Before beginning the journey toward overcoming any goal, the biggest question facing one is if the reward at the end of it all is worth the time and effort in order to get there– I believe the fancy term for it is quantitative risk assessment.
For Kobe Bryant, he has given himself seven months after announcing he will officially sit out the rest of the 2013-14 season (18 games), yesterday.
Seven months for himself to strengthen that left leg enough where it won’t be susceptible to further injury come opening day.
Seven months for the Lakers front office to re-tool the roster to a point where a 48-point shellacking at the hands of the Clippers won’t be an option anymore.
Seven month to convert anguish to revenge.
“Personally, that’d be hard for me to understand happening twice.”
That was Kobe’s response to the press in regards to the rumor of his former coach Phil Jackson heading to New York Knicks as the President of Basketball Operations.
But for me, I interpreted the quote a little differently. Read it again: “Personally, that’d be hard for me to understand happening twice.”
— Lakers Nation Store Is Back! Check Out The Latest Gear! —
When it initially took Kobe eight months to recover from the torn Achilles he suffered while driving against Harrison Barnes, it was easy to be patient, as it doesn’t take a saint to sympathize with the fact that an Achilles injury is one of the most severe injuries in professional sports.
In the six games Kobe played in since his much-anticipated return, he averaged a very human 13.8 points, 6.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. In the sixth game against the Memphis Grizzlies, he suffered another injury; this time it was the knee, and we haven’t seen him since.
Or to paraphrase the man himself, it happened twice. And it was even harder to understand the second time around.
On neither play when he got injured was it the defender’s fault. There was no maliciousness intent on the part of Harrison Barnes nor Tony Allen. That’s the most difficult part to cope with about this whole ordeal as a life-long fan: the man who seemed indestructible for the better part of 17 years, suddenly crumbled to the ground at the conclusion of a mundane play not once, but twice.
Next Page: The Uncertainty Surrounding Kobe Bryant’s Return
What will be different about this return?
“We’re like 100 games below .500, I can’t be satisfied with that at all. This is not what we (the Lakers) stand for, this is not what we play for… I don’t wanna say I’ll be back at the top of my game, but that what’s it gonna be.”
I want to believe him, I really do.
But by the time opening day 2014-15 rolls around, it will be his seventh NBA game in 18 months.
Beyond that, some things are out of his control, there is only so much a 36-year-old shooting guard can do in leading a not-so-talented team in a loaded Western Conference. From what we’ve heard, Mitch Kupchak and the rest of management plan to restock in the summer of 2015, when all the attractive free agents come into play (Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rajon Rondo, etc.), but Kobe is in no mood for another season of misery, especially if he’s an active participant of it.
— Lakers Nation Store Is Back! Check Out The Latest Gear! —
He apparently told Ric Bucher he’d like to see Pau Gasol, Jordan Hill, Chris Kaman, Jordan Farmar and Wes Johnson back in Purple and Gold, but resigning those guys would handcuff the team’s financial flexibility for the following summer. Not to mention, with the nature of his $48.5 million contract extension, reloading in one summer won’t be a walk in the park.
“It’s different…but I’m pretty good about being real… and where you are is just what it is, you just deal with it.”
So, what’s Kobe coming back to? Will a second arduous road to recovery be worth it?
Besides a new young running mate in whoever they take in the draft, the rest of the roster is up in the air. You’re probably glazing your eyes at this because it’s the millionth time it’s been brought up, but the only Lakers guaranteed to return for next year are Bryant, Steve Nash, Robert Sacre and Kendall Marshall. That’s it.
At some point over these next seven months of rehab, Kobe may have to come to terms that next season may be very similar to this one, even if he gets all the guys he wants back. It’s a borderline playoff team that depends heavily on his and Nash’s health.
And at some point over these next seven months of rehab, Kobe may just have to look in the mirror and come to terms with the fact that coming back as an equal player to what he was before the Achilles tear may be just as rewarding as capturing ring number six to equal Michael Jordan.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kobe Bryant On Change THIS Summer, Jim and Jeanie Buss, Coaching Staff