Here's my take on injuries to young players. There's actually a lot more to be said, but I ran short on time to get this piece out there. I'll try to write a followup to this in the coming weeks.
The Lakers start training camp in just over a month and there are still many unknowns.
How will Kobe Bryant play? Was rookie guard D'Angelo Russell the right pick? Can the team make the playoffs?
On Thursday Jim Buss, part-owner and executive vice president of basketball operations, spoke to The Times about the upcoming season, the team's draft picks, his rebuilding plan — and what could be the final season of Bryant's career.
"We're going to approach it like it is, but that doesn't mean it is," Buss said of Bryant. "I'm not going to sit there and say, 'This is it, Kobe, you're done,' because it's not my decision, it's his decision."
Bryant, with one year left on his contract, will be the highest paid player in the NBA this season at $25 million. Buss gave Bryant a two-year, $48.5-million extension in 2013 before he even returned from a torn Achilles' tendon six months earlier.
Since then, Bryant has played in only 41 games over the last two seasons because of a fractured...
Kobe was a guest on Shaq's Podcast yesterday. The short clip was leaked to Mason and Ireland. The entire interview will air on monday. Here's the clip.