The only way I could see that they knew he had a torn rotator cuff and kept going was if it was already torn back then to the point where he needed surgery. Then, no matter what he does, he needs surgery anyway so it can't get any worse. Remember when he had the avulsion fracture in his finger? That type of fracture is literally the bone breaking apart at the point where the connective tissue is. No matter what he did it couldn't get worse because it was as bad as it could be. If his shoulder was injured before it could have simply been strained or inflamed, but if he kept playing through it, then it's definitely possible that the extra workload could have torn it.
^Thanks for the clarification. I remember a bunch of us back in December were saying that overload would have him breakdown by Christmas. I still think he comes back next year, though.
Well, a strain is a microtear...and those turn into full tears. I'm going to guess he had a small tear...then fully tore it. I've done that many times to other parts of the body.
I saw some tweets from Dr. Klapper and a interview on Basketball insiders with a doctor, both have said that even if it is not a complete tear it is better to have surgery-especially, beceause it is his shooting arm-and it fixes the problem for good. It was also suggested that this could be beceause of the minutes he played in the past. So it made me think(we will never know) that they knew he will need surgerry at some point, so lets get the record and create some storylines along the way...shooting%, kobe PG... After the record he started to miss games beceause of rest...and then the dunk that finished everything...the timeline is also perfect, beceause the rehab is expected to be 6-8 months so he will be ready for the start of the next season.
I do too, especially now that he's probably going to miss all of this year. Byron was/is right about one thing - Kobe does not want to go out like this.
Former Laker Darius Morris: Injured Kobe Bryant has a lot left in tank Basketball Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Clippers d Visiting the Clippers on Thursday night with the Brooklyn Nets, guard Darius Morris said his thoughts are with his former teammate. "I hope that it's just a minor one," said Morris, of Bryant's rotator cuff tear. "It's really unfortunate when that happens." Morris spent two seasons with the Lakers, as the team's 41st overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. The 24-year old guard said he expects Bryant to return strong from the injury, whether it's this season or next. "He's been playing at a really high level, for however many years he's been in the league. That dude is mentally tough, man, so if he wants to come back and play he will," said Morris. "Mentally he's so much more advanced than players who are playing today." Bryant helped to mentor Morris, who has since moved on to play with the Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies, Clippers and Nets. "He took me under his wing. That's like my brother, my big bro," said Morris. "Once I earned his respect, he was nothing but a great teammate for me." The Nets have struggled this season, falling to eighth in the Eastern Conference with an 18-25 record. Morris has made 19 appearances this season, averaging 3.3 points and 1.3 assists. Morris was with the Lakers when Bryant tore his Achilles' tendon in 2013, eventually replacing the All-Star in the starting lineup as the Lakers were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs. "He literally carried us and propelled us to the playoffs that year, when we were fighting for the eighth spot," said Morris. The Lakers eventually finished in seventh place at 45-37. "I witnessed some great moments with that guy. He's definitely one of the best ever to pick up a ball," he continued. "At his age, the way he was dunking on people and leading fourth-quarter comebacks." Bryant is heading into the final year of his contract, but missed all but six games last season and may be done after 35 this year, depending on the severity of the injury. A full tear could mean surgery and roughly four to six months of recovery. If the rotator cuff is only slightly damaged, Bryant may be able to return in a matter of weeks or even days. Morris has nothing but affection for his former mentor. "I hope he can end his career on his terms," he said. "Even if he's lacking physically, I feel like he can be useful out there, maybe more as a facilitator, picking apart the defense. "You can't stop his fadeaway. He still gets to the free throw line. He's still better than most on an old leg." Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus http://www.latimes.com/sports/laker...darius-morris-kobe-bryant-20150123-story.html I always liked Darius Morris......errrr......well I had high hopes for him at first anyway.
Next year, we need a plan with Kobe; automatically, knock out all B2B's, keep his minutes under 30 and more at 25, sit him out of all practices, and keep him fresh for a PO run if we could put together a competitive roster; that's another thing...get some freaking players and make his workload lighter, please. Any other suggestions?
I really hope that Kobe can completely recover and decides to play next year. Being a legend, it would be unfortunate for him to go out without playing a season that is highly successful for himself. The injuries of the past few seasons have been rather sad. Even if he won't get another championship with the Lakers, it would be cool for him to go out on top (for himself).
That's basically what I'm getting at. Early in the season he could have had just a slight tear, insignificant really, but requiring rest. Instead he played more minutes and exhausted himself and that definitely could have lead to this injury.
^ Just came to post this, truly amazing just how many injuries this guy has had and to be the player he is today. Incredible!
They left off his broken nose/concussion courtesy of Wade and that bad gash under his eye that he still had a scar from lol.
I would give the franchise to Pop if he came over to manage Kobe through 1 full season. 25-30 minutes next season and nothing more. Zero tolerance when he hits that minute total. No running sprints in preseason non-stop. Please for the love of all things Holy stay on top of things for the final season.
Honest question, though, Doc; he started training in April as soon the season ended; would training too hard contribute and obviously compounding that contribute to an injury? Also, would you modify his traning routine to a more conservative routine and would that help him manage his body better throughout the season if he indeed does come back?
I might be in the minority, but I think its time for Bean to hang it up. He has nothing left to prove and the Lakers quite frankly have very little offer him in terms of supporting cast. Let him hang it up and ride off into the sun set.
To answer your question - Yes, working like you are 24 years old on a 36 year old body (Much older considering mileage) is going to contribute to the injury. This type of injury is just wear and tear for the most part though. The goal for him is to find the breaking point for his body currently (This season is a great example of what he CAN'T do) and take it down two notches. You never hear Duncan, Parker and Ginobili being run into the ground because they do just enough during the season to make an impact and still have some left in the tank for the playoff push. Here it's Kobe play 35+ every night on a non-contender and hope to God you don't get injured. That's been the philosophy here for awhile with Kobe and it's backfired every time. He needs to tone it down, the coaching staff needs to prevent him from over doing it (Practice, game, conditioning, needs to be monitored) and the training staff needs to keep the machine well oiled. He needs to come into next season with his body and mind primed for 25-30 minutes a night and focus his training/conditioning on doing half of what he was normally capable of. I said it earlier in the season, it's better to have Kobe at 25 minutes, than having a DNP-Injury. And here we are.....
He doesn't have anything left to prove, but I still would like to see him play his last game healthy, walk off on his own terms. If the FO can put together a decent team this offseason maybe he could at least go out after being in one more playoffs. The thought of Kobe retiring after injury on the worst Laker team I've ever seen is just depressing.
That was short and intense. "Seems" to have been live recording of the minute or so with a no nonsense doctor telling him what has pulled away in the socket, confirming the worst.
