December 15th, 2009 by Chase

After breaking his right index finger on Friday night against the T-Wolves, then playing through a stomach virus on Saturday in Utah, I think it might be time for Kobe Bryant to take a couple games off and rest his ailing body. But Kobe being Kobe, we all know that the chances of him actually taking a couple games off are slim to none. But let’s look at why he should and also why he shouldn’t.

Why He Should Rest a Couple Games

• It’s a long grueling 82 game season. And with the Lakers playing a majority of the first quarter of this early season at home, many road games lie ahead. And the schedule just doesn’t get any easier from here. The Lakers are shooting towards repeating as champions. They are going to need #24 in April-June. The earlier in the season you take a couple games off the better.
• Pau Gasol needs more touches to get better integrated with the team. After sitting out the first 10 games or so, Pau Gasol could use the extra offensive attention to get him back into sync with the offense. It’s not that he’s not playing well right now. It’s just that his teammates are not looking for him enough. Kobe out a couple games could help cure this.
• The broken finger is going to be an issue all season, there is just no getting around this. But the worst thing that can happen is to re-injure the same finger just days after the initial injury. A couple days off will prevent this.

Why He Should Not Rest a Couple Games

• The Lakers just seem to not function well without Kobe. You would think that with all the talent around him they could pick up the slack a few games. But it just seems that everytime Kobe is on the bench the Lakers are under-performing. The NBA is a long season, but the Western Conference is always a battle to the end. A few game slippage at any point during the season could cost you home-court advantage.
• Kobe Bryant is on pace to win another MVP award. The usual competitors stand in the way namely LeBron, Dwade, and Carmelo. How important is it for Kobe’s legacy to win the MVP again? Pretty important. And you know Kobe is aware of this. A few games off could throw Kobe off the MVP tracks a bit.

What Do You Think?

What do you think Kobe Bryant should do? Do you think he should rest a couple games? Do you think he shouldn’t? Why? I’m interested to know what other Laker Fans have to think about this situation other than myself. If you have a second, drop a few lines in the comment form below and let your opinion be heard. GO LAKERS!!!