Right when it seemed the Lakers might turn a corner with a nice road win over the Grizzlies, their injury woes come back to drag them back down. Already missing all their point guards, the team will now be without Kobe Bryant for at least 6 weeks, per an announcement from the team:
Injury Update: Kobe Bryant has a fracture of the lateral tibial plateau in his left knee. He is expected to miss 6 weeks.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 19, 2013
It’s really difficult to put into words the frustration and disappointment I feel with this news. Kobe has battled for over 8 months to return from one of the most brutal injuries a basketball player could sustain and had only returned 6 games ago. He’s had his up and down moments, but the game against the Grizzlies showed a nice step forward in his progress showing he could play well in extended minutes and on short rest (that was the team’s 4th game in 5 nights). Now, he’s lost again for at least another month and a half, set to have to rehab the same left leg he suffered the ruptured achilles on.
Normally, I’d try to find some sort of silver lining and speak to what the team can do to adjust without Kobe in the lineup. This won’t be one of those times. Because while one might say the team can go back to playing the style they were before Kobe’s return, that really isn’t possible since the team doesn’t have a player to step in and initiate the offense the way that Blake and Farmar were in Kobe’s absence. What will happen instead is the team trying to fill the void with a committee approach to initiating the offense with Xavier Henry, Nick Young, and Jodie Meeks likely taking turns as the primary ball handler to start the team’s offense. This approach was already suspect for short stretches in games, but now that it’s default for entire contests, the results will be dodgy at best.
Hopefully Jordan Farmar can return in a week and at least have some sort of PG available soon, but if that doesn’t happen I don’t see how the team can’t turn to the D-League or look to street free agents as a stopgap option until Farmar is back.
Hindi says
Our PG position is cursed.
Lesha says
it seems as if kobe actually played the 2nd half of the game with this injury… this guy is a legend. He´ll be back strong and will keep it up for years to come.
Kevin T says
Curse of D. Fish for trading him a few years back. This Sucks.
JeffT says
Didn’t somebody already use the “Spinal Tap drummer” reference to the point guard position? I guess they were right.
nimble says
This is tough.Bad luck.
Ken says
Perhaps if they went and found D league or waver guards he would not be forced to play point guard and handle the PG position 30 minutes a game.
Maybe poor ownership decisions caused no Kobe and no Nash for the most of this year.
sT says
Tough luck again, but we have been dealt the hand we have been given for this season.
Isolate333 says
The injury occurred in the post fighting for position with one of the most physical defenders in the league, Tony Allen, guarding him. It has nothing to do with coming back too soon or playing point. Give it a rest, guys get injured playing sports. Marc Gasol went out on a very similar play, was that the ownership’s fault?
Paul says
It looks like we have a chance at getting Wiggins after all.
justintheNickoftime says
Dang this season is getting crazier by the minute. Maybe its meant for this team to be a bottom feeder, deep draft coming up this year. Team wasnt going to compete for a title this year anyway, without a miracle being pulled by the FO, so why not.
P. Ami says
This isn’t the curse of D. Fish. D. Fish wasn’t really a point guard, which is why he was practically impervious to injury and seemingly impervious to being benched. While it’s not a perfect descent, this is really the Curse of Magic. We lost him to HIV, when he did come back it was as a power forward. Our next significant contributor at PG was Nick Van Exel. Now, I love Nick the Quick but lets just say, he had some mental instabilities. Then we had Fish starting in 99, not really a PG. Ron Harper, not really a PG. Brian Shaw, okay he was a PG. Tyron Lue, getting stepped over by Iverson is like being injury prone, and then he was coach on the Celtics, yuck. Gary Payton, not injured but head issues none the less. Smush Parker, need I say more?
Now the curse has reversed everything the Sun’s medical staff did for Nash. This is two years running. Farmar, out. Blake hasn’t had a healthy season for us yet. The second we start talking about Kobe being the PG, he breaks his knee.
Really, the PG position on the Lakers should have been retired once Magic announced he was done. This is what the basketball gods are telling us.
Glove says
If Kobe injured his knee after he had contact with Tony Allen he still played the rest of the game. I did not think it was that serious. Get well Kobe, Nash, Farmar, and Blake. Lakers tough luck of injuries continues.
Shaun says
We should take a flyer on Seth curry
stucktrader says
If kobe can jus make it back for the all star, then he’ll at least get that record. Management will need to make PRACTICAL decisions. Develop Xavier, Johnson, Sacre, and Kelly. See what picks they get for Pau by the deadline. I think D’antoni will be gone as well.
That Mike Brown hire and CP3 voided trade got this team here.
Time to get a lotto pick.
Wayne Flis says
Why is Kobe allowed to say “Spaniard ass” when referring to Pao Gasol?!~
Kevin T says
Or its the Steve Nash curse, ever since trading for him the Lakers have had one injury after another, I guess he should have never been allowed to wear a Lakers uniform.
C.Hearn says
Worst management decision that I have ever heard of, what’s that? Allowing Kobe Bryant to play extended minutes during that 4 games in 5 nights, after returning from an Achilles heel injury! What in the hell were they thinking? This coach included, he should have railed against using Kobe as the pg after returning from that injury, it’s like he just does not have a clue. I don’t want to hear anything about this not being the coaches fault, it is! He’s so happy to have a job that he doesn’t stand up for anything, including the fact that the Lakers needed a pg after Farmar went down, then he rode Blake into the ground. Next up Kobe, a man that will go on the floor to play even to his own detriment. Unfrick’n believable!
I’m robbed of the opportunity to watch Kobe play out his final years of basketball because of a coach that doesn’t know how to take charge, with his team and/or management. I’d rather have a coach in contention with management (see P.J.), over a coach that goes along to get along.
Now they’re trying to rush Farmar back and he’ll come back and play 2-3 strong games before he goes down again too.
These are not moves from an organization that I have admired as much for their championship teams, as for the way ownership ran the organization.
#NewLakersLow #TheLakersarenowtheoldClippers
Parrothead Phil says
It is definitely a rainy day in LA. My best wishes to Kobe (Blake and Jordan, too) for a speedy recovery. Love him or hate him, Kobe is one of a kind and I plan on cherishing every moment I get to see him take the floor over the next 2 1/2 seasons.
Mid-Wilshire says
C.Hearn,
Sorry. But I just don’t share your sentiments. This is tough luck, that’s all…not a time cast blame or point fingers. Stuff happens. And with the Lakers, it’s been happening a lot.
I’ll own up to one thing. I was dead wrong. I said during the off season that there was no way that lightning would strike twice and that the Lakers would have another flood of injuries. Boy. Did I call that one wrong.
Obviously, this was not meant to be the Lakers’ year. Maybe some of the young players–Farmar, Henry, Wes Johnson, Sacre, Kelly–will answer the call. But obviously, this is just not good news. Not a good day.
I wish Kobe a speedy recovery…as well as Farmar and Nash and Blake. Did I leave anyone out?
LakerFanatic says
Damn we can’t just sign Barbosa or Beaubois for the point guard position?
T. Rogers says
C.Hern,
Close and winnable game on the road and you really think Kobe would have let D’Antoni keep him out? The Lakers have been letting Kobe dictate his own play. That’s going back to last Spring when he was playing those 48 minute games. Imagine D’Antoni putting a real cap on Kobe’s minutes and the Lakers losing to a totally depleted Memphis team. D’Antoni was in a bad spot either way.
Fern says
C.Hearn c’mon now man!! Kobe played 33 minutes which is aceptable, and the only way to get back in shape is logging minutes he wasnt near the ussage from last season, plus he was instrumental in the victory. This injury dont have anything to do with extended minutes or MDA or the front office. I file this one in the “**** happens” file and move on. Really really bummed about this Blaming MDA or the FO for anything that happens its very old.
Fern says
Thas the way i see it T Rodgers, you nail it. Damn if you do damned if you dont.
KenOak says
I feel terrible for Kobe. Get well #24!
Riggin’ for Wiggins.
Kevin T says
I just don’t know how anyone could play with a broken knee. Remarkable. Even after the game when he did the interview and walked back to the locker room, no limping or favoring the knee at all. I don’t want to think like a conspiracy theorist here and I respect the hell out of Kobe, but this doesn’t feel right.
Management plan to tank without making it look that way and Kobe plays about 40 games this year without looking bad for not making the playoffs and Kobe goes with the plan because he supports the team and ownership.
vhanz says
SPEECHLESS!
Man, I just woke up and this is the news?!
Terrible Man, can’t describe it anymore. Tears coming in my eyes.
Fern says
I read that Lakers facilty in El segundo flooded the the other day. That damn Jim Buss must be his fault too.. Smh
Tra says
Ruptured Left Achilles and now a Fractured Left Knee. I now believe that one can unequivocally say that Kobe is finally – literally – breaking down.
I couldn’t have imagined – before the season began – how beneficial it would be that we have 8 Guards on our roster. Unfortunately, as it stands now, the healthy ones – Meeks, Young, Johnson and X – are not and can not play PG efficiently.
I wonder how the FO feels about that extension now ? [I sincerely doubt if they’re regretting it].
I wonder how this latest injury affects Pau’s chances of remaining with the team beyond the trade deadline now ? [I’m still of the belief that he should be moved. Although, it’ll be EXTREMELY hard now].
Somewhere, a certain 6’10 Center, who wore number 12 for us last year, is laughing his *** off.
Kevin T says
If a certain number 12 is laughing his *** off , well guess what, KARMA is a *****.
Mark Sigal says
From ESPN :The injury news for the Lakers didn’t get any better regarding Steve Nash. The team also announced Thursday that the veteran point guard — limited to just six games this season — will miss an additional four weeks due to nerve root irritation.
Jason says
Despite the FOs best efforts to be competitive it’s as if the basketball gods are demanding that the Lakers retool this summer. The Lakers would have to be very fortunate to grab a playoff spot and what for to get blown out in the 1st round? No, I think the cards now dictate that the team focuses on being entertaining but not competitive.
If the FO was concerned about fan pushback for not making the post season I think that will be non-existent. It really isn’t reasonable to have playoff expectations with your best player slated to miss 40+ games and the talent level of the majority of the roster.
In other words the FO gets a freebie this year. They should take advantage of it and begin planning for the future beyond Kobe.
Brian says
Kevin T: If a certain number 12 is laughing his *** off , well guess what, KARMA is a *****.
___
If our FO focuses on building the next Laker championship team as
opposed to trying to milk something out of Kobe/Pau/Nash I firmly believe we will have the last laugh. I do not think that DHoward wins a trophy in Houston.
Leo says
This is the unfortunate reality when the FO decided to extend Kobe. I truly believe that management was prepared to go all in with the Mamba and pursue another trophy. This injury has to give that plan pause — it may not be prudent to rely so heavily on Kobe. Could it be that Kobe goes from being a center piece on a winning team to the fan favorite on a rebuilding one.
mud says
oh, well. it stinks, but there’s nothing to do about it. gotta take the bad with the good, that’s how life works.
Treylake says
@P. Ami “This isn’t the curse of D. Fish. D. Fish wasn’t really a point guard, which is why he was practically impervious to injury and seemingly impervious to being benched.”
Finally an answer to how DFish could lead the league in blow by’s (or as DFish said “Team Defense”) yet start & finish every game.
MannyP says
Nash should really listen to his body and understand that its time to call it quits. I get that he loves the game, but he needs to think about his well being and realize that the game is not worth the pain he may endure for the rest of his life due to chronic back pain. Not saying this because the the Lakers would benefit from a medical retirement (they would), but saying it because I do not want to him crippled for the rest of his life.
Same thing goes for Kobe. Hopefully he comes back from this second injury and is good as new, but something tells me that time has caught up with one of the road warriors of the NBA and going forward he is likely to spend many more days off the court. However, if it gets to a point where his future enjoyment of life is in danger, then he needs to pack it in. No championship ring is worth a lifetime of pain.
C.Hearn says
I’m sorry that anyone disagrees with my opinion, but not really. The Lakers used not one ounce of prudence in returning a 35 year old Kobe to the floor. His minutes should have been limited initially and more minutes added after conditioning improved. Sorry, that’s just common sense. A stronger coach would have told Kobe to sit out whether they won or loss games, but a coach that is tenuous about his abilities and position would not.
Kobe needs someone to prevent him from going into a game and playing extended minutes, he needs someone to save him from himself! That way when he comes out and the coach will not put him back into the game, he can say the coach prevented him from returning. That way he can maintain his image of being from another world!
Coaching is managing, period!
Some correlation must be subscribed to this current coaching staff based upon the plethora of injuries to the point guard position in the past two years. There are no such things as coincidences!!!
Damned if he does, or damned if he doesn’t…no just damned!
Mark says
With Kobe out for 20+ games it will be very interesting to see what the FO does. I really think the team has a lot of nice young players that could either be trade pieces or part of future Laker teams. Young/Farmar/Henry would be welcome additions to teams in the playoffs or those fighting for a spot, Pau and Blake would be veterans whose value would be appreciated and maximized elsewhere.
I work in an office with a lot of diehard fans who got pissed when others would talk about the benefits of tanking. Even these folks are saying that this year is lost. This is not a soft re-boot like when we traded Shaq and still had a young Kobe in his prime to build around. I hope the FO realizes that fact.
Robert says
Wow – what to say on this? Just devastating. Devastating for the Team, devastating for Kobe, devastating for the NBA, and devastating for the fans.
It is not over yet, but this is huge blow after what could have been a career ending Achilles injury. Not good.
No Kobe on 12/25.
Six weeks takes us to early February and the ASG is on 02/16. Very hard to absorb this.
We are snake-bit and we have been since 12/08/2011.
Wow – this is bad.
Edward says
I think Kobe will come back for the last 25 games or so. But I truly believe it will be to see if he can stay healthy and perform at a high level. While this injury is not as serious as the Achilles I do not think that Kobe wants to continue playing if he’s going to be missing large chunks of each of his remaining two seasons. If he is not satisfied with his health or performance It would not surprise me that he retires this offseason.
Robert says
A number of people have used the term Butterfly Effect on this board. So I ask – what was the Butterfly Effect of the VETO? One school of thought is that DH was going to hurt his back either way. Kobe was going to have these injuries either way. The Laker FO and Coaching decisions were always going to be fraught with controversy. However in another parallel universe, where the VETO did not occur: Is the Paul, Howard, Kobe trio still together? Are Kobe and DH 100% healthy? Are they riding some huge winning streak and defending their title right now instead of the misery we are suffering? Or much like the movie the Butterfly Effect, did that scenario also not work out, and this time period was just not our time. We will never know. In the past we had significant events we could point to as major milestones in Laker history. The trade for Kareem; the drafting of Magic, the drafting of Worthy, the Shaq trade, the drafting/trade of Kobe, and the Pau trade. Recently however, we have had the VETO, the loss of DH, and the double whammy injuries to Kobe. These are all headshots, any one of which is franchise altering in a very negative way.
Get well soon Kobes !
Ken says
Chearn
Note difference between Pop and MD. One coaches for the team the other coaches for his job. You don ‘t see Mano playing too soon or too many and Duncan played 20 a game until playoffs .
This may all go back to playing Kobe 45 minutes the last 2 weeks of last year to save his job.
One guys playing checkers the other chess.
Lakers signing Morris by Saturday.
Ken says
By the way Hearn Dr. clapper agree with you and I put it on ownership and coaching bringing him back to early and for no good reason.
John Ireland fought me on ESPN radio today but then his pay check as announcer is signed by the team .
It’s academic now but I agree with you 100%. But then I should have bought Apple stock when it was at $2 also.
BigCitySid says
Unbelievable, but not completely surprising. We’ve seen this happen before on other teams. I feel bad for Kobe, he worked so hard to get back. As for the Lakers, this season will continue to be a series of readjustments. No pg’s now, when a pg comes back, when Kobe comes back.
I have no idea what the front office will do. At this stage nothing would surprise me, except if they did nothing.
Question: how does losing Kobe for another six weeks affect the front office’s decision to trade or not trade Gasol? It looks like Kobe will at least 1/2 the season, maybe more (19 already, 6-7 weeks equals another what, 19 – 22 games?) At that point would you want to rush Kobe back? It may be time for the Lakers to protect Kobe from himself.
Ok, Jimmy, Mitch. It’s time to reconsider your options.
bryan S. says
Hearn: Excellent post. I excoriated MDA for playing Kobe the minutes he did last season that led to his Achilles rupture. I wondered what was the rush in bringing him back this season, particularly in light of the better than expected team record. Clearly Kobe is and has been the ultimate cash maker for the Lakers and to a great extent, the league. Those are forces that must be considered in his early return. That said, I’ve come to believe the biggest driver in last season’s absurd minutes and now a return that could have been managed more conservatively, is Kobe himself. The guy is his own worst enemy at this point. He needs a strong coach and front office to save him from himself, and he has neither. I honestly hope for a medical retirement for him at the end of this season, and clearly the same for Nash (duh).
BigCitySid says
Folks get over Dwight already. Starting to sound like the cute high school cheerleader who got rejected by the new boy in school.
C.Hearn says
Note difference between Pop and MD. One coaches for the team the other coaches for his job. You don ‘t see Mano playing too soon or too many and Duncan played 20 a game until playoffs.
This may all go back to playing Kobe 45 minutes the last 2 weeks of last year to save his job.
One guys playing checkers the other chess.
All are good points, Ken.
********************************************
Robert, the Butterfly Effect is an appropriate analogy considering the fact that no matter what Kobe does to make the team relevant he can’t alter the Lakers descent into bottom dwellers.
I liken Kobe to the movie War Horse and the horse named Joey. Joey was not supposed to be able to plow the field, but against odds he ploughs a rock-filled farm. Sold to the calvary Joey endures arduous work pulling tanks through muddy hills. Joey stands beside his less capable friend Topthorn and shoulders the work load for him, until Topthorn dies. In the end, he suffers injuries that would kill any other horse.
#Hard2BeAFanRightNow
Small coastal town Ken says
Big City
Dr said 6 weeks before he can do any running. This means at least 2 more weeks to get into game shape. It’s 26 to 28 games. I hear the decision to not trade Kobe came out when team had info of Kobe’s injury. Another words need at least one guy fans recognize to put its in the seats.
One thing for sure no one can accuse team of tanking! On purpose that is.
Ken says
Sorry I meant trade Pau above.
Ken says
Kendall Marshall on way to Los Angeles to join Lakers per Team Steam. .
jerke says
Tweet from Mike Bresnahan ?@Mike_Bresnahan 5h
“I personally don’t think the Lakers will tank because there’s too many young guys becoming free agents in six months.”
That pretty much sums it up – All those 1 and done guys on this team are going to be busting their asses the rest of the way to show what they can do. Besides which, lakers have already won too many games and will outtanked regardless of how they play from here on out meaning no chance at landing a protected draft pick this year, and all their mid level picks 10 and higher have been pretty much surrendered as part of other deals. Better off just playing hard this year – examine who they want to keep for a reasonable cost – then outfit this team exactly how they want in the offseason w between 30-40 million in cap space depending on what happens w nash (32 mill committed w him, 23 w/o – based on a projected salary cap of around 63 million next year). At the very least this team has a chance for a reset next season – too many teams don’t get bad enough to get better and LA’s FO has successfully cleared the decks despite swinging for the fences and loading up last year. Can’t ask for much more if you’re a Laker fan – they’ve managed to limit damage to this one year and can effectively rebuild by getting known guys and not having to rely on the draft.
Not that I want to see it happen – but if both Nash AND Kobe became injury retirements – Sacre and his $1mill would be the only cap hold next year. That’s a hell of a reset for a worst case scenario
Scot says
This new injury just shows the folly of the Lakers front office in extending by two years a 35-year-old guy coming off an Achilles injury and who’s played 50K minutes without watching him in a single game in a salary-cap driven league. I have been dazzled by Kobe’s feats for 18 years, but management has a fiduciary duty to put together the best team possible on a going-forward basis and not give even its most beloved player a $48 million gold watch as a thank you, thereby crippling the team’s roster flexibility for the next two years. While this new injury could be deemed to be freak in nature and unrelated to the Achilles, both Kobe’s and Nash’s fragility overall was foreseeable given their age and the front office — like any business –should be held accountable for these unfortunate results.
Mid-Wilshire says
Here is a report that the Lakers are on the verge of signing Kendall Marshall, a 22 year-old, former # 13 draft pick in the first round who played one season with Phoenix (3 pts. per game, 3 assists in 14.6 minutes) but was a disappointment and was cut by the Washington Wizards prior to the season.
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/12/19/5229244/kendall-marshall-contract-lakers-d-league
He’s strictly a finger in the dike solution. That said, he was very highly regarded coming out of North Carolina and has good size, 6-4, 195. And he’s young. In the D League he was averaging 19.7 pts. and 9.6 assists. Even so, he’s strictly an insurance policy. After all, the Lakers are down to 3 guards now, not one of them a true point guard. Kendall Marshall, who will get limited minutes, will be guard #4. I’ll be surprised if he gets even 10 minutes a game…which would be 10 more minutes than Chris Kaman is getting.
C.Hearn says
Kendall Marshall, if coming that is a positive, albeit, two days late! This could be another young reclamation project by the Lakers.
MannyP says
I is absolutely idiotic, short sighted an illogical to blame the FO for an injury unrelated to the torn Achilles. I get that you hate the FO, but you lose all credibility with that argument. It makes absolutely no sense and is completely unfounded. Please show me a medical opinion that backs up your argument.
Craig W. says
Let’s see…MDA is responsible for both Kobe’s injuries and the FO really should have seen all the problems coming and had a different plan.
Hate to break it to you guys! The world is complex and nothing really goes as planned. You just have to adjust on the fly. It is the adjustments that measure your greatness, not your foresight – except for the big picture insight – which none of us can yet judge.
Tra says
Folks get over Dwight already ..
—
Not sure if that comment is being directed towards me, since in no way, shape or form did my post even insinuate that I felt betrayed by the fact that Dwight left. As a matter of fact, within this FB&G Community, I’ve consistently stated that he made the correct move. For various reasons that he mentioned.
One of the reasons – out of many – that he used for leaving was because he felt that Nash was finished and that he was unsure if Kobe could recover sufficiently enough, at age 35, from a ruptured Achilles. We all know the friction that he and Kobe – and Nash and D’Antoni – went through last season. After Dwight bolted for H-Town, Kobe stopped following him on Twitter, made comments about not giving a **** about the fact that Dwight left and posted a picture on Social Media of just he and Pau – AkA – Who needs you Dwight ?
This, along with certain portions of the media and the majority of the Lakers’ fan base eviscerating him on the reg, was the reason why I made reference to Dwight possibly enjoying this moment. Not entirely based on Kobe’s latest injury, but on the plight of the entire organization at this point. Basically, a big “I told you so” to everybody who questioned his judgement and decision to leave. Just wanted to take the time out to clarify my statement in regards to Dwight.
As for Kobe and the team, I’ve stated on numerous occasions that I felt that this squad, as currently constituted, wasn’t good enough to make the playoffs. Even with Kobe. So imagine how I feel now with Kobe sidelined again and without any healthy Point Guards. Therefore, with the time line for Kobe’s eventual return around the AS Break, what I would prefer is for Kobe to shut it down for the remainder of the season. For him to chalk it up as a lost one. Do I believe that this will happen ? Of course not. Kobe’s competitiveness, ego and pride won’t allow him to call it a wrap after only 6 games. But, for his benefit, I hope that he does.
Get well Bean.
Kevin_ says
Injuries piling up and a 5 game losing streak will put Lakers closer to the lottery. Guess it could be a blessing in disguise, but I was interested to see the team’s ceiling when healthy. It’s a perimeter league now but all it will take is one big man to change all that. Officially onboard the Julius Randle wagon.
mud says
when this is healed, Kobe needs to play, playoffs or no. he needs to play basketball to be in basketball shape. if he is further injured, so be it. he’ll be useless next year after a year and a half without playing any ball and even more likely to get injured again.
there aren’t any sure bets. make your choices and live with the consequences. pointing fingers won’t help. what’s the West Coast cliche’d mantra? “’till the wheels fall off…” when it’s done it’s done. then you get a new ride.
rr says
the FO really should have seen all the problems coming and had a different plan.
—
Again: Jim Buss decided to make a guy who was coming off a very severe injury and who has nearly 20 years of NBA ball on his legs the highest-paid player in the NBA for his age-36 and age-37 seasons, and Buss decided to do this before Kobe had played a minute after the injury. In spite of the fact that KB is, literally, a living legend in LakerLand, the extension was a very questionable decision on a number of levels–the years, the money, the timing, the fit. The fact that the team was 2-4 since his return, with two very narrow wins over bad teams, and that Kobe has suffered another major injury six games into his comeback, only adds to those questions.
As to the minutes/coming back too fast argument: it is true that we are not doctors, and we don’t know what, if any, connection exists between the way Kobe was used by MDA last year and the way he was being used this year, and the injuries. It is also true that Popovich has monitored Duncan’s use very carefully for the last four or five years, and that Duncan, and the Spurs, are still rolling along. Ignoring these facts to absolve the FO and MDA from any connection to the situation the organization is in, both with Kobe and in general, is not a sound analytical approach.
sald0gg says
This is my gut instinct. I think we end up with the #3 pick in the draft. We can’t get the first, that’s too shady and the 2nd wouldn’t look right either. Stern owes us 1 after the cp3 fiasco and I think it’ll be his final mandate as he leaves the commissioner’s office. It’s time to get some value for Pau (a 2015 1st rounder would be huge as we’re losing ours and next year’s draft looks good too) and maybe even Blake. I think bringing back Hill/Wes/Farmar/X is essential. We’ll see what happens, but the plan for this season seems obvious to me. Top 3 or bust.
sald0gg says
I also would love to snag Seth Curry (as mentioned earlier). He’s improving and a 1 year dral with a team option for next year could pay big dividends
Kenny T says
Well, I think we all knew, deep down, that we had already seen the best of Kobe Bryant and would never see that transcendent, dynamic, once in a lifetime player again.
I, for one, was hoping that he’d still be able to play at an elite level once he’d completely recovered from the Achilles. This latest setback is so disheartening. More than anything, I’d love to see the Mamba negotiate these last years of his career on this own terms instead of having injury dictate those terms.
The Spurs once lost their well established star, David Robinson, for an entire year due to injury. They missed the playoffs and got the #1pick in the draft, which turned out to be a franchise changing event. I hope history repeats itself with this year’s Lakers. Lord knows this club could use some good fortune for a change.
drrayeye says
This is but another episode in a continuing very sad story–likely to play out very painfully for some time. Truth be told, the legendary Kobe was already a myth several years ago. ” Kobe time” at game’s end could often as not be painful to watch: we were no longer sure of the outcome.
Then came the Achilles. In one stroke, Kobe was reduced to borderline NBA athleticism–and we pretended it was only temporary “rust” that he would play through. Now, even that borderline ‘rusty” status is unavailable until a fracture heals.
Even if Kobe won’t face it yet, we must realize that Kobe won’t ever be coming back and leading the Lakers to championships–and he is unlikely to ever be a good role player on a reloaded Lakers squad either.
We most probably still must watch him struggle and possibly collapse yet again this season, and next season, until even he accepts his mortality. We’re not through feeling sad yet.
Jerry says
Lets be honest, the Lakers have to blow up some parts of their current roster. There is no possilble outcome with the current roster that wont result in a early playoff exit. Kobe is chasing another title and he needs a “Go to Guy” other than Pau Gasol. D’Antoni does’nt help his case either.
http://sportsunbiased.com/nba/22021/kobe-bryant-will-return-but-the-lakers-have-deeper-issues/
bigboy says
Wow. Reading through this thread makes me sad. Your all just fans of a sports team. Settle down. Mda buss Jr or kobe hasn’t done anything to do. Take a deep breath and put the jersey down…its only for children.
rr says
Take a deep breath and put the jersey down…its only for children.
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Back atcha. We are just a group of about 40 hard-core Lakers fans talking on a web site and are bummed out about Kobe’s injury, and not bothering anyone. So settle down, relax, and focus on the holiday season.