Category: Los Angeles Lakers Blog

The basketball world had Kobe Bryant back, but now he’s out again. Here’s the Associated Press with more:

Kobe Bryant is expected to miss about six weeks with an injured left knee, dealing the second major injury setback of the year to the Los Angeles Lakers’ superstar guard.

An MRI exam on Thursday revealed Bryant has a fracture in his lateral tibial plateau – the top of his shinbone near his knee.

Bryant made his season debut with the Lakers Dec. 8 after nearly eight months away while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. He apparently was hurt again Tuesday night in Memphis while playing his fourth game in five nights.

After playing six games in 10 days, the fourth-leading scorer in NBA history is out again until February or longer – and the Lakers’ already miserable run of injuries got even uglier.

“You hate it for Kobe,” Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni told reporters after practice Thursday. “He’s worked so hard to get back, but he’ll be back. He’ll be back in six weeks. We’ve just got to weather the storm until he gets back.”

With an 11-13 win-loss record, the Los Angeles Lakers aren’t a championship contender. Simply making the playoffs would be a solid accomplishment for them this season. But don’t tell that to Kobe Bryant, who continues to work his way back into form in his return from injury. Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News blog with more:

Bryant had showed some slow albeit steady progression in each game that he had played in the past week. He graded himself an F in his debut in the Lakers’ loss last Sunday to Toronto where he posted nine points on 2 of 9 shooting, eight rebounds, four assists and seven turnovers. But Bryant expressed feeling a sense of accomplishment that he had returned to the court. Bryant graded himself a B in the Lakers’ loss last Tuesday to Phoenix after posting 20 points on 6 of 11 shooting. He showed there he could score and set screens for others.

Bryant’s performance dipped in the Lakers’ loss Friday to Oklahoma City where he posted four points on two of six shooting, 13 assists and seven turnovers. But with injuries to Steve Nash (nerve issues in back), Steve Blake (torn ligament in right elbow) and Jordan Farmar (strained left hamstring), Bryant offered some encouragement he could man the point guard position once he sheds enough rustiness to reduce his turnovers. Bryant then showed off his scoring touch and clutch play by posting 21 points on 8 of 15 shooting in 32 minutes and hitting two free throws to seal the Lakers’ win Saturday over Charlotte. Though he still posted seven turnovers, Bryant’s improved lift in his shot and his eight assists suggested the two-man tandem between Bryant and Pau Gasol could become a winning formula in the same way that secured them two NBA championships.

“So far it’s been successful,” Gasol said. “He hasn’t gotten hurt or rehurt. That’s a positive.”

Remember Chris Kaman? He’s on the Los Angeles Lakers, in case you forgot. And the big guy isn’t too happy about barely getting off the bench this season. Here’s ESPN Los Angeles with more:

Chris Kaman has stopped trying to figure out how he fell so far out of the Los Angeles Lakers’ rotation.

The veteran center says he joined the team as a free agent this summer because he saw opportunity to play significant minutes and re-establish his value after a couple of up-and-down seasons with New Orleans and Dallas.

Instead he’s found himself at the end of the Lakers’ bench.

“It’s absolutely not what I was looking for,” Kaman told ESPNLosAngeles.com on Monday morning after the Lakers’ shootaround. “It’s not really in my control. I just try to keep working hard and be ready if the time comes. And if it doesn’t, then it just wasn’t meant to be.”

There’s drama in Los Angeles. Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News blog on an interesting Lakers situation:

Pau Gasol still doesn’t like how he’s featured in D’Antoni’s offense. He didn’t speak to reporters following morning shootaround Friday here at Chesapeake Energy Arena, but the Lakers’ forward in recent days has attributed his 14.4 points per game average on a career-low 41.7 percent shooting toward D’Antoni’s system not featuring him enough in the post.

D’Antoni’s response?

“It’s also a nice excuse not to play hard,” D’Antoni said. “That’s a classic, ‘I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.’ Well, you don’t have trouble getting up to the paystub line. You know what you need to do to get your check. You know what to do. They will. They’ll figure it out.”

“That’s one thing. They don’t want to do it that way. I understand that. That’s when you have to accept it or not. But there’s no reason not to play hard.”

Kobe Bryant is back in action for the Los Angeles Lakers. And even if he isn’t quite  himself yet, the basketball world (well, most of it) is happy to see him back on the court. Here’s ESPN Los Angeles on Kobe’s return:

Kobe Bryant said he was “pleased” with the way his body responded Sunday, playing in his first NBA game in nearly eight months since tearing the Achilles tendon in his left leg, but the warm and fuzzy feelings ended there.

Bryant was his biggest critic after the Los Angeles Lakers’ 106-94 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

“I’m just insanely critical,” Bryant said after finishing with nine points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and eight turnovers in 28 minutes. “There was a bunch of things that I completely messed up on.”

When asked to grade his performance, Bryant gave himself an “F.” And when asked whether he had been “reborn in a new form,” he quipped, “Right now my form is a horse’s a– form.” Bryant was particularly down on himself for being responsible for a hefty portion of the Lakers’ 19 turnovers, which led to 22 points for Toronto.

“I failed miserably at that,” Bryant said after revealing that his personal expectation for his debut was to avoid turnovers. “That was really the biggest thing for me, just trying to take care of the basketball, because I know I’m going to be in charge of making some decisions out there. … Basketballwise, I’m not happy.”

Kobe Bryant will make his return for the Lakers this Sunday in Los Angeles, where they will face the Toronto Raptors.

The Lakers are off to a better-than-expected start this season, putting up a 9-9 record. They’ve shown good team chemistry and have been fun to watch.

It’ll be interesting to see how good Kobe Bryant still is. Coming back from serious injury, it’s safe to assume he’ll have lost some athletic ability. He should look rusty, right? Maybe play limited minutes? That’s the smart assumption. But, this is Kobe we’re talking about. In which case, until there’s evidence to the contrary, the sky is still the limit.

Los Angeles D-Fenders forward Ryan Kelly has been recalled by the Los Angeles Lakers, it was announced today.

The Duke University alum has posted averages of 25.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals in three games this season for the D-Fenders. Last night, Kelly tallied a career-high 30 points in a 131-96 victory over the Bakersfield Jam. Kelly is currently ranked fifth in the D-league in scoring average, and tied for seventh in minutes per game.

Kelly has appeared twice this season for the Lakers.