Goodbye, Kobe. See you in 2014-15.
USA TODAY Sports is reporting that Los Angeles Lakers star guard Kobe Bryant will not return this season from a fractured left knee.
Bryant returned from the Achilles tendon tear he suffered in on the third to last game of the 2012-13 regular season on Dec. 8, then fractured his knee six games later and has struggled in his rehabilitation ever since.
Sports World News first reported the likelihood of Bryant's shutdown this season last month.
Bryant signed a two-year $48.5 million extension with the Lakers in November. There was never a good reason to rush his return this season as the Lakers' season has turned into a nightmare. The team was tied for the worst record in the NBA's Western Conference with the Sacramento Kings at 22-42.
The Clippers last week handed the Lakers their worst loss ever, a 142-94 thrashing. As coach Mike D'Antoni's job hangs in the balance, the Lakers did regroup and pull off a stunning, 114-110 upset of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday behind Jodie Meeks' 42 points.
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That would be a positive for Bryant and the Lakers moving forward, but Meeks is scheduled to become a free agent after the season.
In fact, only Bryant, Steve Nash and center Robert Sacre are signed beyond this season. Nash's Lakers career also has been marred by injury. The former two-time NBA Player of the Year for the Phoenix Suns (under then coach D'Antoni) has played 60 total games in his two seasons in Los Angeles, and his future is as cloudy as the Lakers'.
While USA TODAY Sports reported of Bryant's frustration at the All-Star break of his slow recovery process, it added that he remained optimistic about the team's offseason.
"This offseason, with all the cap space, seems to be right in the Lakers' wheelhouse, in terms of turning things around pretty quickly," Bryant said. "We've never really faltered. We've normally made excellent decisions that put us back in contention."
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