As if bouncing back from one of the most serious injuries of his career isn’t fuel enough, Kobe Bryant now has added motivation.

Still recuperating from the torn Achilles tendon that prematurely ended his run late last season, Bryant is now said to be using ESPN’s predictions his Los Angeles Lakers will finish near the bottom of the Western Conference standings this year as added inducement.

“12th I see,” Bryant tweeted of the website’s predictions of where the Lakers will fall.

Still, even Bryant can’t deny things at least figure to be different for the Lakers. After losing Dwight Howard to Houston in free agency, the Lakers have retooled around an uptempo, quick-hitting team more cut in coach Mike D’Antoni’s speedball image.

In addition to a healthy Steve Nash, the Lakers have added Nick Young, Wesley Johnson and Jordan Farmar to the mix. The team also signed journeyman center Chris Kaman to somewhat fill the void left by Howard.

As for Bryant, the 35-year-old veteran has spent much of the summer hinting he expects to be recovered enough to take the floor by opening night. “My tendon feels really, really good,” he recently told reporters. “I was really lucky.”

Just the same, ESPN projects the Thunder, Clippers and Spurs will be the class of the division.