We pretty much saw this coming, but today it was announced that Kobe Bryant will have surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff which will end his season.
The Lakers announced Kobe will have surgery on Wednesday. While the team would not provide a recovery timeline until after the operation, you won’t see Kobe return to the floor for the rest of this season. Injuries like this usually take anywhere from four to six months to recover from.
The Lakers put out a statement that said:
“Kobe was examined this morning by Dr. Neal ElAttrache of the Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic. Dr. ElAttrache confirmed an earlier diagnosis of a torn rotator cuff, and advised Bryant to have surgery to repair the shoulder. Bryant has agreed, and surgery has been scheduled for Wednesday morning.”
People have been speculating whether or not this is it for Bryant, who has one year and $25 million left on his contract after this season. One has to think Kobe won’t go out like this and most likely will return for next season.
Maybe if you’re a Laker fan this isn’t such a terrible thing either. Los Angeles is 12-33, which is the fourth worst record in the league. They have a first round pick that is top five protected. If the Lakers ping-pong balls fall in the wrong direction, and their pick isn’t in the top five, the Suns would get the Lakers first round choice from the Steve Nash trade.
It’s hard to imagine the Lakers will do anything without Kobe this season, even though they really weren’t doing anything with him this year, but maybe this “injury” is what can help the Lakers keep their first round selection this season.
