Why the Lakers Should Sit Kobe Bryant Every 4th Regular-Season Game - Bleacher Report

There's a relatively simple explanation for why the Los Angeles Lakers should rest Kobe Bryant once every four games.

Because they can.

Sure, it's hard to imagine head coach Mike Brown doing anything of the sort after playing the then 33-year-old Bryant 38.5 minutes per game. Legendary though Kobe may be, that's a lot of minutes even for the quasi-mythical variety of roundball superstar.

There's still at least some reason to think Brown may change his strategy.

After all, forcing Kobe to sit once every few games might make Brown feel a bit better about playing him all those minutes. His injured shin created a pretext for resting him late last season; the added rest didn't seem to hurt him in the postseason.

In 12 playoff games, Bryant twice eclipsed to the 40-point mark and scored 38 on two other occasions. 

Kobe put his rest to good use vs. the Nuggets.

Between the small sample size and the fact that Kobe is no stranger to scoring big, that isn't exactly conclusive evidence in defense of more rest, but it's at least consistent with the premise that it's a good idea.

It's also an idea of which Mike Brown's mentor Gregg Popovich has grown quite fond. 

When San Antonio Spurs veterans Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili reached their mid-30s, Popovich took to sitting them with some regularity as the season wound on. In Duncan's case, he all but formalized a policy precluding him from playing in back-to-back games.

Brown should be all the more tempted to do something similar with Bryant.

If for no other reason than he can afford to.

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

The Lakers have the kind of options that make Bryant a tad superfluous against the league's lesser competition. It's hard to imagine Los Angeles' record taking much of a hit in the event its go-to scorer sat out against the likes of the Charlotte Bobcats, Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Hornets or Cleveland Cavaliers.

And, even if the Lakers dropped a few extra games, you can't overestimate the value of Bryant entering the postseason as healthy and fresh as possible.

Given the choice between having the first seed in the Western Conference or the increased confidence that Kobe's at the top of his game when it matters, would anyone really take the seeding?

Should the Lakers rest Kobe this season?

Should the Lakers rest Kobe this season?

• They should just monitor his minutes.

• Yes, they should rest him every few games.

• Only toward the end of the regular season.

• Play it by ear.

• No, Kobe can handle anything.

• Total votes: 95

Beyond anything the move would do for Bryant, it might also help the rest of the Lakers find their rhythm. Even Bryant's most delusional fans know that he has a tendency to put an end to ball movement. That could also stunt the integration of guys like Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks.

Affording them the chance to build some chemistry and confidence could go a long way in readying these Lakers for postseason battle.

Taking nothing away from Howard and Nash, both of these guys will go through adjustment periods. A few additional touches means more real-time opportunity to carve out their new roles and develop comfort zones therein.

Of course, there are any number of schedules to which Mike Brown could adhere.

Every fourth game wouldn't be a bad target, but the bottom line is that any kind of routinized rest would be a step in the right direction.

It may disappoint a few season ticket-holders, but they'd readily forgive the well-intention affront come playoff time.