A diminished version of Kobe Bryant is better than no Kobe Bryant.
That’s the stance Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni is taking. To an extent, it’s one that he’s always took. He hasn’t allowed Kobe’s absence to dominate post-game pressers nor has he entertained the prospect of his uncertain return more than he should. Considering that it’s Kobe who’s absent, Magic Mike has been rather quiet.
There was no avoiding the frenzy his return to practice created, though. Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that Kobe practiced with the team, generating an abundance of optimism. Kobe hasn’t played since last April, when he ruptured his Achilles against the Golden State Warriors. Now that he’s practicing—however light his workload is—a more meaningful countdown behind his actual return can begin.
Asked if Kobe would play against the Warriors this coming Friday, in what would be a chilling and symbolic return against the team he went down against, D’Antoni indicated such a scenario was “improbable,” according to ESPN Los Angeles’ Dave McMenamin.
Many will fail to believe he won’t play until they see it with their own eyes. We’ve grown so used to Kobe doing what he’s not supposed to, it’s almost expected that he do something shocking like suit up and play against the Warriors. Hell, throughout all this, it’s slightly surprising that he didn’t chopper into center court on opening night and play just because. That’s how much of a walking contradiction the Laker legend is.
The thing is, Kobe hasn’t played in over seven months. Knowing how much pride he places in his game, it’s implausible to believe he would come back at anything less than 100 percent, especially now, when it’s this early in the season and the Lakers don’t figure to contend for a title.
More over, 100 percent healthy won’t necessarily equate to immediate in-game dominance. The possibility remains that Kobe could come back and drop 40 points in his season debut because, well, he’s Kobe. But there’s also a strong possibility he’ll need time to adjust, to re-acclimate himself to the rotation and pace of NBA play.
Once he’s ready, however, D’Antoni made it clear he’ll be a force of some kind. Even if he’s only at 10 percent.
“There’s no way that (Kobe) comes back with everything, but at the same time, his 10 percent is better than most people,” Magic Mike said, per McMenamin.
For a Lakers team struggling to hover around .500 and whose leading scorer is Jodie Meeks at 13.7 points per game, I buy it. Anything Kobe can do is a bonus. With him on the floor, the Lakers finally have a go-to scorer accustomed to being a No. 1 option.
Pau Gasol, in all his glory, has never been the top dog since joining the Lakers. Steve Nash is injured and even if he wasn’t, his first instincts have always been to defer. And while a guy like Nick Young used to be the featured player in Washington, that was ages ago and the Wizards weren’t very good.
The Lakers need Kobe. They just need him. Some version of him. Any version of him. Imagine what his return would do for the team’s morale alone. Perhaps he could inspire them to play better. To be better.
Maybe his 10 percent would be enough to make them the force they weren’t before.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
