Kobe Bryant hoisting Lakers' 2009 trophy (Photo: pic.chick14)
What’s an NBA All-Star game without Kobe Bryant?
With only a few days to go before Sunday’s highly anticipated West versus East scuffle in Dallas, there’s still no word if the reigning Finals Most Valuable Player would suit up or sit out. Bryant, who shared last year’s All-Star MVP nod with former teammate Shaquille O’Neal, is nursing a sore left ankle.
The flamboyant Lakers guard has suggested he would stay on the sidelines if his bum ankle won’t heal on time. He sustained the injury in Philadelphia last week and aggravated it in the next game versus Charlotte when teammate Lamar Odom accidentally stepped on his foot.
“If it’s an injury where I feel like I can play through it and have it heal while I’m playing, then I’ll play,” Bryant told the Associated Press, adding, “but if it’s the type of injury where it’s going to get worse when I play, then I won’t.”
The injury has forced Bryant to miss three straight games as of Wednesday night, but Lakers coach Phil Jackson is not complaining. The team has won all three games minus its franchise player.
Naturally, the Lakers would rather have Bryant skip the All-Star game to get healthy come spring when the playoffs kick into high gear. But don’t tell that to NBA commissioner David Stern, who always makes sure the league’s best interests supersede any single team’s welfare, never mind if it happens to be the league’s most popular. continue reading…
