With a win-loss record of 12-31 as of January 28, the Los Angeles Lakers still have to play 39 more games to finish what could be the most forgettable season in franchise history.
The worse news is that the Lakers are going to grind the remainder of the season without its superstar Kobe Bryant, who just undergone surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff.
As per doctor’s prognosis, the Black Mamba may be out for approximately nine months to fully heal and completely recover from his surgery.
USA Today Sports reported that the two-hour surgical procedure on Kobe Bryant was performed at the Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, California by surgeons Neal ElAttrache and Steve Lombardo.
Dr. ElAttrache disclosed after the successful operation that he expects Kobe to make a full recovery within nine months and shall be ready for the start of the next NBA season.
Retiring or playing again?
In the course of the current NBA season, Kobe Bryant hinted that he would like to retire very soon considering that his superstar stature in the league is already on the decline.
It’s very evident these days particularly on how his Lakers team are performing even with him on the lineup. The Lakers can no longer win with merely having a Kobe Bryant in its lineup. He needs support and all the help he can get from his teammates. But unfortunately, he’s getting almost none. And if there were support, it comes few and far between.
With his decision to undergo operation while his Lakers are struggling, and the team is almost writing off this season as the worst in the history of its storied franchise, it seems that Kobe Bryant is planning to make a comeback next season with a vengeance.
It could be the final year of his career. With a guaranteed contract for $25 million in the NBA 2015-16 season, Kobe obviously has the right reason to come back and make one final push and end his Hall of Fame-type career with a flourish.
An NBA season cut short
The Black Mamba has been averaging 22.3 points, 5.6 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game this season. But his 37.3% shooting percentage from the field is his career-low in the NBA.
He played only 20 of the current 43 games of the Lakers and the team was 7-13 with him on the lineup and 5-18 without him. So even with a declining physical state, Kobe Bryant was still carrying the burden for his Lakers team.
Kobe Bryant also missed the 2013-14 NBA playoffs because of a torn Achilles tendon. He also played just six games last season because of a left knee injury. This season, he’s out again for good. Whether he comes back by the start of the next season or not remains to be seen. In the meantime that he’s out, he will still be feeling the pain watching his Lakers team lose one game after another.