What a difference a 365-ish days makes. Right around this time last season, Kobe Bryant was barely masking his dissatisfaction with the Laker front office and barely bothering to fake any enthusiasm about kicking off the season. One year (and a blossomed Andrew Bynum/stolen Pau Gasol/solidified bench/returning Derek Fisher and a Finals appearance) later, dude's happy as an ectasy-addicted clam about life in the purple and Gold lane. There was more smiles and wit on display than any hint of trepidation, and talk of the Lakers being among the creme de elite sits just fine with him. "We're the favorites for a reason. That's one of the things I told the guys. We've got all the tools. We've got all the pieces of the puzzle. Now it's on us to do the work. If we do the work, we should win it."
Kobe discussed topics ranging from the notion of him playing in Europe (as BK and I have both said, it's a purely media-driven, far-fetched scenario) to playing fewer minutes in America (he can handle 40-43 mpg no problem, but decreasing them is always a mutual Mamba/PJ goal) to being 30 (which, as he put it, is "the new 20"). He also provided more info about his un-surgeried pinkie, which he feels will need to endure an nearly identical hit as the one causing the original injury for him to miss time. "The scar tissue has settled. It's pretty thick right now." That particular nugget provided some relief for me, as I've been through a similar situation after tearing my ACL and cartilage in a skiing accident. Originally, the doctor thought I would need separate surgeries for each ailment, but when it came time to go under the knife, my ligament had almost entirely re-scarred itself, which led to an easier rehab and quicker recovery. Thus, playing through the condition now seems less potentially risky than I thought back in early September.
Kobe discussed topics ranging from the notion of him playing in Europe (as BK and I have both said, it's a purely media-driven, far-fetched scenario) to playing fewer minutes in America (he can handle 40-43 mpg no problem, but decreasing them is always a mutual Mamba/PJ goal) to being 30 (which, as he put it, is "the new 20"). He also provided more info about his un-surgeried pinkie, which he feels will need to endure an nearly identical hit as the one causing the original injury for him to miss time. "The scar tissue has settled. It's pretty thick right now." That particular nugget provided some relief for me, as I've been through a similar situation after tearing my ACL and cartilage in a skiing accident. Originally, the doctor thought I would need separate surgeries for each ailment, but when it came time to go under the knife, my ligament had almost entirely re-scarred itself, which led to an easier rehab and quicker recovery. Thus, playing through the condition now seems less potentially risky than I thought back in early September.
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