Chalk up another voice saying that Kobe Bryant needs to relinquish his alpha dog role with the Los Angeles Lakers.
This one is coming from the Lakers' inner-circle.
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Sporting News is reporting that Lakers Hall of Famer Jamaal Wilkes wants the franchise to reduce Bryant's role in what could be his last NBA season in 2015-16.
"It's very different," Wilkes told Sporting News. "He has very little help, and I'm sure he feels like it's all on him because it has been for the last 18, 19 years. And I'm sure he doesn't know what to expect from himself or what his body can give him now. But it's clear that he's near the end. He's in the last year of his contract. But physically, he just can't carry the group more."
Wilkes said the best option for the Lakers is to rest their superstar as much as possible until crunch time comes along and the Black Mamba can work his magic during the final 12 minutes.
"Personally, I'd like to see his minutes cut where he could play the majority of the fourth quarter. But that's going to be hard for Coach (Byron) Scott because, Kobe, you think you want Kobe out there all the time. But I think they've learned that he just can't do it all anymore."
The problem for the current edition of the Lakers is that they're not usually in games by the time the fourth quarter rolls around. The team lost a franchise-worst 61 games in 2014-15.
They stand to improve with the return of Julius Randle from a season-ending broken leg on opening night last season. As long as the lottery doesn't push them out of the top five, the Lakers stand to improve from the 2015 NBA draft.
Wilkes, who played with Bill Walton in college at UCLA, with Rick Barry at Golden State and with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson with the Lakers, said he learned to accept a lesser role because championships were more important to him.
"It would be nice to be the leading scorer and the All-Star every year and considered for MVP every year," Wilkes said. "But it was even better to win championships. And for me, that was, what helped me not only accept but thrive in those systems."
It seems unlikely that Bryant's personality would allow him to embrace that role, but Wilkes can dream.
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