Kobe Bryant officially ruled out of opener

No matter how improbable and miraculous Kobe Bryant’s return from Achilles surgery has been, not even he could make it back for opening night, which head coach Mike D’Antoni finally confirmed following the Lakers victory Friday night.

While Bryant has shattered the timetable for his return, he still isn’t close to a return. Mike Trudell reported before that game that Bryant was running, but not sprinting. He also reported that while Bryant was shooting, he wasn’t shooting jumpers, nor doing much other basketball-related activities.

Bryant’s status for return is still uncertain. The reasonable time table has him returning in mid to late November, but he’ll likely remain a near game-by-game decision.