

TMZ reports:

"

TMZ can confirm the two are working on a reconciliation. 

Vanessa showed up for the Lakers Valentine's Day victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The two shared a kiss in the tunnel on the way into the locker room.

"

We've all worked with that guy who was having problems at home before.

You're like:

"Hey, Mike, did you get that email I sent you?"

And he's like:

"What damn email? It probably went to my spam, like the rest of this garbage."

Whoa. My bad, dude.

When Kobe's personal problems were at an all-time high in the early part of the season, this looked to be the vibe between Bryant, his teammates and coaches.

Take a look at this video of the Lakers during a timeout on the road at Portland.

Is it just me, or does it look like Kobe has tuned out Mike Brown?

It's not just Brown, either. Watch Kobe in this sequence as he asks for the ball on the post. Instead of passing it to Kobe, Pau Gasol takes his man off the dribble and gets the bucket and the foul.

However, watch Bryant's reaction.

Well, excuse me.

As of late, these situations haven't been as commonplace. The Lakers are still a bit inconsistent as they've played well at home, but stunk it up on the road with a 5-10 record.

What has changed?

Maybe getting your woman back is the best recipe for a bad mood.

We don't know when the potential reconciliation began, but it surely didn't start on Valentine's Day when Vanessa was caught by TMZ's cameras kissing the Mamba in the tunnel. 

Let's speculate, since that's all we can do in situations like this, right?

In the month of February, Bryant's field-goal attempts are down by three, while Gasol's are up by three and Andrew Bynum's are up as well.

Is this a coincidence?

It could be, but it isn't ridiculous to think that personal problems could affect a player's on-court attitude. It certainly seemed to be the case with Kobe. Early on, he was playing with a chip on his shoulder, disregarding double and triple teams. He was playing well, but frankly, he was playing selfishly.

Now, there seems to be more of a balance.

If reconciliation is indeed in the works, if not complete, the rest of the Lakers locker room should be happy. They may be getting scolded less, and seeing the ball more.