SEASON OVER FOR KOBE
“I’m supposed to come back from (torn Achilles) and be the same player . . . at 35?!? How in the world am I supposed to do that??”
LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant had surgery Saturday on his torn Achilles tendon, ending his season with two games left in the Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff chase.
Lakers trainer Gary Vitti thinks Bryant will need six to nine months for recovery from the most serious injury of his 17-year NBA career. Given Bryant’s history of swift rebounds from countless minor injuries, Vitti and Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak both believe the 34-yearold guard could be back for their season opener in the fall.
“I think that’s a realistic goal for him, based on what he was talking about this morning,” Kupchak said at the Lakers’ training complex.
Bryant completely tore his left Achilles tendon late in the Lakers’ 118-116 win over Golden State on Friday night, falling to the hardwood after pushing off his planted foot in an ordinary move toward the hoop. Although he stayed in the game to hit two tying free throws with 3:08 to play, Bryant’s season was over.
Bryant’s foot will be immobilized for about a month to prevent him from stretching out the tendon, followed by a lengthy rehab. Nobody knows how the injury will affect Bryant’s play, but his decision to have surgery less than 24 hours after getting hurt suggests he’s determined to get back on top swiftly.
“He’s already taken the challenge,” Vitti said. “For us, it’s going to be trying to slow him down.”
And while it’s far too early to predict exactly when Bryant will be back, the Lakers say they wouldn’t
“Maybe Father Time has defeated me . . . Then again maybe not!” KOBE BRYANT ON FACEBOOK
consider parting ways with their franchise player, who will make nearly $30.5 million next year. If the Lakers used the amnesty clause on Bryant in early July, they could save possibly $80 million in luxury taxes.
“That’s not even something that we’ve discussed,” Kupchak said.
While the rest of the Lakers prepared for their final two regularseason games in a tumultuous season, Bryant’s injury left many fans wondering whether the club had done enough to protect Bryant from himself. The fourth-leading scorer in NBA history has logged heavy minutes all season on his high-mileage legs, basically dictating his own playing time while the Lakers chased a playoff spot. He has played far more minutes than any other NBA player over 30 — nearly 46 per game in the seven games leading up to Friday night. Bryant simply doesn’t like to sit out, even when he’s hobbling — as he was Friday night after hyperextending his left knee early in the second half. While Achilles tendon tears can occur in athletes under any level of stress, even first-year coach Mike D’Antoni acknowledged he might have forced Bryant to sit out a bit more if the Lakers weren’t desperate for every victory to stay in playoff position. “He’s a warrior,” D’Antoni said. “All I do is respect what he wanted to do for the franchise and the city. He’s earned the right to do certain things.” Los Angeles (43-37), which hosts San Antonio on Sunday, is one game ahead of the Utah Jazz (4238) for the final post-season spot in the Western Conference. Utah holds the tiebreaker, which means the Lakers must finish one game ahead to make the playoffs for the 16th time in Bryant’s career. Bryant fought back tears in the locker room moments after learning his tendon was torn, and he wrote a lengthy Facebook post about his injury early Saturday morning, saying his “frustration is unbearable.” “Why the hell did this happen ?!?” Bryant wrote. “Makes no damn sense. Now I’m supposed to come back from this and be the same player Or better at 35?!? How in the world am I supposed to do that??” He added: “Maybe this is how my book ends. Maybe Father Time has defeated me . . . Then again maybe not! One day, the beginning of a new career journey will commence. Today is NOT that day.”