If the muscle has come off the bone there's really no other option. Just a formality at this point...
KEVIN DING ✔ @KevinDing Dodgers doctor Neal ElAttrache and Lakers doc Steve Lombardo will perform Kobe's surgery Wednesday. Same guys did Kobe's Achilles together. Heal up, Kobe; I pray we put a more competitive roster for you together next season.
I totally agree, it just makes too much sense. And as far as i understand this from doctors reports, surgery is always the better option even if is not a complete tear, so they were not risking anythying, beceause the injury cold not get much worse-surgery was needed in any case.
Mike Bresnahan ✔ @Mike_Bresnahan Those around Kobe say he is definitively coming back to play next season. Doesn't want to go out like this. Mike Bresnahan @Mike_Bresnahan · 1m 1 minute ago Source: Kobe will also be active in free-agent recruiting for the Lakers, including pitches to possible future teammates in July.
I appreciate he'll be a recruiter, but how many people will come to play with him at this stage in his career? Freak injuries or not, that's 3 season ending injuries in back-to-back-to-back seasons. There's a ton of reasons to be a Laker, but playing with an old Kobe for one season... I'm not sure that's the right reason or the one that'll make high profile FAs want to come here.
I don't think that'll be his pitch. He's been pretty consistent with his praise of the management. The front office has made some mistakes, but they also had some flat out bad luck. I think Kobe really is THAT proud to be a Laker and that will be the primary selling point.
It's time to move on from the Kobe era . We have already lost 4 seasons in no man's land with the Gasol and Kobe situations ... about time to start rebuilding . The interest of the Lakers is greater than Kobe's one ... The pb is even Jim and Jeannie didn't and don't understand it
Kobe deserves one last chance to finish on his terms. Not to mention his contract is guaranteed for one more year anyway. He has till next season to heal and figure things out. He can keep aerobically fit a lot easier with a surgery on his upper rather than lower body. This injury allows us to tank without Kobe having to feel any guilt or anger about how he performs on the court. We get ourselves the best roster we can next year and the tank is off. Three major injuries are no joke. If Kobe is not up to a standard he or we expect than after next season no more Kobe. I am at peace with seeing him finish. No 15 million per year new contract if he comes back like hobbled Nash Kobe. But let's see the results next season. Four seasons are a lot, and we have seen Phil poking Pau, Brown death stared into an early grave, Nash crash for cash, Kobe exploding, Dwight stat sheet a'pointin', some truly terrible basketball. It is not a long time in the course of a franchise's history. Are 5 rings worth an extra year? I think so. Here are two flawed examples but i'll mention them anyway. How much faith was put in the Spurs when they retained their team, and retooled them to relevancy (I know Duncan discount and PoP vs Scott) and secondly if the C Bags had the chance for another year of Larry Bird would they have done it or if MJ would have finished in Chicago rather than Washington would you have liked that as a Bulls fan? It's just the right thing to do, I believe that and I think it's the best for the player the fans and the organisation.
No I know that, but on some level that's still going to be part of the pitch right? I mean it IS his last year and he's shown some really unfortunate frailty the last few years... I think the pitch needs to be centered around the youth we should have. Randle, the Top 5 Pick we're looking at, Clarkson, and maybe the Houston 1st Rounder if we keep him. Three to four kids under 25 with high ceilings would be attractive to a lot of folks I think. A foundation that's capable of growth while still being competitive in the moment. What's not to love there? Kobe's pitch almost shouldn't include himself honestly. I'd love to play with Kobe for his last season just to say I got a chance to do it, but I'm not going to base millions of dollars and my career path on that decision, you know?
His pitch will mostly be about the Lakers organization and how good they've been for him and their stars. A humbled Kobe will probably help too. "I've battled through 3 season ending injuries and can still perform at a high level. I want to finish my career out on a high level, contending for a championship and I need your help. After that this organization will be yours and they will treat you like family."
That's good, I like that. I'm just saying previous pitches have been about "hey come here and we'll be competitive together". I'm just not sure that pitch makes any sense anymore and I hope he moves closer to your direction. Maybe chip in "Throughout my three injuries this team has given me absolutely everything I've needed and supported me completely through the process."
Yeah, gone are the days of the "I'll teach you how to win." pitches. At this point the pitches need to be more about the Lakers organization and the city of LA.
More like "come to LA and be my Robin. If we make the PO i'll sign another 20+ mil a year contract and we'll go from there".
Sadly...Kobe's last few years are looking like a flush in the toilet in terms of luck and production and staying healthy... its been a terrible way to go out. And I don't think next year will be better. He has been resting plenty the last 24 months...and his game has declined tremendously, especially his shot...which at this point is embarassing at 37%.
