After participating in a full contact practice yesterday, rumors began to fly that Kobe Bryant might be playing sooner than later. Bryant saying that he is trying to play in November certainly didn’t help to dispel those rumors, but now it’s time bring in the reins a little bit.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Bryant will not play in Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors or on Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings.
Fans are anxious to see the return of Bryant, but he is making sure to be cautious in his rehab and return. For the Lakers sake, Bryant has to be at 100 percent when he does make his return or things could go from bad to worse. With fellow backcourt mate Steve Nash struggling to get back into form after his injury issues, people are looking at Bryant as the savior for this team.
In the videos seen of Bryant at practice yesterday, he looked normal as he jumped, cut, planted, and landed on his surgically repaired Achilles. Afterwards Bryant said he felt better than expected and teammate Jordan Hill said Bryant is practicing at 100 percent.
With the team struggling so far in the absence of its leader, everyone wants to see Bryant back on the court as soon as possible, but he just isn’t ready yet. With the thought of Derrick Rose sitting out all of last season still fresh on people’s minds, it brings a little bit of doubt in people’s heads, but this will not be a situation like that.
It’s only a matter of time before Bryant returns. After the weekend the Lakers hit the road for three straight games before returning home to face the Trail Blazers on December 1. If Bryant plans on making his return at Staples Center, that could be the date to circle.
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Want To Watch Kobe On The Practice Floor?
