Although Lakers star Kobe Bryant announced this afternoon on his website kb24.com that he is bypassing surgery on his injured right pinky finger, The Orange County Register has learned that it is all but certain that he will have the surgery at the conclusion of the 2008-2009 season.
By opting not to have surgery at this time, Bryant is expected to participate in drills, when the Lakers open training camp Sept. 27, at their El Segundo practice site. However, it has not been determined what limitations will be placed on him and how extensive Bryant would be used in the exhibition games.
Although Bryant said he made the decision not to have surgery, as planned prior to the opening of training camp, after consulting with numerous hand specialists, the root of his decision is linked to the return of Andrew Bynum.
Bryant believes that the Lakers need to establish early team chemistry and cohesiveness when the regular season starts, with Bynum in the lineup, because the Lakers played much of the second half of the 2007-2008 season and the entire playoffs without their injured 21-year old center.
One of the teams expected to challenge the defending Western Conference champion Lakers for the conference crown this coming season are the San Antonio Spurs.
However, the Spurs will be without one of their top players, Manu Ginobili, when the regular season begins. Ginobili injured his ankle during the 2008 NBA playoffs against Phoenix and aggrevated the injury while playing in the Olympics for defending gold medalist Argentina against Team USA. Ginobili had surgery last month.
Bynum suffered a dislocated left knee cap Jan. 13, against Memphis, and missed the remainder of this past season. Meanwhile, Bryant suffered a torn ligament and avulsion fracture of the right pinky Feb. 5, against New Jersey.
Due to the timing of the injury and the Lakers’ position in the playoff race, Bryant put off surgery at that time and shortly thereafter announced that he would postpone getting his finger repaired until after the Beijing Olympics in August.
Bryant helped lead Team USA to a gold medal, the Americans beating Spain and the Lakers’ Pau Gasol in the gold-medal game.
Bryant was able to get through the NBA season and the Olympic competition by taping his finger and receiving theraputic treatment on it, a procedure that he likely will continue this season.
No one should take this story as fact not because Art is making it up because Kobe is never gonna have surgery on it. its not gonna get any worse as is.. no one makes decisions 1 year from now.
Hope this won’t give Kobe a permanant hurt.
Kobe gets surgery and misses some time and he is selfish for wainting until after the Olypmics to have surgery and no better than fat lazy Shaq. Kobe say he isn’t going to have surgery because he doesn’t want to miss anytime with the Lakers and he is selfish and stupid for not having surgery.
LOL