Doing their best Matt Leinart imitation, Laker doctors asked for more time. The official word after the MRI is that Kobe did indeed suffer a severe ankle sprain and he will be re-evaluated in 72 hours.
The one move the Lakers did make was to put him on the IR, which means he will miss at least the next five games. No word on who takes his roster spot yet.
I’m no doctor, but I’ll play one on the Internet. According to what I have been able to read so far today, the MRI is really more to confirm what the doctor already suspects or knows through other manual tests. Problem is, the swelling/bruising that comes with a sprained ankle — and I think we’ve all been there — can interfere with a good diagnosis. I bet the doctors have a pretty good guess if there is a tear or not, but want the swelling to go down so they can be sure.
I’d love to hear from someone with more medical knowledge than myself or who can offer better medical suggestions than I ever got. The only advice my dad ever gave me for the countless sprained ankles I got playing basketball was “tape it up and get back out there.â€
Update: Rudy T. confirms that Tony Bobbitt will be activated.
Update 2: According to Saturday’s Los Angeles Times the injury does not likely include tears — which is very good news. He will miss five, maybe more, but fears of 5 weeks or more on the sidelines seem to be gone.