Phil Jackson Says Lakers Overspent on Kobe Bryant’s Contract Extension

Coaching legend Phil Jackson sat down with his former player, Rick Fox, for an interview on NBA TV. Though he weighed in on numerous topics, fans are usually most interested in Jackson’s thoughts on his longtime player-slash-“frenemy,” Kobe Bryant.

Bryant has remained in the headlines this season despite playing in only six games. His rehab—first from an Achilles injury, then from a fractured tibial plateau—has made daily headlines in Los Angeles. He hadn’t even made it back from the first injury before the Lakers signed him to an enormous two-year, $48 million contract extension.

So what does Bryant’s former coach—the man on the bench for all five of Bryant’s titles—say about the 35-year-old star shooting guard’s current predicament?

Per NBA TV’s Twitter account and the Orange County Register‘s Bill Occam:

That seems like a fair, nuanced assessment of the Kobe conundrum. After all, few NBA experts would argue that two years and $48 million is a fair price for a player of Bryant’s age. The Lakers didn’t so much negotiate with Bryant as they opened their wallets as a “thank you” to a franchise legend.

It’s no secret that Bryant and Jackson have had a tumultuous relationship over the years. The coach left the team after the Lakers lost in the 2004 NBA Finals, only to return to the Lakers’ bench one season later.  

Bryant spoke of their communication problems with Yahoo’s Graham Bensinger (as relayed by NBC Sports’ Kurt Helin) in 2012:

I said, ‘Phil, if you want me to do something, just tell me.’ He kind of likes subtly slipping messages in there. Where, for me, it’s like just tell me what it is you want. Don’t insult my intelligence by trying to backdoor in there.

Jackson has often been extremely frank at times in his opinions of Bryant. In his memoir, “Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success,” Jackson compared Bryant to another of Jackson’s former players, Michael Jordan, and made a point to stress Jordan’s superiority as a player, per the Los Angeles Times’ Mike Bresnahan.

But few players know Bryant better than his former coach. Jackson still believes Bryant can play, he just doesn’t think Bryant’s a $48 million man anymore.

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Should Kobe Bryant Sit out for the Rest of the Season?

With Kobe Bryant still sidelined and the Los Angeles Lakers seriously struggling without him, we have to ask the question:

Is it time for the Lakers to cut their losses and shut Mamba down for the rest of the season?

Tune into the video above to see what Ric Bucher and Howard Beck have to say, and make sure you hit us up in the comments section below!

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Dark Times Are Just Beginning for Injury-Ravaged Los Angeles Lakers

LOS ANGELES — It got even tougher Tuesday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers released official confirmation that Kobe Bryant’s left knee isn’t close to being healed at the time it was initially projected to be, as Bleacher Report reported Monday. Realistically, Bryant figures to miss more than another month considering he isn’t even scheduled to be re-evaluated for three weeks, according to the Lakers.

Bryant’s protracted timeline far superseded the predictable news of the Lakers losing to the Indiana Pacers, and in fact, an appropriate snapshot of the Lakers’ season came in the opening minutes of the game:

While the Lakers were playing host to the team with the NBA’s best record in a theoretically big game, Lakers vice president of public relations John Black was sitting next to team doctor Steve Lombardo, hammering out the grim details of the latest Bryant injury news. Neither Black nor Lombardo was even watching the game.

The injuries have blotted out the Lakers’ sun. Pacers coach Frank Vogel flat-out said so when citing Bryant’s and Steve Nash’s absences and then saying about the soon-to-be 16-30 Lakers: “I don’t think it’s possible to do any better than they’ve done.”

That’s far nicer for Mike D’Antoni to hear than Magic Johnson’s latest mockery of D’Antoni and the team, shared with an even wider mainstream audience via The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday.

But Johnson’s criticism isn’t what is bringing the Lakers down. Reality is what is bringing them down.

The news about Bryant only compounded the helplessness of having lost 17 out of 20 games. Nick Young, the Lakers’ source of both pride and energy all season long, twice went down without getting Pacers foul calls and twice was flat-out slow to get up.

In the final minute of the game, Young sat on the bench and did a literal facepalm—followed up by that rubbing of the face that you do when you are trying to rub out what feels like a nightmare.

Young uncharacteristically left Staples Center without addressing reporters afterward, but it’s to be expected that his tank is nearing empty.

So many of these Lakers fill-in players are not used to carrying major loads, especially for this long. It’s to be expected that their minds and bodies are wearing down. Throw the demoralizing losing on top of that, and then when you hear the latest Kobe news, it’s like, what can we do?

Bear in mind, these unproven Lakers were extremely eager to play with Bryant in what was to be his comeback season. After Bryant’s first game of the season, Young couldn’t help but note that he didn’t get any actual time on the court alongside him.

The extent of teamwork that rookie Ryan Kelly has gotten from Bryant was an explanation on the bench three weeks ago in Houston that James Harden’s devastating Eurostep move on Kelly is not actually a traveling violation.

And even though Bryant was never expected to be the young high flyer he once was, he still was going to be one of the more athletic players on this team. So was Jordan Farmar.

Indiana’s Paul George and Lance Stephenson racing around, bouncing around, defending all around made it glaring Tuesday just how lacking the Lakers are in this area, with the one guy with the frame and jump to stack up—Wesley Johnson—still clearly lacking the necessary fire to step up.

“Sometimes there’s a lack of player talent out there,” D’Antoni said after the loss. “You can’t get around it.”

So Jerry Buss Bobblehead Night, meant to celebrate the late owner’s birthday Monday, deteriorated into one of the saddest nights of a sad season. In a season of forgettable nights, this one was so sad that it stands out.

It’s increasingly clear that the Lakers aren’t confident Bryant, still having pain and swelling in his fractured knee, will be medically cleared even in three weeks—and that would be just to start weight-bearing workouts.

After being visible on the bench throughout the Lakers’ recent road trip, Bryant didn’t join the team out there Tuesday night. Pau Gasol, who added himself to the injury report with a sore groin Tuesday, shook his head and said about Bryant: “Rough stretch for him.”

When the latest rough night was over, D’Antoni headed out of Staples Center arm in arm with wife Laurel, the two of them leaning in against each other.

There’s amazingly almost half the season still ahead of D’Antoni and the Lakers. And right now, even for a team that needs time to get healthier and dream of rallying into the playoff picture, the idea of three more months suggests a whole lot more suffering.

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Kobe Bryant Says Knee Swelling Is “Deep in There”

For the first time in a long time, the Los Angeles Lakers have little to play for in this 2013-14 season. Tuesday’s 104-92 home loss to the Indiana Pacers dropped Los Angeles to last place in the Pacific Division. According to NBA Legion, this is the first time the Lakers have been in last place this late in the season since 1974.

With a playoff berth reduced to but a faded dream, the Lakers faithful can at least look forward to the return of legendary shooting guard Kobe Bryant, one of the most beloved players ever to don the purple and gold.

But the news of Bryant’s rehab from injury has only filled Lakers fans with more dread. Bryant spoke on the condition of his injured knee with Los Angeles Times reporter Melissa Rohlin, and the 35-year-old Bryant did not paint a rosy picture. Bryant believes that the swelling in his knee will cause him to miss at least three weeks. 

Bryant got a late start to his 2013-14 season, playing his first game on Dec. 8 after rehabbing an Achilles injury suffered last spring. At the time, the Lakers were still in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.

Since that time, however, nothing has gone right…for Kobe or the Lakers. Bryant played in only six games before fracturing his lateral tibial plateau on Dec. 17. The Lakers survived Bryant’s first absence but fell apart after losing Bryant, Steve Nash, Jordan Farmar and Steve Blake. Since Bryant went down for the second time, the Lakers are just 4-17.

With Bryant not responding well to rehab, even Lakers legend Magic Johnson has suggested openly that Bryant take the rest of the year off, telling the Times staff, per Mike James, “He’s been hurt twice, give him the whole year to get healthy.”

Kobe Bryant may not be able to admit defeat yet, but as the weeks pass, he might be getting closer to a day of reckoning. A return in 2014 just might not be in his best interest.

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Should LA Lakers Shut Down Kobe Bryant for Season?

Kobe Bryant’s fractured knee seems to be taking longer to heal than expected. With the Los Angeles Lakers’ season spiraling into the abyss, should management shut him down for the season?

The easy answer is yes—it’s the best way to maximize a two-year contract extension that begins next season.

The obvious problem is, how do you shut down a guy who is so doggedly determined to return, even when the news isn‘t good? According to the Lakers official website, Bryant will be out of action for at least three more weeks. 

The debate isn’t exactly new. Charles Barkley advocated shutting Kobe down on December 19, during a TNT broadcast. Magic Johnson suggested the same in an interview with the Los Angeles Times staff on January 15, stating, “He’s been hurt twice, give him the whole year to get healthy.”

For Bryant, that may be too long. He tore his Achilles tendon on April 12, 2013 and didn’t return until December 8, at which point he played just six games before fracturing his left lateral tibial plateau—the spot where the shinbone meets the knee.

The initial timetable for a return was six weeks. That date will now come and go. Bryant is still limited to pedaling on a stationary bike and will be medically evaluated again in three weeks. 

Bryant of course, is frustrated—he wants back in. It has been too long, and the time off has been exacerbated by having to sit and watch, night after night, as what’s left of a decimated team heads down the chute.

Per a recent article by Dave McMenamin for ESPN Los Angeles, Bryant continues to shake off the notion of giving up on his season:

“To think about sitting out and this, that and the other, your motivation is all wrong. I refuse to think that way.”

Nobody should be surprised—this may be the most intensely driven athlete of his generation. But, it’s not just about one athlete’s will. The Lakers have a right to protect their investment, for one thing. There’s also the future good of the team from a competitive standpoint.

Nobody can bring the Lakers back this season, and the team’s record will undoubtedly get worse before Bryant is finally able to take the floor.

It was one thing to anticipate a return at the time of his injury. That was before their season went from mediocre to wretched. Sometimes, wretched seasons have a silver lining.

Bryant’s past informs his present and his future. He’s logged 17 seasons and the serpentine list of past injuries is numbingly long. He prides himself on knowing his body and using the latest advances in cutting-edge medical technology, plus enough ice baths to turn mere mortals into shriveled grapes.

If the Black Mamba could step away from being so incredibly driven and self-centered, if he could look in through a window at himself, he would see a picture that is all too obvious. His body isn’t close to being ready.

He needs more time to heal, and his team needs to clean up its own mess.

After all, there’s nine free agents on the roster, and this abject misery of a season is as good a test case as you could possibly want. There’s a few veterans, and the rest are minimum-salary guppies who’ve been thrown into the deep end. Swim, little fishies, swim!

There are times they’ll actually get it right, and that matters. 

The essential question always becomes this—who will shut Kobe down? Can anybody in the Lakers organization step up against him? Will anybody risk being cast out of the circle of trust for the greater team good?

Those tasked with getting him back on the court and keeping him there walk a delicate line—they’re not necessarily supposed to keep him off then court. Certainly not for the rest of the season.

Yet, they could be doing Bryant a favor. There’s Gary Vitti, the team’s head athletic trainer for 28 years, Chip Schaefer, the team’s director of athletic performance and Tim Grover, Bryant’s personal trainer.

And then there’s Dr. Judy Seto, the Lakers’ head physical therapist. During an interview with Mike Trudell for the team’s website, Seto said, “He also has the highest pain tolerance of anybody I’ve ever met.”

That’s not surprising to anyone who’s watched Bryant play over a lengthy, brilliant and often injured career. But is the pain worth it for some meaningless games at the end of a lost season?

There’s also management. Jim Buss is supposed to be the guy calling the shots these days.

Does he have what it takes to pull the plug? Somehow, that seems like a stretch.

We love redemption stories—it’s part of the great lore of sports. We’ve watched and celebrated unlikely comeback moments. They can be glorious in the moment, and they can also cut a career short.

There’s a part of us that wants to see Bryant back this season.

We know how driven he is, that as long as he’s in the game he can change it. Perhaps there’s a small part of us that believes that no matter how bad this Lakers’ season is, it could become one of those outrageous, unthinkable comeback stories—that Bryant can still do the impossible,

But, he can’t. It’s killing him not to play, but age’s aim is true.

Shut it down. Get your body right. Live to fight another day. Do it for the team.

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Kobe Bryant Will Miss All-Star Game

It looks like it’s official—Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers will miss the 2014 NBA All-Star Game. According to the team’s official website, Bryant will out of action for at least three more weeks.

The All-Star Game will be held in New Orleans on Sunday, February 16—less than three weeks away.

Bryant has been adamant lately that he doesn’t feel he’s deserving of a berth and that he plans to sit the game out. Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles:

With all due respect to the fans that voted me in, I certainly appreciate that, they know how much I appreciate that, but you got to do the right thing as well. My fans know you got to reward these young guys for the work that they’ve been putting in.

Now, it’s no longer just a statement. He simply won’t be medically cleared to play.

It’s been a rough time for the 16-time NBA All-Star and Four-time All-Star MVP. Bryant tore his Achilles tendon on April 12, 2013, and didn’t return until December 8, at which point he played just six games before sustaining a left-knee fracture.

The initial timetable for a return was six weeks. That date will now come and go.

Bryant is still limited to non-weight bearing exercise, which means pedaling on a stationary bike. He’ll be medically evaluated again and three weeks, and if ready, could then potentially resume some form of basketball activities.

As for actual game action, it’s anybody’s guess.

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Magic Johnson Tweet Omits Kobe Bryant from His List of the ‘Great Ones’

Is Magic Johnson trolling the Los Angeles Lakers? 

It sure seems like it after the best point guard in the history of the NBA took to Twitter and listed some of the “great ones” who have laced up their sneakers in the Association: 

Michael Jordan. Larry Bird. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. LeBron James. And now Kevin Durant. 

Does it feel like anyone is missing? Maybe a certain someone with the initials K.B.B. who goes by a nickname that invokes images of slithering reptiles?

To be fair, all of the current inclusions are reasonable selections.

M.J. is the consensus greatest of all time, Bird and Magic enjoyed a historic rivalry, Kareem was a teammate of Magic’s for an entire decade and the two remaining names are the clear-cut best players in the current NBA. 

But couldn’t he have thrown in Kobe’s name? After all, he had another 31 characters to work with, and it only takes a few to include the name.

Now, he could’ve mentioned a whole bunch of names with those extra characters. Bill Russell, Tim Duncan, Oscar Robertson, Isiah Thomas and a slew of others immediately come to mind. But Magic was naming greats whom he had connections to, and he definitely has one with Kobe. 

You know, the whole Lakers thing counts as a connection, even if it hasn’t seemed to matter too much. 

This isn’t the first time that Magic has enjoyed some Kobe-related controversy during the 2013-14 season. 

Remember when he told Mike James of the Los Angeles Times that the L.A. 2-guard should spend the rest of the season on the sidelines? 

It prompted B/R’s Kevin Ding to write, “His uneducated, shallow, fleeting assessments indicate he’s a bandwagon guy who mainly wants to make clear, in a trap a lot of older people tend to fall into, that the past was better.” 

Ding continued to question whether Magic actually cared about the Lakers, and this simple tweet is only going to lead to more inquiries along similar lines. 

It’s only a handful of characters, but the exclusion of Kobe—whether intentional or not—is still interesting. Perhaps we’re reading too much into the thoughts of the retired point guard. Perhaps there wasn’t much thought put into the message at all. 

But, at the very least, shouldn’t Magic have just mentioned the Black Mamba and saved himself the trouble? 

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The Case for Los Angeles Lakers to Go All-out for Carmelo Anthony in 2014

Carmelo Anthony isn’t a cure-all for the Los Angeles Lakers, but he may be the quick, aesthetically appealing fix Kobe Bryant is longing for.

With the New York Knicks struggling, and the Lakers even worse off, much has been made of Anthony’s impending free agency. Will he leave? If so, where will he go? Can the Los Angeles Clippers legally pay him in empty promises?

One of the most talked-about destinations has been Los Angeles, specifically the Lakers, who can create enough cap space to make Anthony a sizable offer. But while his name itself is enough to get the excitement juices going, there’s so much wrong with a potential Anthony pursuit, it’s almost a turn-off.

Or rather, it was almost a turn-off.

Pining for the days when they were a powerhouse, the Lakers don’t have the luxury of patience. Tradition demands they win. Bryant demands they win.

“The important thing is winning a championship,” Bryant said of Anthony shedding his current stigma, per the New York Daily News‘ Peter Botte. “That’s the only way to shake it. That’s the only way Michael [Jordan] shook it. That’s the only way any top scorer will be able to shake it.”

One of the only ways for the Lakers to shake free of this present rut is to be aggressive in their quest for change, starting with the addition of another superstar like Anthony.

 

Win Now Means Win Now

Bryant wasn’t extended for another two years so the Lakers could waste his time.

This season is already a lost cause. The Lakers aren’t going to contend for a championship, let alone make the playoffs. At 16-29, they’re 9.5 games back of the Western Conference’s final playoff spot. Good luck even trimming that deficit out west, where anything less than greatness might as well show itself out.

Short of any miracles—like, you know, an edict from the NBA that stipulates the West’s other 14 teams must play blindfolded with one hand tied behind their backs while sporting cinder blocks for shoes—Los Angeles will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2004-05. Bryant will then turn 36 this August, at which point the word “wait” won’t be in his vocabulary.

“Wait” has never been a word he’s accepted anyway. Every year he expects to contend for a championship, because he’s Bryant, scoring virtuoso, defier of logic and ignorant to the stages of rebuilding.

“It’s not about ‘giving good effort,'” Bryant said of his Lakers their loss to the Orlando Magic, per the Los Angeles Times‘ Mike Bresnahan. “It’s about winning championships.”

See what I mean? Even now, when the Lakers are so far outside the playoff picture head coach Mike D’Antoni’s mustache is no longer visible, Bryant articulates “championships” without choking on the verbal gibberish he just spewed.

This is one time his impatience makes sense though. He won’t be around forever, and if he’s learned anything this season, it’s that his NBA clock is ticking.

Bleach Report’s Kevin Ding confirms that Los Angeles plans to rebuild via free agency for this reason, among others:

Let’s be clear about this much: The Lakers do not—listen up, you most skeptic of septic tankers, they do not—plan to get back to championship level through the draft.

To be honest, they’ve rightly planned far more for the chance to snag the best player in the game who was still very much doing his thing for Miami on Thursday night with 27 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.

Same as they did in preparation for 2007 free agency on the chance that James wouldn’t be staying in Cleveland, the Lakers have structured their payroll to be ready whenever James is next a free agent. They’re ready if he opts out this summer (though it’s unimaginable he would leave if Miami won again and also unimaginable he would leave and evoke memories of Cleveland by deserting Miami if the Heat lost), if he opts out next summer (possibly) or when his contract expires in 2016 (valid).

But this is not all about LeBron; this is about free agency, which has always been the Lakers’ plan because they rightly believe—Dwight Howard’s provincial view notwithstanding—that they are an attractive destination with a very warm and large spotlight.

Armed with almost enough cap space to offer a max contract, the Lakers have no Bryant-approved excuses. They cannot sell him on the prospect of playing with a potential top-five pick from this summer, or the prospect of going free-agency crazy in 2015.

Money is available to be spent now. To pair Bryant with another superstar now. 

To escape this hellish Abaddon Bryant calls the “lottery” now.

 

If Not ‘Melo…

After establishing that the Lakers need another star to assure themselves of a fulfilling 2014-15, it’s time to look at the crop of free agents available. Unbeknownst to many, it’s slim pickings. 

The Lakers are positioned to make a run at LeBron James and whoever else hits the open market. But this year’s crop of free agents might not even comprise James. Or Dwyane Wade. Or Chris Bosh. If the Miami Heat‘s Big Three decide to give it one more go, the depth of free agents plummets.

Anthony has already made it clear he intends to explore his options. He will actually become available. And not only will he become available, he, unlike any excuses Los Angeles can offer, is already Bryant-approved.

“I think that players, when that time comes, have to make the best decision for them and their families,” Bryant said of Anthony’s free agency, via CBS Sports’ Ken Berger. “I try not to think about it too much. If he wants to call me for advice later, as a friend, I’ll be more than happy to give it to him.”

Forget that both Anthony and Bryant are ball-dominating scorers who, at this stage of their careers, are no more valuable on defense than hair gel is to Mike Woodson. Never mind that the NBA probably won’t allow them to play with two balls at once.

Bryant likes Anthony. Like, he’s actually friends with him. That matters.

Appeasing Bryant is no easy task—not even for a team etched in championship lore like the Lakers. It’s the reason why he almost left multiple times and the reason why he and Shaquille O’Neal never got along.

But him and Anthony get along just fine.

“That’s my guy,” Bryant previously said of ‘Melo in a July 2012 interview with Lakers Nation.

Finding another superstar is oftentimes a separate event from finding someone who meshes personally with Bryant. Going all-in on Anthony points the Lakers in direction of both.

 

Waiting Is Risky

Waiting may be the sensible option.

Let this summer go by, endure one more season of unorthodox roster construction and mediocrity, then chase Kevin Love in 2015, who, one executive told Berger, “wants to go to the Lakers.” 

Invest in him, when he’s 26 in 2015, not a 30-year-old Anthony in July. One more season. Just wait. Just wait and see.

And then hope it doesn’t backfire.

Love isn’t guaranteed to join forces with Bryant in 2015. And neither is Rajon Rondo, Marc Gasol, Roy Hibbert, Kyrie Irving (restricted free agent) or anyone else who could become available.

When prospective targets look at Los Angeles in 2015, the Lakers hope they’ll see an organization with propensities for winning. A chance to play alongside Bryant for one year or more. An opportunity to court Kevin Durant and other big names in 2016.

What they could also see is a Mamba approaching 37, on his last legs and incapable of playing at a championship level, even though he’s slated to earn $25 million. They could see more reasons to sign elsewhere.

What happens then?

Assuming Anthony is willing to play with Bryant and accept the Lakers as they are, general manager Mitch Kupchak and friends must consider pushing for him, if only because he ensures they won’t enter the 2015-16 season still empty-handed, attempting to quell the unsatisfied cries of a 37-year-old superstar.

 

What Will the Lakers Do?

This entire process isn’t all cut-and-dry. Complex factors come into play, and there’s a case to be made for each side of the argument.

But the Lakers will ultimately have to pick a side: Team Kobe and ‘Melo, or Team Kobe and a star to be determined later (maybe)?

I’ve previously said the Lakers shouldn’t, and I stand by that. Things have changed from a Lakers perspective, though. They weren’t supposed to be this bad, this far away from contention. Steve Nash and Bryant were supposed to be healthy and they were supposed to make a playoff run.

Those hopes are gone, buried beneath a pile of ash that is Los Angeles’ season. 

The way things are now, standing pat and waiting for 2015 ensures the Lakers of one thing and one thing only: another season like this. And Bryant won’t stand for that. Their fans won’t stand for that.

Quick turnarounds—that’s all the Lakers, Bryant and their supporters know. Aggressively pursuing Anthony gives the appearance that’s what Los Angeles is still committed to. If it misses out, then so be it. At least the team tried.

“Championship is the only thing that’s on my mind, is the only thing I want to accomplish, I want to achieve, and I’m going to do what I got to do to get that,” Anthony told reporters, via ESPN New York’s Ian Begley.

Nothing allows the Lakers to create hope and sell futures, however uncertain, than an unbridled attempt to pair the championship-hungry Bryant with an equally famished Anthony.

 

*Salary information courtesy of ShamSports.

Follow @danfavale

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Kobe Bryant Expected to Miss at Least 2 More Weeks

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — If you’re not accustomed by now to Kobe Bryant sitting out and the Los Angeles Lakers losing, weeks more are still to come.

The fractured lateral tibial plateau in Bryant’s left knee hasn’t healed yet, even though the Lakers had initially been pointing to a medical re-evaluation Tuesday as a point at which he might be cleared to play. Bryant’s level of discomfort is such that his visit with Lakers doctor Steve Lombardo on Tuesday evening before the Lakers face the Indiana Pacers will not even include an MRI or any other diagnostic procedure to judge the bone’s healing, according to a team source.

Bryant is expected to miss at least two more weeks, perhaps even another month.

The Lakers are 4-16 since Bryant’s knee fracture was diagnosed and will struggle to turn that around without him, although injured point guards Steve Nash and Jordan Farmar might be back next week.

Bryant has been reluctant to start the Feb. 16 All-Star Game in New Orleans after being voted in by the fans. That matter seems likely now to resolve itself: If Bryant isn’t back for the Lakers by then, he won’t have to play at all in the All-Star Game and the NBA will name an injury replacement for him. If Bryant misses another two weeks exactly, that would leave two Lakers games for him to play before the All-Star break.

Bryant’s original diagnosis was to miss approximately six weeks; Thursday marks six weeks from that announcement.

And for a guy who prides himself on beating every doctor’s time prognosis—if he is willing to sit out in the first place—this has been awfully rough on Bryant.

Bryant said Sunday in New York that it is “absolutely killing” him not to be medically cleared for anything beyond conditioning work on a bike. He has been reluctant to answer questions directly about his knee in a series of interview sessions over the past week, saying vaguely he’ll be re-evaluated “in February.” But what he and his fans hoped would be an inspirational comeback season from the torn left Achilles tendon he suffered April 12 has eroded into a whole lot of Bryant sitting around, wincing at the end of the bench at Lakers losses and wearing colorless clothes that represent his basketball lifelessness.

Bryant’s initial tweet after the broken bone was discovered—“#BrokenNotBeaten”—isn’t holding up in another sense: Bryant’s team has been beaten an awful lot without him. The Lakers are now 16-29, nine-and-a-half games out of the Western Conference playoff picture.

Whether the Lakers’ other former NBA MVP can change any of that remains to be seen. A bearded Nash, looking fresh out of a Rocky workout montage, said Monday that he might actually be good to go. Like Bryant, he has played only six games this season—although the two of them have never played together—because of a major nerve-root issue in his back that has limited his legs.

“I don’t feel the nerve irritation,” Nash said Monday after returning from his latest extended rehab session in Vancouver. “Thus far, as I’ve ramped up training and rehab, I’ve been able to sustain more and more demands, so that we feel like it’s safe to practice now.”

But in a scene that epitomized everything about Nash’s two seasons as a Laker, he had only a handful of minutes of optimism Monday morning about his progress before another setback.

“Woke up, jumped out of bed, ready to go,” he said. “I reached for something and kind of tweaked something.”

So much for Nash’s plans to get back on the practice court Monday.

At least Farmar, coming off of his second hamstring tear, was able to get on the court Monday for some one-on-one with the possibility of playing next week, when the Lakers play three road games in four nights—still without Bryant.

Nash said the tweak, unrelated to the nerve irritation, is “fine” and he intends to go through Lakers practice Thursday, though he doesn’t expect to play Friday night against the Charlotte Bobcats, the Lakers’ last game before that trip to Minnesota, Cleveland and Philadelphia begins next Tuesday.

Given that primary villain Dwight Howard is gone, Nash and Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni have been left to bear the brunt of the blame for how far the team fell short of the epic expectations last season before this dead-end season.

Plenty of Lakers fans just hope Nash retires, refunding the Lakers the money they still owe him next season. Even if Nash doesn’t, the Lakers can waive Nash this offseason via the stretch provision in the collective bargaining agreement and lower their salary-cap number that way.

Let’s be clear, though: You can blame Nash for his body failing, but that MVP drive has never wavered. He has absolutely been trying.

“Steve Nash always inspires me,” D’Antoni said Monday. “This is just another chapter.”

It’d be one of the few uplifting moments of this Lakers season to see Nash, who was and will be a basketball legend no matter how his time with the Lakers is remembered, make it back before his 40th birthday, when the Lakers play the 76ers on Feb. 7.

Nash truly wants to keep playing if his body will allow it, and after months of depressing updates on his health, he finally could say Monday it feels “great” to have hope again.

“Just to have a chance maybe to play is awesome,” Nash said. “I’ve put in so much work over the last nine months, really. I’m hoping to get out there.”

That sort of sentimental journey is the gist of what is left for the Lakers to enjoy this season.

Bryant making it back from this knee fracture to strut some great stuff before season’s end could still serve as inspiration—and reassurance for free agents who will consider joining the Lakers this summer and want to win.

Yet Bryant’s latest comeback remains on hold for now.

And however long he stays out carries other repercussions beyond this season. The Lakers could wind up losing so much that they land a plum pick from the 2014 draft class that Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak described to the team’s website this way: “I would say one through 10 is as good as I’ve seen in a long time.”

The prospect of all of this Kobe-less losing contributing to a higher draft slot is all that many Lakers fans have to sustain them.

 

Kevin Ding covers the NBA for Bleacher Report.

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Will Kobe Bryant’s Return Inspire False Hope from LA Lakers Fans?

Just about the only thing Los Angeles Lakers fans can bet on is Kobe Bryant‘s return.

There is no conceivable scenario in which an able-bodied Bryant won’t play again this season. When he’s ready, despite many wishes to the contrary, he’s going to play. 

TNT’s Charles Barkley previously suggested Bryant should sit out the rest of the season, a thought the Mamba himself hasn’t even entertained, according to ESPN Los Angeles’ Dave McMenamin:

The only thing I can afford to consider is getting better, getting stronger. I can’t allow myself to think any other way. I can only think about the next step. To do anything else becomes distracting if you allow yourself, if you give yourself wiggle room to not push yourself as hard as you possibly can. To think about sitting out and this, that and the other, your motivation is all wrong. I refuse to think that way.

Relief would typically be washing over fans at the sound of Bryant once again refusing to yield.

Bryant operates on one setting and one setting only: Go. If he plays, he will go hard, without regard for record or his team’s direction.

At 35 and nearly two decades into his NBA career, he doesn’t understand how to play, how to fight any other way, a stubborn mindset that will come as refreshing to a Lakers fan base being subjected to losing efforts and generally hapless basketball daily.

With him, the Lakers are pretty much the Lakers again, far from whole but recognizable, potentially making way for notional expectations that have no real chance of coming true.

 

Still Searching

One thing Bryant won’t give the Lakers—aside from a superstar who doesn’t speak “tank”—is an identity.

In some ways, he is the Lakers. His face is associated with shooting and scoring and shooting and winning and shooting and championships. Put him back in purple and gold, and things feel right, no matter what personnel is placed around him.

But that’s their off-court identity. Bryant won’t have enough of an impact to define this team. And even if he could, it’s unfair to ask him to, when the risk for aggravating one of his injuries is higher than it’s ever been.

For the first time—since December, that is— Bryant is returning to a team he doesn’t know. An aggregate consisting of mostly beatnik talent, scrapped together on the fly and cheap. Not even the disappointing Lakers of 2004-05 compare to Los Angeles’ current list of free spirits playing for their next contract.

If I were to ask who the Lakers are right now, “Nick Young’s ball rack,” “Pau Gasol‘s house of aggravation” and “Kendall Marshall’s gold-and-purple-plated Lamborghini” would all be acceptable answers. And why? Because more than halfway through the season, Los Angeles doesn’t have an identity.

To this point, the Lakers have been mostly nondescript. Just along for the ride. The closest thing to an identity they have is pace; they rank third in possessions used per 48 minutes with 97.1.

And pace means little without substance. While they’re running-and-gunning, they’re also shooting blanks, caroming shot after shot off the rim and pitting themselves in the bottom 10 of offensive efficiency.

Pace is all they have. 

When Bryant gets back, they won’t have it anymore.

Age and regression won’t allow him to play head coach Mike D’Antoni‘s brand of basketball. More pointedly, Bryant won’t want to, because he’s not accustomed to it.

Since Bryant entered the league in 1996, the Lakers offense has surpassed 95 possessions per 48 minutes once. (Clears throat.) Once. In almost two decades.

Bryant’s natural offensive instincts go against everything the Lakers are doing now. Pace is the only iota of distinction they have, and he doesn’t—he can’t—abide by it, increasing the likelihood Los Angeles’ “savior” disrupts what little chemistry it has manufactured.

 

One of Many

Bryant is one piece to an overly complex, injury-riddled and mangled puzzle.

Knowing he won’t come back to average 30-plus minutes a night increases the importance of depth, something the Lakers don’t have.

Steve Blake, Jordan Farmar and Xavier Henry are still nursing injuries, and per Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding, Steve Nash can’t even function at home without hurting himself:

A recuperating Bryant, surging Gasol, uninhibited Young and crafty Marshall don’t count as depth. Together, they don’t even make up a starting five.

D’Antoni will still be turning dregs into consistent contributors, using what little firepower he has to open the game, saving only Young for the league’s 28th-ranked bench. Where’s the depth?

Off gallivanting with “hope,” out of Los Angeles’ reach.

 

Bottomless Hole

If we were to assume the best, if we were to guarantee Bryant wouldn’t slow Los Angeles’ offensive pace and would return to peak form, where would that leave the Lakers?

Nowhere.

Bryant isn’t returning to save the day. There’s nothing for him to save. Best-case scenarios had his Lakers feigning playoff contention and at 16-29, 8.5 games back of a playoff spot and losers of 16 of their last 20 since Bryant went down, all hope of four-flushing anything is out of the question.

The Western Conference is swift and unforgiving. Fall behind, even early, and you’re done.

The Lakers are done.

At their core, the Lakers are bad. Plain and simple. Bryant’s re-ermergence shouldn’t create hope. Fans should be wise enough to understand their Lakers aren’t good. That Bryant is only back because he’s Bryant.

That the only thing worth playing for is this summer and beyond.

Tanking isn’t an option for this team, and not just because Bryant would sooner hold general manager Mitch Kupchak at knifepoint than he would allow the Lakers to waste their season. But the Lakers aren’t tanking. Their struggles are deep-seated in their cosmetic makeup—not the result of deliberate attempts to lose—something else Bryant will never come to accept.

“It’s not about ‘giving good effort,'” Bryant said, per the Los Angeles Times‘ Mike Bresnahan. “It’s about winning championships.”

Reiterating his desire to win, Bryant will return to an uncertain present and future, with an opportunity to set the tone for what’s next, when Los Angeles will hope he’s enough to sell prospective free agents on what it’s doing. All the while he’ll spout off win-now blurbs, aimed at selling himself, moreso than fans, on a reality that no longer exists.

 

*Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference unless otherwise noted.

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