Making matters worse, the recovery from his rotator cuff surgery appears to be longer than previously anticipated. At first, Bryant was thought to have a recovery time of roughly six months; however, that time period appears to be increased to nine months, according to a statement from the team. Bill Oram of the Orange County Register tweeted the news:
That's not a good omen for a 12-34 Lakers team that is struggling to find its identity. After all, this team is in a rebuilding mode, and if Bryant would opt to leave Los Angeles following his most recent injury, the Lakers organization would find itself in complete disarray.
Luckily, there's some good news. Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times tweeted some interesting gossip from people close to Bryant:
Even head coach Byron Scott appears confident regarding Bryant's potential return, according to a tweet from Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com:
So, here's the burning question: What should we expect from Los Angeles while Bryant recuperates?
Well, first of all, expectations must certainly be tempered for the remainder of the season. The Lakers are currently fifth in the Pacific Division and don't have the available talent to dig themselves out of such a massive hole. In fact, the team is currently riding a nine-game losing streak and is just one more loss away from tying the longest drought in team history, according to Holmes.
That said, the remainder of the season should reflect more of a talent evaluation than anything. This team needs to make decisions about the roles of some key players ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
