Lakers Rumors: Why Kobe Bryant Endorsement Means Starting Spot for Ramon Session

Kobe Bryant has spoken. While he didn't explicitly say that Sessions should start, he said enough to make it known what he desired.

When you're an intelligent veteran used to dealing with the media, you know how to deliver a message without calling anyone out. That's what Kobe seemed to be doing when he talked about Sessions following the last game:

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"We just let him handle the ball," Bryant said of Sessions. "You saw me off the ball a lot, more than probably you've ever seen me. As a result, my night was a lot easier. I really didn't have to work. I had, what, 30 points? I didn't have to work for any of it because he's doing all the penetrating and I was getting great screens."

"He definitely takes pressure off of me," Sessions said of Bryant. "He lets me do what I do: be aggressive."

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There has been a lot of discussion about what it means if Sessions is starting versus coming off the bench.

It's true that the Lakers bench, to use an analogy, sucks granny apples through a sippy-straw. They're awful. They are dead last in the NBA in scoring. They're second to last in rebounding. They're second to last in efficiency. 

Yes, this team's bench is bad. I understand the inclination to want to bring him off the bench. But if you're hearing what Bryant is saying, it's "he makes the game easier on me." To me, this is the most important thing. A less beaten, battered and bruised Kobe Bryant in the postseason makes a lot of sense. 

It also makes sense to give him with the starting unit now, rather than with the bench. While those bench points matter now, they'll be less significant in the postseason, when Sessions is assuredly going to be starting. 

Of course, the main thing isn't whether I'm convinced or you are, but whether Mike Brown is. One thing we know is that Kobe has had Brown's ear all season.

What Kobe wants, Kobe gets. If Kobe wants 30 shots a game, Kobe gets 30 shots a game. If Kobe wants Gasol to stay, Gasol stays. If Kobe wants Sessions starting, Sessions will be starting.