It’s Time to Put Kobe oin His Place

There being entire art books full of words that properly describe Kobe Bryant, it is easier to pick out ones that absolutely don’t.

Scrub. Bench warmer. Sixth man.

In his three years here, this town has seen him smile, and soar, and skid, and struggle, and smile again the way he did for 44 outstanding minutes Friday.

It would be nice to see him do one more thing.

Start.

Now, and forever.

This much became clear in Friday’s opener, on the first day of what could have been his junior year of college, when Bryant finally started behaving like an upperclassman.

He was more than a pretty face, he was dirty knees and skinned elbows.

He didn’t play to Hollywood, but to West Covina.

He wasn’t merely thrilling, he was teeth-rattling.

He not only scored, he played defense and rebounded and should have ended all debate.

Kobe Bryant needs to be in the starting lineup like the Lakers need to have a cool dude singing the national anthem.

Start him at small forward, like Friday, when they can survive without the muscle.

Start him at shooting guard when that muscle is needed.

Start him this afternoon against Utah at the Forum . . . Monday in San Antonio . . . and in every other one of the 50 games the Lakers are playing in the next three months.

Bryant started in Friday’s opener against Houston--incredibly for only the eighth time in his career--only because Rick Fox’s feet and ankles were hurting.

They were hurting because Fox had practiced several days before realizing his new shoe insoles didn’t fit.

(Didn’t Fox think to wear these shoes once or twice during the last seven months to test them out? Did somebody just hand them to him before he took the court for the first day of camp? What were they, bowling shoes?)

Anyway, while Fox might not be a diligent shopper, he is a team player, and would understand that it’s not about the feet, but the legs and the hands.

It’s also about how Derek Harper evaluates his new teammate’s new position.

“There’s not a small forward in the league who can guard Kobe,” Harper said.

Then when Bryant starts at shooting guard, well, don’t worry all of you who chant, “Ed-die” in the shower. Eddie Jones will still get his minutes and points off the bench.

Because Jones is much more of a team player and calming influence than Bryant, he could actually be a perfect sixth man.

Bryant could be the perfect leadoff hitter.

He sets the tempo. He sets the offense.

And if he can hold Scottie Pippen to one-for-10 shooting in the first half, as he did in Friday’s 99-91 victory over the Houston Rockets, then he sets the agenda.

Of course, he can also make you want to set your hair on fire.

His biggest problem Friday has always been his biggest problem: The prize attraction was a ball hog.

Because he never played in a college system, Bryant was never forced to play under a team concept, never forced to mature under somebody such as Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski.

He arrived here needing to learn about the advantages of unselfishness.

He is, uh, still learning.

“That’s Kobe’s biggest challenge,” Harper said. “Knowing when to go, and knowing when to slow.”

Eight field goals in 15 attempts is a nice little number.

Unfortunately, Bryant made eight field goals in 21 attempts Friday.

Charles Barkley made four more shots in that same number of attempts.

Shaquille O’Neal made five more shots in that same number of attempts.

With several bombs and wild layup attempts, Bryant proved again he is the only person who can make Shaq disappear.

And that’s not right.

This is Shaq’s team. This will always be Shaq’s team. The Lakers’ hopes for an NBA championship do not rest on Bryant’s finger roll, but Shaq’s back.

Bryant needs to realize this.

But perhaps by being put in the starting lineup, he will.

Perhaps the more he starts, the less he’ll feel like he needs to make an instant impression, and the more he’ll catch on to the idea of team.

And if your small forward is hustling around for 10 rebounds in the opener, that can be a pretty good team.

“The more you play, the more you understand,” Harper said.

Shaq already understands.

Despite what must be certainly frustrating stretches of running up and down the floor and never coming within 15 feet of the ball, O’Neal endorsed Friday’s starting lineup.

The one with Bryant in it.

“I liked the lineup,” he said.

Bryant liked it too, although he’ll never say it. For a 20-year-old, his off-court maturity continues to amaze.

“People have to realize, I’m in this for the long haul,” he said. “People have to be a little patient. My time will come.”

Coach Del Harris also liked the lineup, although he’ll also never say it.

The silvery boss has managed the hip-hop hero marvelously until now, acting like equal parts grandfather and boss and buddy, navigating the concerns of parents and agents and sponsors while helping Bryant grow up.

Until now, nobody could rightly argue his decision to keep one of the league’s most popular and exciting players on the bench.

Until now.

“The biggest issue on this team shouldn’t be ‘Does Kobe start?’ ” Harris said Friday night. “That would be self-defeating.”

He’s right. Start Kobe Bryant, and everybody wins.

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Bill Plaschke can be reached at [email protected]