Kobe Bryant Tears Achilles

[Cam's iconCam]

LOS ANGELES — In retrospect, it was as if the last six games, in which Kobe Bryant played all but 14 minutes, had been leading to something as inevitable as it was wrenching.

In the 45th minute of the next game, the Los Angeles Lakers’ 118-116 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday, Bryant drove to his left against Harrison Barnes and went down in his tracks.

Bryant, 34, had ruptured his left Achilles’ tendon. To that moment, he had scored 10 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, and he added 2 more on free throws after he was injured. But less than 18 hours after the injury, he had surgery Saturday to repair the tear.

He is expected to miss six to nine months. Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak called a return for the opener next season “a reasonable goal.”

Source: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/sports/basketball/torn-tendon-ends-bryants-season.html?_r=0">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/sport ... .html?_r=0</a><!-- m -->

This is now kind of old news, but what are your thoughts on this?

 

[Ozzie]

This basically ruins LA's chances of advancing very far into the playoffs, in my opinion. They don't really have any other major scorers or assisters. Kobe is definitely the team's core. Hardly getting into the playoffs WITH him, I don't see how they can do well enough to advance very far.

 

[Cam's iconCam]

It looks like the Lakers will probably make the playoffs. They won't be able to keep up with Oklahoma City if the Thunder locks in the #1 seed. They might be able to keep up with San Antonio.

 

[Car889]

I don't see the Lakers making out of the first round unless Dwight Howard could step his game up and be consistent throughout the series only if they play the Spurs. Even then I still don't see them making it out of round one.

 

[shazi453]

Dwight would need to be serious. He got a monster double double, along with Pau, but lost by 12 points.

 

[future]

Dwight Howard is a fraud. He's shown no drive or passion at all this year and after his stunts in Orlando where he got a very good coach fired and then shot his way out of town there's no way I'd want him on my team. The Lakers are an absolute mess right now and I don't see them turning it around before Kobe retires. I used to dislike Kobe but you can't do anything but respect his work ethic and his game. It's a shame to see him be surrounded by teammates like Howard and to be playing for a clueless coach like D'antoni, who basically ran Kobe into the ground this year.