The Los Angeles Lakers faced the Miami Heat Wednesday night and lost their third straight game despite competing until the end. Aside from Hassan Whiteside, who probably could’ve helped the Lakers, Los Angeles had problems stopping Dwyane Wayne as he led the Heat in scoring with 25 points.
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The Heat star commented on Kobe Bryant’s injury and recovery after the game and according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, Wade is expecting Bryant to come back strong next season:
Kobe has found ways to be effective after so many years in the league,” Wade said. “So never count him out in bouncing back next year and doing it all over again.”
Wade, no stranger to injuries himself, also empathized with Bryant’s struggles:
It’s unfortunate, man,” Wade said. “I went through surgeries and things before, so I know how hard it is just to get healthy and get back. When something like that happens, it just sucks to see him deal with the injuries he had the last three years. You don’t want to see anyone go through that, especially one of the greatest players to ever play this game.”
Bryant’s torn rotator cuff is his third straight injury to cut his season short. With an initial recovery timetable that would see Bryant return near next season’s first game, Bryant has said he would die trying to ensure he comes back in time to help the Lakers.
The Lakers have an important off-season coming up with plenty of tools to assemble a roster. Armed with a potential top-five draft pick and plenty of cap space, the team will be looking to bring in players to play along side Bryant and hopefully compete for a playoff spot.
[divide]Lakers Byron Scott, ‘Our Bigs Got Outplayed’