Jan 23, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) looks on from the bench during the second half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Among the slew of injured Lakers sits Kobe Bryant, whose initial return was hyped even to the point of a video posted announcing Bryant’s return. However, bubbles of excitement were very quickly deflated when Bryant injured his leg just six games into his return.
With an original timetable putting his return around this week, Bryant hasn’t given much update on his return, other than it’s constantly being pushed back. Bryant offered more of the same rhetoric following the team’s loss Sunday to the Bulls.
Kobe says he doesn't know when he'll return to the court: "It's completely out of my control ... I got to sit here and wait"
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 9, 2014
The argument for Bryant to sit out the season has grown with each passing loss. We know how unlikely that’ll be, but something has to be said about the fact that Bryant still hasn’t been cleared for practice. Certainly the nature of the injury dictates a long recovery, but the longer Bryant sits, the more questions will be raised. Could Bryant really sit by the wayside and watch the Lakers waste away one of his last remaining seasons?