Lakers believe Kobe Bryant suffered a torn left Achilles

[bopna]

I Really do not care what everyone else would say  but there is no team out there I wish an injury to except the  cHeat...I despise how they whine with calls all the time. .I dont want a career threthening injury but just something to slowdown that freaking freight train that is the CHEAT... I certainly hate the fact that Judas is riding this train ride and would end up with another ring to better PP and KG... Nothing about those cHeattles are likeable..they are an abomination to the sport and they should  be  the ones that have nagging injuries at this point in the season...

As for Kobe..i love that the Fakers would not  make any noise in the playoffs even of they make it...in fact stern would still make sure of that but I certainly do not want this injury to be the one that ends Kobe's career.

[indeedproceed]

He's going in for surgery at 4 ET (pretty much right now).  Projected rehab time is 6-9 months.

Knowing Kobe, he'll be suiting up opening night.

Question then will be if he can be the same player he was before the injury.

Its not really a question..he can't be.

But, to be fair, every single season that passes guarantees he 'won't be the same player'. Its a question of a loss of inches, until one year he just realizes he didn't just lose a little bit, he's lost too much.

He'll come back, Kobe won't go out after a season like this. He'll be a little slower, but he'll be just as smart, just as savvy, and still be able to hit a turnaround j. A lot more set shots too, probably.

[TheTruthFot18]

I never wish injury on any player and I know this hurts for real lakers fans.

My cousin sent me a text laughing about Rondo going down so I returned the favor earlier today.

[Redz]

Here's the interview after the game with Bryant:

http://sports.yahoo.com/video/bryant-discusses-injury-064300064.html

Chris Palmer had a very appropriate response.

Kobe with tears in his eyes. Never seen him so...human.

I'm sure he cried before the jury.

Great player. Love his will to compete and have enjoyed watching him make some amazing shots, but he's impossible to like, as are the Lakers. 

Good luck on your recovery just the same.  A great player should be able to walk off on his own terms.

[aporel#18]

I hate the Lakers, and dislike Kobe the most out of that organization, but as most of you have said, I don't wish an injury to any player, even if it's Kobe or LeBroid or Karate Hamster.

I won't miss Kobe, and probably Nash and Gasol won't either. The Lakers, even with their horrible bench, could start playing better basketball, but it won't (hopefully) be enough to get out of the first round. I wanted them to miss the playoffs, so the Suns get the Lakers pick and the Nash trade ends being good for the Suns.

Anyway, watching a guy go down with injury is always sad, no matter how dislikable is the player. The Celtics would've repeated or three-peated if it wasn't for injuries, so that's never good news even if it's on the Fakers.

[pearljammer10]

Wow this is crazy. I hate the Lakers but I gotta give Kobe some hardcore respect. To see him go down like this at the end of the season right before the playoffs just doesnt seem right.

[action781]

Wow, so much dislike for Kobe on this board, some even saying they're happy to see him go...

Kobe has been the hardest worker off the court and hardest competitor on the court for the last decade in the NBA.  He has had some incredible moments that has absolutely wowed me as a basketball fan.

As much as he gets criticized for trying to live up to Jordan, we will probably never see anybody come as close to being what Jordan was for a long time.

[LarBrd33]

i preferred they just missed the playoffs.  Still... I hope this makes Dwight Howard bail on them.

Potential ultimate Ewing theory here.  They still have the best big man in the game in Dwight... a top 5 big man in Pau... and an underused, outstanding playmaking, perfect shooting Steve Nash.   D'Antoni probably just gives Nash the keys to the playoffs... I wouldn't want to play that team.  That's still a nasty inside/outside game.

[Eddie20]

i preferred they just missed the playoffs.  Still... I hope this makes Dwight Howard bail on them.

I don't. If he does, and with no Kobe, I would be willing to bet they get "lucky" and get the #1 overall pick and land Wiggins.

[Bahku]

i preferred they just missed the playoffs.  Still... I hope this makes Dwight Howard bail on them.

Potential ultimate Ewing theory here.  They still have the best big man in the game in Dwight... a top 5 big man in Pau... and an underused, outstanding playmaking, perfect shooting Steve Nash.   D'Antoni probably just gives Nash the keys to the playoffs... I wouldn't want to play that team.  That's still a nasty inside/outside game.

Yeah, but from what I perceive of the personality issues, I think it's much more likely to make Dwight stay, unfortunately ... time will tell.

[Neurotic Guy]

He's a top ten player of all-time.  He's had an amazing career and earned has how much -- maybe $200 million?

I am not crying for him.  I don't get joy when anyone gets injured -- even Kobe. However, this is not like when Magic retired after revealing he was HIV+.  Despite my dislike for him and hatred for the Lakers, I believe I did cry that day (of course, everyone at the time thought it was a death sentence).   But this is torn achilles tendon and even if he never plays NBA basketball again, he is still a young wealthy, intelligent man who has the potential of a charmed life ahead of him. 

If he never plays again, I won't care.

[indeedproceed]

He's a top ten player of all-time.  He's had an amazing career and earned has how much -- maybe $200 million?

I am not crying for him.  I don't get joy when anyone gets injured -- even Kobe. However, this is not like when Magic retired after revealing he was HIV+.  Despite my dislike for him and hatred for the Lakers, I believe I did cry that day (of course, everyone at the time thought it was a death sentence).   But this is torn achilles tendon and even if he never plays NBA basketball again, he is still a young wealthy, intelligent man who has the potential of a charmed life ahead of him. 

If he never plays again, I won't care.

I don't think anyone was really expecting you to cry after Kobe Bryant suffers a career ending injury. And obviously nobody was even remotely comparing it to Magic's premature retirement due to HIV. Even the most sympathetic of us are basically saying, "I hate the Lakers, dislike Kobe the person, but I respect him as a player and this kind of sucks."

Crying or comparing him to Magic's first retirement seems like a weird reaction emotionally, right?

[Neurotic Guy]

He's a top ten player of all-time.  He's had an amazing career and earned has how much -- maybe $200 million?

I am not crying for him.  I don't get joy when anyone gets injured -- even Kobe. However, this is not like when Magic retired after revealing he was HIV+.  Despite my dislike for him and hatred for the Lakers, I believe I did cry that day (of course, everyone at the time thought it was a death sentence).   But this is torn achilles tendon and even if he never plays NBA basketball again, he is still a young wealthy, intelligent man who has the potential of a charmed life ahead of him. 

If he never plays again, I won't care.

I don't think anyone was really expecting you to cry after Kobe Bryant suffers a career ending injury. And obviously nobody was even remotely comparing it to Magic's premature retirement due to HIV. Even the most sympathetic of us are basically saying, "I hate the Lakers, dislike Kobe the person, but I respect him as a player and this kind of sucks."

Crying or comparing him to Magic's first retirement seems like a weird reaction emotionally, right?

Sorry that you think it's weird. I sensed some serious dispapointment and feeling for Kobe that seemed more than I was feeling.  It's a lousy injury, I wouldn't want anyone to have it.  Used the Magic to identify a Laker injury/circumstance that mattered to me, not to suggest that I believe people here were making that comparison.

[LarBrd33]

I hate Kobe less than I use to, but that's the way these things work.  In 5-10 years, everyone will respect King James a lot more than they do now as well... hard not to appreciate that level of amazing talent.

Anyhow, this is going to be pretty fascinating, because amnestying Kobe has always seemed like a smart thing to do for the Lakers.  He's old and it seems like the best way to keep Dwight around.  Knowing the Lakers, they'll probably find some way to free up enough cap space to sign Chris Paul in the offseason to put next to Dwight Howard... and still get Kobe back.  Lol.   Actually, if they amnestied him, what would the bidding process be like?  Kobe could miss the entire season (and then just sign with the lakers in 2014), but would someone claim him off waivers, hope he gets healthy, and try to convince him to play for them after the allstar break?

[CelticConcourse]

This is a tragedy