1. Kobe Bryant will not be ready for opening night
Sep 28, 2013; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) during media day at the Lakers Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
I’ll jump in head first to start. Bryant spoke to TWC about his rehab process and said something that stuck with me. When asked what basketball activities he’s done this off-season, he replied that he’d done none. He’s been busy rehabbing his foot and building strength up and spent no time on basketball itself. Do we really expect Bryant to play opening night in just one month?
Bryant is not a normal specimen. We know that. We can’t hold him to normal standards. That being said, some things are even impossible for the Black Mamba. He’s spoken many times of taking it slow during the rehab process. He’s not going to rush the last aspect to play in the first game of the season, which in the scheme of things, is not all that important of a game. Instead, Bryant will be back in the middle of October and brought in slowly.