LOS ANGELES â€" Mike Brown obviously believes Kobe Bryant should be among the MVP candidates, but not just because he coaches him. He has a laundry list of reasons why the Lakers star should be considered, along with Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, Miami's LeBron James and San Antonio guard Tony Parker, for the regular-season honor.
For instance, the coach pointed out, take Bryant's age and the fact he is leading the league in scoring and minutes. At 33, Bryant isn't always on his mark, but he continues to find ways to score and maintain a 28-point average.
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"Obviously I'm biased like most coaches would be about their guys," Brown said. "But I still believe that Kobe should be one of the top guys, the top three mentioned. His name should be bantered around."
Brown said Bryant, the 2008 MVP, has had to deal with more adversity this season than Durant or James, starting with a new coach, new system and the ill-fated trade to get Chris Paul that resulted in Lamar Odom leaving.
Then there were the continued trade rumors involving Pau Gasol, veteran and longtime friend Derek Fisher being traded and Ramon Sessions coming in. And don't forget the upheaval began when Phil Jackson left, Brown said.
"A lot of people, before the season I felt, had written off a guy like Kobe," Brown said. "So for Kobe to be playing at the level he is playing now and for the team to have the sort of success we've had so far, when you compared it to the other teams and where they sit and their continuity ... I believe Kobe's name should be mentioned right there (with the others.)"
Blowing leads
The Lakers' troubling habit of giving up double-digit leads started way back on Dec. 25 when they allowed the Chicago Bulls to come back into the game and walk off with an 88-87 victory on opening day.
Losing their hold on that game could be chalked up to the fact it was the Lakers' first game under Brown or the absence of Andrew Bynum, who was serving his four-game suspension for his hit on Jose Barea in last season's playoffs against Dallas. Also, the Lakers had 17 turnovers that led to 17 points for the Bulls.
Yet, three months later, the Lakers continue to give away leads, even to lesser teams such as New Jersey. The Lakers led by 17 points in Tuesday's home game, but found themselves battling down the stretch to pull out the victory.
It's a trend that is happening often lately as evidenced by their play against Washington (blew 21-point lead and lost), New Orleans (gave up 17-point lead before winning) and Golden State (lost 13-point lead but won).
"I hope it doesn't keep progressing," Brown said. "That's basically what we addressed to the team after the game last night. Because whether it's a team with a very good record or not a good record, it seems like it happens.
"So we've addressed it. We will continue to address it, and hopefully it doesn't continue to happen."
Contact the writer: jcarr@ocregister.com
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