Kobe Bryant is done for the season.
Probably.
Initial assumptions were confirmed Monday, when the Lakers announced that Kobe would undergo shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff:
Kobe Bryant will have surgery on his right rotator cuff on Wednesday morning. A timetable will be provided post-surgery.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 26, 2015
At 36, with only one-year left on his deal, having faced roadblock after roadblock after roadblock, it stands to reason that Kobe would consider retiring now. The past couple years have been hell on his body, and if this season was a harbinger of things to come, he doesn’t have much left.
Still, Kobe has never been logical—in a good way. Mostly. He rejects conditional constraints. That’s what he did during the prime of his career, it’s what he did when he ruptured his Achilles and it’s what he’ll likely do now.
From the Orange County Register‘s Janis Carr:
“I think he’s already proven that with the Achilles’ last year,” Scott said. “Everybody said he was done and the first month of the season, he proved to everybody that he still has a lot left in the tank and I think he still has that hunger and competitive nature and will prove it again.”
Added Scott: “At times, we don’t appreciate all the stuff he has been able to accomplish or appreciate how tough he is and all the things he’s come back with.” …
“I don’t see Kobe as the type of guy who wants to leave his legacy on these terms,” Scott said. “I think he wants to go out on his own terms. We just have to wait and see.”
The Los Angeles Times‘ Mike Bresnahan has intel that corroborates Scott’s opinion:
Those around Kobe say he is definitively coming back to play next season. Doesn't want to go out like this.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) January 26, 2015
Have to say, I tend to agree.
For one, Kobe is Kobe. But he’s also owed $25 million next season. Is he actually walking away from that? Nooooooooooooo way. Kobe will have made more than $300 million during his NBA career when this season is over, which means two things: He’s good at basketball, and he’s not stupid. He’s a businessman. He’s not walking away from $25 million. No way, no how.
But yes, there’s the pride thing. There isn’t one player who would want to go out like this, having hit rock bottom. That’s what this is for him, after all. He’s fought and fought and fought, but to no avail. He’s shown at times he can still be great, but those times have been infrequent. There has been hope, but it’s been fleeting. Part of him has to want more, most notably another shot at a title.
Hence this:
There’s really no telling how free agents will react to Kobe. He’s injury-prone these days, but he’s Kobe, the warrior. Then again, he’s also Kobe the hard-headed teammate who apparently had something to do with Dwight Howard spurning the Lakers for the Rockets.
See the problem?
Maybe the Lakers land a big fish and, against all odds, pry Kobe’s title window back open, or maybe they don’t. Whatever happens in free agency is going to happen.
More importantly, whatever happens, whatever it is, don’t bank on Kobe retiring. Not yet. Not now.
Not like this.
