RealGM

Lakers Expect Nash and Kobe Back Jan. 28th
Posted by: Daniel Buerge (January 10, 2014)

After missing the first part of the season recovering from a torn Achilles tendon he sustained last season, Kobe Bryant returned for several games before re-injuring the same leg, this time a fracture, and being sent back to the drawing board.

Now, less than a month after the injury was suffered, Bryant is supposedly already planning his next comeback. While on ESPN Radio 710 in Los Angeles this morning, Mike D’Antoni mentioned that Kobe (and Steve Nash) were looking to return sooner rather than later.

“Nash and Kobe are going to come back together at the end of the road trip. They’ll get re-evaluated and they could possibly be ready by the end of the road trip.”

We’ve heard other reports saying the team is targeting Jan. 28th as a possible return date, which was mentioned by LA Daily News reporter Mark Medina as well.

The date of Jan. 28th might surprise some people who thought Bryant would be out much longer. Initially declared a 6-8 week injury, Bryant is attempting to return about one month after sustaining the left knee fracture, which would put him ahead of the original schedule.

Some will argue Bryant is trying to come back too soon, especially considering the team is struggling and likely unable to reach the playoffs even with a healthy Bryant. It’s possible that Bryant could be taking an unnecessary risk by returning so soon, jeopardizing his usefulness in the future.

jigga_man wrote:Shut it down. I don't want Nash and Kobe to carry this group to a 30 win season. Do what the Spurs did with David Robinson in '97 and tell Kobe to shut it down despite being healthy enough to play.

chefy wrote:Make kobe and gasol play the last 10 games of the season to show the league that they can still play at a high level. If we want free agents to sign here in the offseason, we gotta show them first that we can still compete with kobe/gasol being our core players.