Lakers: Gary Vitti Wants to Shut Injured Kobe Bryant Down for Week or Two
Legendary Lakers trainer Gary Vitti wants to shut down an injured Kobe Bryant for a couple of weeks
The Los Angeles Lakers had been relatively healthy in the early goings of the 2015-16 NBA season, but have been bit by the injury bug to a certain degree as of late. One of the least surprising players to have been bitten is 20-year veteran and 37-year-old legend Kobe Bryant.
Bryant missed three games recently due to a shoulder injury and then missed yet another outing due to Achilles injury. That same sore Achilles caused him to leave Tuesday night’s matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans prematurely and his status going forward for the next game is up in the air. However, at least on member of the Lakers staff wants to keep Kobe out for some time.
On Wednesday after practice, head coach Byron Scott was asked about Bryant’s status and he said that the Lakers legend would likely be a game-time decision for Thursday’s matchup with the Golden State Warriors. However, Scott also mentioned that legendary Lakers trainer Gary Vitti wants Kobe to sit out for the next week or two to rest the injury, per the LA Times.
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Scott also added that the reason that he apparently isn’t following Vitti’s wishes in regards to the Achilles injury for Kobe is that Bryant wouldn’t have it. However, Scott also made it seem as if he hadn’t really discussed the matter with his retiring star, saying that he “knows him” and “knows he wants to play.”
The management of Bryant’s workload before the announcement of his impending retirement and after has been troubling. He’s a player with a troublesome injury history in recent years and a player who has logged a lot of tough miles on his body throughout his career. Playing him as much as Scott often has seemed like a bad idea from Jump Street and that’s only becoming clearer.
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We’ll see if Kobe decides to give it a go or if he makes the decision to take some time off. Regardless, whatever decision give Kobe the best chance to suit up on April 13 in STAPLES Center should be the decision that both he and the coaching staff make.