Kobe Bryant’s 19th NBA season has been tough to say the least for the veteran shooting guard. He doesn’t know if he’ll play on a nightly basis and the consensus seems to be that Father Time has finally caught up with the five-time NBA champion.
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On Wednesday night, after missing the last two games, Kobe took the floor against the New Orleans Pelicans. Bryant had a decent game in the 30 minutes he played, but aggravated a shoulder injury that has been bothering him for quite some time.
After an MRI on Kobe’s right shoulder, the results showed a torn rotator cuff, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com:
The MRI on Kobe Bryant's right shoulder showed "a tear of the rotator cuff." Full press release attached: pic.twitter.com/2GAd8Vzw3L
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 22, 2015
The Lakers will finish their current road trip on Friday night traveling to Texas to face the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center. Los Angeles was able to come out victorious on the road against the Spurs the last time they faced Tim Duncan and company, but this time around it should be a tougher challenge with reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard back in the lineup for San Antonio.
After facing the Spurs, the Lakers will head back to Los Angeles to host Dwight Howard’s Houston Rockets on Sunday night at the Staples Center. It’s a safe bet Bryant wants to be on the floor on Sunday to get another shot at facing Dwight after their dust up on opening night, but this injury will likely keep him sidelined for an extended period of time, if not the rest of the season.
[divide]Lakers Kobe Bryant Discusses Future Possibility Of Being Shutdown