Kobe surprises by saying no to surgery
Well, after months of waiting, speculation, and wondering, Kobe Bryant has announced the date for his pinkie surgery: A week from "Not Happening."
On his official website, Kobe provides the following explanation:
"I have always felt that I can still focus and play at a high level even through various injuries. Thatss (sic) really just part of the game. When the doctors told me recovery from a procedure could be 12 weeks, I just decided now was not the time to have surgery. What it really came down to for me is that I just didn't want to miss any time 'punching the clock' for the Lakers, given all we are trying to accomplish as a team this NBA season. I am just really excited and looking forward to being there with the guys when camp opens in a few weeks. That is a real bonding process and if I can avoid being on the sidelines for that, God willing, I will."
I must say, this particular turn of events threw me for a loop. I can't say I'm wild about the decision.
I get why Kobe doesn't want to miss any camp and I actually think it's terrific that he values so deeply that time on and off the court. But from a purely practical standpoint that recognizes an uncertain future, I'd much rather him be "on the sidelines," as he puts it, during October basketball than a stretch when the games actually count toward the 2008-2009 season. It's certainly not a stretch to worry that Kobe could take a hit to the finger that forces him to go under the knife. I voted for Kobe to have the operation back in February and as it turned out, my fears along these lines weren't realized. But I still think there's only so far you can go trying to push this particular brand of luck.
I don't question Kobe's threshold for playing through pain (a very solid argument can be made that he's the NBA's toughest player), but he's still human and fresh aggravation to the digit could be a lot to deal with. It's also in Kobe's nature to become motivated by the garden variety "It could be really tough to pull this off" challenge and if that's the case, this would be one unnecessarily met.
I appreciate the dedication to all parts of the upcoming season, but I would personally rather him take the safest possible route, even if it means missing a camp where he can still make his presence felt in a leadership capacity.
Which brings us to the Question of the Day: Do you now wish that Kobe had declined to participate with Team USA?
Had the trip to China been bypassed, Kobe would have been able to have the surgery and recuperate in plenty of time for the season. Playing for America cut down the recovery time available before camp, which prompted his surprise decision. Personally, I don't have a problem with Kobe having gone for the gold. For starters, it's a huge honor and often a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as you never know when injuries could make you unable to participate. Plus, I see the issues as separate. Kobe could have played and gotten the surgery, since I think it's wisest for him to, if need be, miss camp. But if you see it as an either/or scenario, do you think Kobe picked the wrong "either?" Or the wrong "or," depending on which side of the slash symbol you honor?
AK
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
KOBE GET THAT SURGERY. MAN THAT FINGER DOES BOTHER HIS SHOOTING REGARDLESS OF WHAT HE SAYS.
KOBE GET THE SURGERY
Posted by: Paul Lee | September 09, 2008 at 12:30 PM
Once again Kobe has taken the right step to show that he is the real thing, not just a big phony trying to make himself rich and famous. This (not having surgery) shows that he is a real team guy,
Posted by: Ervin | September 09, 2008 at 12:35 PM
I mean if anyone can do it it's Kobe, but how do you shoot as well as you need to with 4 fingers considering the 5th is tied to the 4rth. Anyway hope nothing serious happens during the season to cause him to miss any more time.
Posted by: vahan | September 09, 2008 at 12:35 PM
Well its his finger and he knows how it feels better than any of us ever will so if he feels like he can play with it he should go right on ahead. It didnt take much if anything away from his game so i am completely behind him here.
Plus the team needs to learn how to play with bynum again so training camp is essential this year.
Posted by: ose | September 09, 2008 at 12:37 PM
Go Kobe!
Go Lakers!
This guy is really the MVP.
Posted by: Botsoy | September 09, 2008 at 12:38 PM
Kobe missed playing for the U.S. a couple of times so the clock had ticked down toward the end of the day for him. If he had not played this year he may never have gotten another chance. It is refreshing to see an athlete put the U. S. A. and the Lakers team ahead of personal feelings.
Posted by: Ervin | September 09, 2008 at 12:49 PM
I don't get it. If he gets this done now he could still get some camp time in and not miss the start of the season. It's not like he needs to learn the triangle offense or learn how to play with his new mates.... Maybe he's just planning on running away with the conference from the get go? Can't hate that.
Posted by: KayJay | September 09, 2008 at 12:51 PM
The Good: Kobe won't miss any time bonding with his team mates and 12 weeks is a long time (September, October, November). At least the Chemistry with his team mates will be there and if Andrew and Pau and Lamar can pick up the slack then all is fine. He proved he can play for over 6 months with that torn ligament so why not? For Laker fans who really think it was a "big deal", while having 4 fingers is certainly not normal, he already showed he can shoot well over 60% with or without the torn ligament so it didn't really affect too much his shot.
The Bad: Can that finger really hold long enough to win the championship? Regardless of intent, it is still a big risk to try to play without correcting the problem. Even though the surgery will take 12 weeks to recover (much longer than the 6 weeks originally presented--thumbs down for modern medicine), one's got to ask themselves if they can play with only 4 fingers.....
The Ugly: Besides that this is quite surprising, if it cannot heal in the future, can he really live the rest of his life living with 4 operational fingers?
Analysis: Beijing 2008 he should have attended hands down regardless. Having him miss 12 weeks is another issue since he will have to miss all of November as well and those are key games. If it was originally 6 weeks then it would be very surprising even more. True if he didn't play for USA he would have had more time to recover. But hey he had bad games even with the ligament in 100% shape. The pinky didn't seem to bother him too much during the playoffs and don't say it led to his poor shooting in the Finals, he had games of 60.0% and 47.1% shooting in Games 3 and 2 in the Finals with that torn pinkie. He shot 42.9% in the first regular season game against Boston and 24.0% in the other regular season game against Boston and those were times the pinky wasn't an issue!
I felt too many Laker fans was so worried about the extent of the injury when he having his pinky taped up his shot was barely affected at all. The question is how will it affect him long term ie beyond his NBA career?
Final Analysis: He did the right thing and this pinky thing while certainly not normal, Kobe showed he can still shoot very good (and poor) regardless of such a pinky.
Posted by: thekobebryantblitz | September 09, 2008 at 12:53 PM
LALAKERLOVER,
Why did you post all that stuff? Damn that post should be marked as "Spam".
LOL!
Posted by: thekobebryantblitz | September 09, 2008 at 12:56 PM
On Yahoo Kobe states that he'd leave the Lakers and play in Italy if an Italian team offered him $50 million a year.
That sucks.
Not being a multi-millionaire, I have trouble understanding how some people just aren't satisfied with having over $100 million in assets and are willing to compromise personal Greatness to acquire more money. When is enough, enough?
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | September 09, 2008 at 12:58 PM
WOW! I didn't know Superman lived in LA!
I'd rather Kobe be healthy and sit out a few games. But there might be something going on behind the scenes that we don't know of... like his finger healing on its own. Stranger things have happened. My admiration for KB24 has gone up a couple more notches.
P.S. I have always wanted Kobe to play in the Olympics.
He certainly showed the whole world who's the best.
Posted by: SamLL | September 09, 2008 at 12:58 PM
Giving credit to Commentator Reed over at Forum Blue and Gold- Kurt asked what Kobe's shooting percentages were before and after the injury-
Kobe pre-injury:
46 games, 45.9% FG, 83.6% FT, 35.6% 3P, 8.8 FTA/gm, 5.1 3PA/gm
Kobe post-injury (including playoffs):
57 games: 46.5% FG, 83.1% FT, 34.4% 3P, 9.4 FTA/gm, 5.0 3PA/gm
AS you can see....not much of a difference, at all. So....if it's not hampering him....then I say good for him.
"I just didn't want to miss any time 'punching the clock' for the Lakers"
Good for him, didn't want to get surgery and miss "company time"! Wonder who that could be in reference to...
Posted by: Jeff | September 09, 2008 at 12:59 PM
I'm glad he won us the Gold and played for Team USA.
I'm not glad that he didn't immediately get the surgery as soon as he got home from the Olympics. THAT is what he should have done.
Since he didn't do that, he should get the surgery now and miss some of the season.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | September 09, 2008 at 12:59 PM
"What it really came down to for me is that I just didn't want to miss any time 'punching the clock' for the Lakers ..."
OUCH! Nice poke at the Big Company Time Bandit.
Posted by: HmrHed | September 09, 2008 at 01:00 PM
Ughhhh...
While I admire the "blue collar" work ethic.. I cant see postponing the surgery as a good thing. Kobe could still have the surgery and hang out with the fellas in camp no? I think this decision is one he'll regret come all star weekend.. I just dont see an upside
Posted by: complex_brotha | September 09, 2008 at 01:01 PM
do you guys realize what 12 weeks are, right?
a hand 'doctor' was just interviewed, and he said that it's best for kobe not to get the surgery, that if he does, there's a BIG change the finger will not be able to move for a long time.
the risk is BIGGER if he has it done.
Posted by: lakofan | September 09, 2008 at 01:03 PM
SamLL,
"But there might be something going on behind the scenes that we don't know of... like his finger healing on its own. Stranger things have happened."
That thought popped into my head for a second. In college, I had a bad skiing accident and tore my ACL and a bunch of cartlidge. Originally, they thought the damage was severe enough that they planned on having two surgeries. But upon going under the knife for the initial operation, they saw that my ACL had begun rescarring itself on its own. Thus, they left it alone, cleaned up the cartlidge and the ACL eventually healed up.
But if something like that happened for Kobe, then why wouldn't he say so and eliminate any concern? Unless he's trying to gain admiration by making it seem like he's playing through a situation worse than it is (and I should clarify, I DON'T think that's the case), what's the upside in not clarifying the situation? Thus, I have to figure he's just playing through an injury that's not close to healed.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | September 09, 2008 at 01:08 PM
Lakofan,
What hand doctor are you referring to? Do you have a link for this?
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | September 09, 2008 at 01:10 PM
Thanx JustaLakerFan
LALAKERLOVER,
Why did you post all that stuff? Damn that post should be marked as "Spam".
LOL!
Posted by: thekobebryantblitz
No kiddin, he shoulda Tinyurl'd it.
Posted by: Magia32 | September 09, 2008 at 01:19 PM
If it was really going to take 12 weeks then he made the right decision.
Reason: The Lakers must have Home Court to win it all
Every win will be important to achieve this and 12 weeks is to long when your trying to change up the chemistry of the team playing 2 BIGS down low. Training Camp this year with the changes in style of play is HUGE!!!!
Kobe can't miss camp this year.
Good Decison Kobe!
Go Lakers!
BD
Posted by: BD | September 09, 2008 at 01:20 PM
Good Day Laker Family,
I am definitely tossed on this topic. Yes to avoid blog-sync-think to the utmost, I am just worried about aggravating his pinkie tendon and bone structure. (I thought there was at least 3 repairs that need to be done beyond the ligament)
If it was just the ligament, it should be fine. I am worried about his future. I have torn my pinky ligament in '96 and it was not surgery worthy. Listened to AM570 and 2 doctors called in and gave general opinions but was caught in the middle due to not examining his finger. One Doctor mentioned that if it was worked on right away after the Finals, he may have been fine. (Also mentioned it was speculative) But there is a chance since it has been injured for at least 9 months that if it were to under major activity, it may stiffen up and affect the ligament permanently.
*Sigh*
Bye guys!
Posted by: Charles | September 09, 2008 at 01:20 PM
AK --
One of the things I heard early on is that the tendon could shrivel if it was not reattached within a certain time window. I don't know if this had anything to do with it or not. But do you recall that?
Posted by: HmrHed | September 09, 2008 at 01:21 PM
Kobe,
Get the surgery!
Not only does it affect his shooting, we've all seen how his ball-hanlding suffers. He now looses the ball on average about twice a game due to that finger.
This is not to say that I think he should have the surgery because he would shoot better or have better handles. My point is that it is obviously bad enough to affect him, and is therefore something that shouldn't be ignored.
Plus, long term, what if he tries to compensate for those things and strains/injures something else? He is attempting to accommodate an injury over a two-year period.
That could seriously back-fire.
In this regard, we need Kobe to be just a little more selfish...
Never thought you'd hear someone say that, did ya'?
--Fearless
Posted by: Fearless | September 09, 2008 at 01:26 PM
HmrHed,
I heard the same thing.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | September 09, 2008 at 01:27 PM
AK,
"I appreciate the dedication to all aspects of the upcoming season, but I would personally rather him take the safest possible route, even if it means missing a camp where he can still make his presence felt in a leadership capacity."
Website says 12 weeks as does your post, that menas missing more than camp. That'd at least take him out the first month and a half. And we all remember how Bynum's 12 weeks turned out to be more like 30.
lakofan
"a hand 'doctor' was just interviewed, and he said that it's best for kobe not to get the surgery, that if he does, there's a BIG change the finger will not be able to move for a long time."
Umm who interviewed this doctor? And umm do you have a link? like if what you say is true then his decision might begin to make sense.
Anywho, I still think he should get the surgery. If you're talking dynasty 30 weeks is still affordable, plus if you're talking dynasty this team would still kick ass without kobe. Call me crazy but I think this laker team is capable of making a deep playoff run even if we're missing a key player (or the man as is the case with kobe), what we'd struggle with is winning it all if all our key players aren't healthy (ala bynum last year).
Lastly lets not go crazy over surgery or no surgery. The decision has been made, the silver lining in all this is we get to watch kobe from day 1. Does dstv have league pass, I'm moving soon (mamba24, ya boi is gonna be right in the heart of downtown[pending credit approval], yup i'm living it up)
Posted by: Taliq | September 09, 2008 at 01:27 PM
He knows his body more than most. He knows his tolerance more than most.
That said, I totally, vehemently disagree with this decision. Contrary to AK I don't think this will be something he would have no choice to fix later in the season...but rather, it will be something that will continue to show throughout the season. A full strength Kobe is what we need.
Get the surgery Kobe. We can hang on for 12 weeks.
Posted by: Faith | September 09, 2008 at 01:28 PM
KayJay,
If Kobe is planning on smashing the regular season this year, then you have made a great point.
Can't hate that, either.
--Fearless
Posted by: | September 09, 2008 at 01:28 PM
Lakofan,
What hand doctor are you referring to? Do you have a link for this?
AK
********************
it was on the radio...i'll get you the link later on. i never "make up" stories...i think you remember that about me.
besides that, i've read before that that was a big concern, that if he waited longer, the surgery would be worse in the end.
by moving the hand. the finger would continue to get worse, not in the sense of the injury, but in that they need to take a more extensive look at his hand and the ligaments in the pinkie finger. the surgery would be more extensive and there was the possibitlity of the pinkie not getting movement.
hope that explains it a little bit...
Posted by: lakofan | September 09, 2008 at 01:29 PM
"I just didn't want to miss any time 'punching the clock' for the Lakers"
Good for him, didn't want to get surgery and miss "company time"! Wonder who that could be in reference to...
Posted by: Jeff | September 09, 2008 at 12:59 PM
Funniest thing I read ALL DAY!
--Fearless
Posted by: | September 09, 2008 at 01:33 PM
Kobe consulted a Shaolin monk and was given a secret herbal formula to heal his torn ligament. See this monks are martial arts combatants and tear and break bones normally. They heal by themselves with no surgery. See link below. Go Kobe! Go Lakers!
http://www.seaofchi.com/ihs.html
Posted by: Laker Phil | September 09, 2008 at 01:33 PM
Lakofan,
I figured your weren't making it up. I just wanted to read/hear whatever it was, just for my own knowledge and background.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | September 09, 2008 at 01:33 PM
Charles / laker nation,
"One Doctor mentioned that if it was worked on right away after the Finals, he may have been fine. (Also mentioned it was speculative) But there is a chance since it has been injured for at least 9 months that if it were to under major activity, it may stiffen up and affect the ligament permanently."
And the plot thickens ... ok so granted the doctors haven't had a chance to see him but assuming this is the kind of thing you can professionally guestimate about then one has to really kinda question the wisdom of the whole olympics thing ... then again dude agrew up abroad, the whole international thing meant a lot to him, and he's always hurt every summer olympic, he's getting older and all ... so yeah i understand him being selfish and wanting to play for his country ... so who do we blame for this ... well i blame cupcake ... he should have said no ... he should have said we wont pay you if you dont get surgery ... season over get it now and umm tough luck you cant do the olympics but who's paying ya rent ... that's right we're your daddy
ok ok I'm just being sarcastic ... decisions been made, I just hope he's at least 90% kobe cuz d west has some serious ballers in the back court these days ... cp3, brandon roy, them young uns are coming up ..
Posted by: Taliq | September 09, 2008 at 01:35 PM
Jon K --
OK -- so I heard right -- I wonder if it's beyond surgical repair. Anyway, the guy won the MVP with it like that -- don't fix it if it's not broken -- hahaha.
Posted by: HmrHed | September 09, 2008 at 01:36 PM
Taliq,
"Website says 12 weeks as does your post, that menas missing more than camp. That'd at least take him out the first month and a half. And we all remember how Bynum's 12 weeks turned out to be more like 30."
No, I get that, although it sounded to me like Kobe meant that it could take up to 12 weeks, as in "the extreme." Maybe that was just a result of the wording on the site, but that's how I took it. But yeah, I realize 12 weeks recovery could link into a few weeks into the season, but I'd rather him miss 3-4 weeks' worth of games than 12 weeks worth of games, were he to re-aggravate the pinky during the season. If it's 30 weeks (WAY worst case scenario), I'd rather get 7-8 of them out of the way before the season begins.
Whatever the case, it just seems like the most practical, based covered route to me.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | September 09, 2008 at 01:38 PM
Starlet's SUPPOSED INSURY?
Fakers, all of yoos.
Posted by: Let's go C! | September 09, 2008 at 01:38 PM
You know, it might be a longer recovery now because he's already waited 9 months. The surgery option now might be reconstructive and no longer repair. He may have turned a corner that only a full off-season can rectify.
It is important to note that this time his decision isn't outside the lines of the opinions of medical professionals. In this case, he's still in that grey area.
Last year, the consensus was to definately have the surgery.
So we might lable it foolish, brave, commendable, or dangerous. We can't label his decision irresponsible.
--Fearless
Posted by: Fearless | September 09, 2008 at 01:39 PM
I don't like this at all. While I admire him for grinding through this, there's just too many games for something else to happen, accidental hits on the hand and so forth. We all admire you Kobe but... have the surgery... this also raises the question whether or not he can have the surgery after this season or not, will it have been too long?
Posted by: Stay Thirsty My Friends | September 09, 2008 at 01:40 PM
lakofan,
"by moving the hand. the finger would continue to get worse, not in the sense of the injury, but in that they need to take a more extensive look at his hand and the ligaments in the pinkie finger. the surgery would be more extensive and there was the possibitlity of the pinkie not getting movement."
So Kobe lied to us by saying he couldn't worsen it by playing longer. I mean yeah the pain etc might not be worse but the dude conveniently left out the part about surgery being more difficult ...
argh I hate the fact that our best weapon is not at a 100% but I can't be mad at his motivation ... getting to the finals last year sped up the making of our dynasty, this team will have an extra swagger in it's step, cuz now they know they're good enough as oppsoed to say it looks good on paper ... 2nd he did it for his country and whilst it's very easy for me to say team usa would have won without him or that who cares about olympic basketball, fact is they hadn't won recently without him and he apparently cared about usa gold (i still think it's stupid to say its better than a championship but hey people think i'm crazy for trying to live in a zipcode i can't afford, we all have what gets us off)
Posted by: Taliq | September 09, 2008 at 01:42 PM
Quick question
Was the quote I just didn’t want to miss any time ‘punching the clock’ for the Lakers a knock aganist Shaq when he missed the beginning of the season saying “i got hurt on company time i’ll recover on company time?
Posted by: trzan | September 09, 2008 at 01:44 PM
One good thing now is that if Kobe plays badly we can still whisper about his pinky as an excuse for his poor play.
Posted by: Amazing_Happens | September 09, 2008 at 01:47 PM
Jon K,
The whole thing with stars saying they'd play overseas for $50 million is a media creation. Most of the teams overseas don't even have payrolls that approach $50 million and they're barely turning profits as it is. There's no way one of our big stars in the U.S. is jumping ship.
Posted by: Xodus | September 09, 2008 at 01:49 PM
AK,
"Whatever the case, it just seems like the most practical, based covered route to me."
I agree 100%, I think sometimes we forget being great at basketball doesn't mean you make smart decisions.
Fearless,
"You know, it might be a longer recovery now because he's already waited 9 months. The surgery option now might be reconstructive and no longer repair. He may have turned a corner that only a full off-season can rectify.
It is important to note that this time his decision isn't outside the lines of the opinions of medical professionals. In this case, he's still in that grey area."
And do we know whether waiting 20 months as oppossed to 10 would make surgery even that much harder. I mean dudes an adult, if he wants to play till his hands fall off then that's fine. I just hate the fact that I'll be cheering on while he does it.
I guess this is why we pray. So laker fans when you get on your knees for a championship this season, remember to add the clause that we dont want it to come at the expense of future championships and we dont want it to come at the expense of kobe's hand. We want to have our cake and eat it too. I read somewhere we're entitled to another dynasty as a reward for generously starting smush and kwame on the same team.
Posted by: Taliq | September 09, 2008 at 01:51 PM
Kobe Bryant is officially a BAMF.
Posted by: Alec | September 09, 2008 at 01:55 PM
As much as we'd love for Kobe to be as close to 100% as possible, I don't think foregoing surgery is that big of a deal. There is a picture in his mind that is more important than the "longevity" of his career. With AB coming back at "100%" and no "major" injuries to the team, he wants to be there with them through the whole process. He knows the Lakers' chances to win it all this year are the best they've had in a LONG while, including last year, which came as a second half surprise.
This year they are contenders from day one, and he wants his team to buy into that. He is being the leader that we all knew he was capable of being. If he gets the surgery, misses the first couple months and the guys have a slow start, they risk losing the season, the confidence in the young players, etc. This is not a veteran team, just more experienced than this time last year.
No player has a will stronger than Kobe's. There may be players just as strong, but nobody's is stronger. He'll manage that injury and endure pain to win. That's what you gotta love about him as a player. Plus, I really don't think a pinky is going to affect the remainder of his career that much. Feel good that our leader is HUNGRY for a title and he's letting his team know that he'll be there for them no matter what it takes. I can't wait!!!
Posted by: JSNV | September 09, 2008 at 01:56 PM
To KL: No you may *not* exceed the salary cap. Unlike the NFL and NHL however there are more exceptions. These are the *only* way to exceed the cap (at all).
Mid-level exception
A team is allowed to sign one player to a contract equal to the average NBA salary, even if the team is over the salary cap already, or if the signing would put them over the cap. This is known as the Mid-level exception (MLE). The MLE may be used on an individual free agent or split among multiple free agents, and is available regardless of where a team stands with respect to the salary cap. The Mid-Level Exception for the 2007-08 NBA season was $5.36 million. The MLE is $5.585 million for the 2008-09 NBA regular season.
An example would be the Toronto Raptors' acquisition of three-point specialist Jason Kapono during the 2007 off-season.
Bi-annual exception
The bi-annual exception may be used to sign any free agent to a contract starting at $1.672 million in 2005-06, but cannot be used two years in a row (and if the $1 million exception from the previous CBA was used in 2004-05, the bi-annual exception cannot be used in 2005-06). Like the mid-level exception, the $1 million exception can also be split among more than one player, and can be used to sign players for up to two years, with raises limited to 8% per year. This exception was referred to as the "$1 million exception" in the 1999 CBA, although it was only valued at $1 million for the first year of the agreement.
An example of the $1 million exception was when the Los Angeles Lakers signed Karl Malone to a contract before the 2003-04 season.
Rookie exception
The CBA allows teams to sign their 1st-round draft choices to rookie "scale" contracts even if their payroll exceeds the cap.
Larry Bird exception
Perhaps the most well-known of the NBA's salary cap exceptions, it is so named because the Boston Celtics were the first team permitted to exceed the salary cap to re-sign one of their own players (in that case, Larry Bird). Free agents who qualify for this exception are called "qualifying veteran free agents" or "Bird Free Agents" in the CBA, and this exception falls under the auspices of the Veteran Free Agent exception. In a nutshell, the Larry Bird exception allows teams to exceed the salary cap to re-sign their own free agents, at an amount up to the maximum salary. To qualify as a Bird free agent, a player must have played three seasons without being waived or changing teams as a free agent. This means a player can obtain "Bird rights" by playing under three one-year contracts, a single contract of at least three years, or any combination thereof. It also means that when a player is traded, his Bird rights are traded with him, and his new team can use the Bird exception to re-sign him. Bird-exception contracts can be up to six years in length.
Early Bird exception
This is the lesser form of the Larry Bird Exception. Free agents who qualify for this exception are called "early qualifying veteran free agents," and qualify after playing two seasons without being waived or changing teams as a free agent. Using this exception, a team can re-sign its own free agent for either 175% of his salary the previous season, or the NBA's average salary, whichever is greater. Early Bird contracts must be for at least two seasons, but can last no longer than five seasons.
A much-publicized example for this would be Devean George, who vetoed his inclusion into a larger trade during the 2007-08 that would have sent him from the Dallas Mavericks to the New Jersey Nets because he would have lost his Early Bird rights.
Non-Bird exception
Free Agents who qualify for this exception are called "non-qualifying free agents" in the CBA, meaning they do not qualify under either the Larry Bird Exception or the Early Bird Exception. Under this exception, teams can re-sign a player to a contract beginning at either 120% of his salary for the previous season, or 120% of the league's minimum salary, whichever amount is higher. Contracts signed under the Non-Bird exception can last up to six years.
Other exceptions
Minimum Salary Exception: Teams can sign players for the NBA's minimum salary even if they are over the cap, for up to two years in length. In the case of two-year contracts, the second-season salary is the minimum salary for that season. The contract may not contain a signing bonus. This exception also allows minimum-salary players to be acquired via trade. There is no limit to the number of players that can be signed or acquired using this exception.
Traded Player Exception: If a team trades away a player with a higher salary than the player they acquire in return (we'll call this initial deal "Trade #1"), they receive what is called a Traded Player Exception, also known colloquially as a "Trade Exception". Teams with a trade exception have up to a year in which they can acquire more salary in other trades (Trade #2, #3, etc) than they send away, as long as the gulf in salaries for Trade #2, #3, etc are less than or equal to the difference in salary for Trade #1. This exception is particularly useful when teams trade draft picks straight-up for a player; since draft picks have no salary value, often the only way to get salaries to match is to use a trade exception, which allows trades to be made despite unbalanced salaries. It is also useful to compensate teams for losing free agents as they can do a sign and trade of that free agent to acquire a trade exception that can be used later. Note this exception is for single player trades only, though additional cash and draft picks can be part of the trade.
Disabled Player Exception: Allows a team that is over the cap to acquire a replacement for a disabled player who will be out for either the remainder of that season (for in-season injuries/deaths) or the next season (if the disability occurs during the offseason). The maximum salary of the replacement player is either 50% of the injured player's salary, or the average salary, whichever is less. This exception requires an NBA-designated doctor to verify the extent of the injury.
Note that while teams can often use one exception to sign multiple players, they cannot use a combination of exceptions to sign a single player.
Regardless whether if teams uses these rules to exceed the Salary Cap, then they will have to pay the "Luxury Tax" meaning for every 1 dollar over the cap due to these exceptions then another dollar must be used to pay the NBA League Office. So if you were to be $20 Million over the Salary Cap, then you will have to pay another $20 Million to the League Office.
In short you cannot exceed the cap.
AK I saw your post and I added a little more *detail* to what the exceptions are.
-Blitz
Posted by: thekobebryantblitz | September 09, 2008 at 02:00 PM
I'm as torn as Kobe's pinky on this issue. Sure, it makes sense to have the surgery. Sure, it makes sense not to want to miss the first six weeks of the season, or more.
Kobe's warrior mentality obviously rules the day. If he and the Lakers rule the season and post-season and bring home the Championship trophy, we can pick up this conversation next summer. Go Lakers!
Posted by: Rick Friedman | September 09, 2008 at 02:01 PM
A couple of things...
I'm assuming he knows all good and well to go to the best people. Get several "second" opinions...
I'm assuming he knows how to compensate, knows his limits, and his abilities.
I'm assuming he is aware of the positives and the negatives of this decision.
He's an adult. It's his decision. But for one day, I say not ok. Get the surgery Kobe.
Posted by: Faith | September 09, 2008 at 02:01 PM
Xodus,
See for yourself.
http://tinyurl.com/6h7sof
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | September 09, 2008 at 02:02 PM
The Agency had the cybernetic pinkie ready and everything.
I don't get it.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | September 09, 2008 at 02:04 PM
Jeff,
Thanks for the stats. I feel that Kobe's offensive stats (except for points per game) should have increased post-pinky injury. With the acquistion of Gasol, coupled with Lamar's improved play, Kobe had more open looks post-pinky, as defenses did not have the luxury of focusing solely on Kobe anymore. Yet, his stats remained virtually the same. This leads me to believe that although his stats did not change, his pinky might've had a negative effect on his offensive stats. I'm actually more concerned about Kobe's dribbling and rebounding. There were many instances last year where the ball just got away from Kobe when dribbling with his right hand. That being said, if Kobe can win the MVP with four fingers, he can do whatever he feels is best for the team.
John K,
Would you leave your company to do the exact same work elsewhere, even though you loved everything about the co., if your salary were to increase threefold (with incentives and tax breaks, $50million is closer to 3 times Kobe's salary)? Anyone would be crazy not to take that offer. If Kobe says he would go overseas, don't blame Kobe, blame the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The only way to keep the NBA stars from going overseas in the future is to restructure the (owner-biased) CBA. The threat of Lebron and Kobe going overseas should force owners to address this issue.
Posted by: LAKER TRUTH | September 09, 2008 at 02:06 PM
Gold was cool but I would much rather have the Lakers win it all. Lakers come WAY before USA basketball. I'm not mad at Kobe for going and getting gold but I would have rather had him be a 100% for the Lakers going in to camp.
I just hope this doesn't turn in to a nightmare a la Tom Brady. I'm also a Chargers fan and I'll be the first to tell you that injuries suck. Maybe Kobe and Merriman are friends. I know Kobe can play through the pain and the injury because it didn't seem to slow him down at all last year but the Lakers have a legit shot for a dynasty and I don't want a serious Kobe injury to get in the way.
Lets just keep our fingers crossed.
Lamar = Laker for Life
GO LAKERS
Posted by: mrbarneydangles | September 09, 2008 at 02:09 PM
Oh my God Kobe, look what you did ... LGC is back on the blog
Posted by: kene_slow | September 09, 2008 at 02:17 PM
I agree with Jon K. and I said it here yesterday - best case scenario would have been for Kobe to make the surgery appointment ASAP after the Olympics were done. Like within 3 days of it ending.
That would have meant August 26th, and if recovery was 8-12 weeks it would have put his full recovery date between October 21st and November 18th. That means he would have missed, absolute worst case scenerio, what, 10 games?
If it's to the point now where surgery simply makes it worse, then he should have come out and said that this is the best his finger is ever going to get.
There's my 2 cents.
Posted by: puddle | September 09, 2008 at 02:18 PM
Personally, I think him foregoing the surgery may be a good thing.
For one, it's very likely that the "hand doctor" thing is true, as a co-worker also heard a similar thing on the radio (currently, I'm unsure as to the source... but possibly AM570 KLAC?).
Secondly, I forget who posted it in the comments, but it seems as if the statistics show not much of a shooting difference when it comes to his field goal percentage before and after the injury to his pinkie.
So what I'm hoping for this Lakers season is for us fans to see a Kobe that is primarily focused on defense. I, along with several other fans, believe Kobe is a bit lazy when it comes to his defense in the NBA. He's a good help defender, but focuses on that too much instead of sticking in front of his man. If he can play the type of defense we know he can (as evident in the FIBA games and the Olympics), then a championship is almost guaranteed... given that there are no major injuries and that the players (specifically Bynum and Gasol) can mesh well.
So, maybe Kobe is thinking to himself: "I don't have to score as much. I'll look for Bynum and Gasol on the inside and rack up my assists and be the self-proclaimed Doberman that I can be."
Posted by: YURKIDDING | September 09, 2008 at 02:22 PM
The interview lakofan is talking about was the Loose Cannons talking to a doctor who primarily does knee and hip replacements a little before 1pm today on AM570. I caught the tail end of it.
I think Kobe's pinkie is fine. My bet is he waits until Pinkie Watch has died down and casually eliminates the tape job by mid-season. Either that or he'll just role Rip Hamilton style and continue playing with it the rest of his career b/c he's used to it now.
btw - was just notified I got a seat upgrade for my season tickets this year. two rows closer. actually makes a big difference.
Posted by: lakers_sth | September 09, 2008 at 02:28 PM
Reaction is mixed here...gotta love the dedication, but at what price? Like when Shaq wouldn't take pain killers/anti-inflammatories because he thought it would take away his edge.
Posted by: stevevillakers | September 09, 2008 at 02:32 PM
I guess the question is, how much does it affect his shot, now that he has gotten used to playing with the injury.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | September 09, 2008 at 02:33 PM
I also read on the Latimes that theere is a probability that the surgery could cost Kobe up to 12 weeks to recover.
On a personal level i would much rather see kobe take the surgery and get it out of the way right now. It is the best for his own personal health. But then again, I could see why kobe is deciding to forgo it. This is the oppurtunity he has been waiting for since 2004. And for the first time in a long time Kobe does not need to be 100% and on top of his game for us to win it all. We got a great team, and maybe it has come to the point where it is now or never. Lamar may not come back after next year and who knows what else could happen in the meantime. Kobe once again is showing why he has the heart of a champion in playing through this injury all year, even if it goes againsn't common sense.
Go Lakers
Posted by: TrueLakerFan | September 09, 2008 at 02:38 PM
If he's forgoing surgery, can't he at least get a neoprene brace or something? There's gotta be something better than the tape job that they do every game.
Posted by: #4 | September 09, 2008 at 02:40 PM
It doesn't seem to have affected his shooting percentages. Probably a testament to his ability to focus.
From forumblueandgold, FWIW:
Kobe pre-injury:
46 games, 45.9% FG, 83.6% FT, 35.6% 3P, 8.8 FTA/gm, 5.1 3PA/gm
Kobe post-injury (including playoffs):
57 games: 46.5% FG, 83.1% FT, 34.4% 3P, 9.4 FTA/gm, 5.0 3PA/gm
Posted by: exhelodrvr | September 09, 2008 at 02:42 PM
If any Euro team needs a shooting guard with mad skills from three and the ability to body in the post with much larger guys (I'm 5'8", 195) I can be had for just $35 million.
We don't have all the info but my gut reaction is that KB24 should submit to the knife sooner rather than later to miss as little time on the clock as possible.
Also, seriously, whoever mentioned the weakness of his handle since the injury is right on the money. Has he forgotten how much easier it was to drive around fools when he could dribble with his dominant hand?
Posted by: Jesterguru | September 09, 2008 at 02:43 PM
LAKER TRUTH,
I'm a pretty loyal guy and for me money is not the most important thing in life.
If I had $100 million in assets and I had to chose between making $15 million a year and stay in Los Angeles and play for the NBA Championship or move to Italy, make $50 million a year, and play for the Italian Championship, I would honestly stay in the United States and play for the NBA Championship.
Let's be serious. After a certain point of wealth, more money won't make you any happier and won't make your family any more secure.
On your death bed, would you be more content with your life thinking "I made some wise financial decisions that earned me tens of millions of dollars more than I would have had" or "I sacrificed to be the best at the thing I loved and I succeeded... and I will be remembered for that"?
I'd chose the latter of the two.
Money is important in life, but its not that important.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | September 09, 2008 at 02:46 PM
Ex,
"I guess the question is, how much does it affect his shot, now that he has gotten used to playing with the injury."
I usually agree with you on everything non-political but I think in this case it's about his handle more than his shot.
Of course, if the team can run the triangle well with the big guys in the middle, hopefully he won't have to freelance with the ball as much. So maybe he just wants to make sure that happens.
Posted by: Jesterguru | September 09, 2008 at 02:47 PM
THE ULTIMATE SELFISH ACT BY KOBE
BULL, HE WANTS TO BE WITH TEAMMATES AT THE START OF CAMP.
KOBE KNOWS THAT WITHOUT HIM THE TEAM WILL BE JUST FINE AND HE DOESN'T WANT TO COMPROMISE ANY RENOGOTIATIONS OF HIS CONTRACT OPTION COMING UP.
THINK ABOUT IT, IF THE LAKERS JELL WITHOUT HIM HIS POSITION BECOMES WEAKER.
WITHOUT KOBE, THE TEAM WOULD BE A TRUE TEAM, A TEAM NINE RINGS COULD REALLY TEACH. ONE THAT PJ WOULD LOVE TO COACH TO SHOW HE'S ALWAYS BEEN RIGHT ABOUT KOBE. I BET PHILLIP BELEIVES HE COULD HAVE WON THOSE 3 CHAMPIONSHIPS WITHOUT KOBE.
KOBE IS ALL ABOUT KOBE
NOW WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE BS ALL YEAR LONG WHAT A WARRIOR HE IS AND THE GREAT SACRIFICE HE HAS MADE.
MAKE NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, THIS MOVE IS CALCULATING.
KOBE NOT IN THE SPOTLIGHT FOR 3 MONTHS, THE EGO WILL NOT LET HIM DO IT.
WITH KOBE, ITS ME ME ME ME ME
THIS WILL COME BACK TO HAUNT THE LAKERS
PUNCH THE CLOCK MY ARSE, THE BEST THING HE COULD DO IS TO HAVE THE SURGERY AND COME BACK 100%. EVEN IF THE PINKIE DOESN'T HEAL 100%.
I SUPPOSE NEXT SUMMER WE WILL HEAR MORE EXCUSES ABOUT WHY HE'S NOT GOING TO HAVE THE SURGERY.
LET'S HEAR EVERYONE KISS UP AND SAY WHAT A BOLD AND SMART DECISION HE MADE.
YOU LOSERS BACK UP THE EGOMANIAC
OPEN YOUR EYES
SELFISH
SELFISH
SELFISH KOBE
HE COULD HAVE GOTTEN THE SURGERY AND LET HIS TEAMMATES REALLY DEVELOP THEIR CONFIDENCE
BUT NOOOOOOOOOOO
SELFISH
SELFISH
SELFISH KOBE
Posted by: Troll Man | September 09, 2008 at 02:47 PM
If I had to guess at what's REALLY going on, I'd say that Kobe has pretty much screwed up that pinkie as bad as it can be screwed up and as a result not only will surgery lead to a long recovery time, but also no guarantee of a return to complete health.
So Kobe said, "Screw it. I'd rather bond with my team anyways. I need this Championship. (And I need to see the look in Shaq's eyes after I win the Finals MVP during a season in which the Suns don't make the playoffs.)"
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | September 09, 2008 at 02:50 PM
If Kobe got the surgery, that 12 weeks of downtime would have slated him to return around the 1st or 2nd week of December. The Lakers would've played 18-20 games by then. There's a stretch in Nov where they play at least 7 WC contenders. It's entirely possible that the Lakers are a .500 team at the point when Kobe returns. Judging by last year's standings where every playoff team had at least 50 wins and only 7 games separated the 1st (Lakers) from the 8th (Nuggets), it would be tough to make it out of the West if we don't have the #1 seed. It's tough but I think that Kobe made the right call. He sniffs a championship and nothing can detract him from his single-minded focus of winning it all. Besides, even if he got the surgery and his pinky heals perfectly, there is no guarantee that it won't get re-injured. So, more power to the Mamba. I support your decision 100%.
Go Lakers!
Posted by: SamLL | September 09, 2008 at 02:56 PM
IF the Lakers do win the title this year, Kobe should get the championship ring fitted for his pinky!!! Oh hayell... I'm just giddy right now!!!
Posted by: JSNV | September 09, 2008 at 02:56 PM
Kobe's decision not to have surgery because he does'nt want to miss the training camp, given all what they are trying to accomplish as a team this coming 2008-2009 season and that is to win the championship. With that, he truly distance himself from Shaq who only thinks of himself and not about the team. Enough said.
Posted by: dacsila | September 09, 2008 at 02:59 PM
AK,
All this business about Kobe’s pinky is over the top. To this day, I have two crooked pinkies that have been injured over and over playing basketball. If I clench either hand in a claw like manner, my pinky locks up. Each pinky also has a knot at the knuckle. It is just an injury that I learned to live with through the years, just as Kobe will.
Doctors also told me to have them operated on but I thought that was ridiculous and unnecessary. While they never completely healed and are to this day sensitive when struck, my injured pinkies never really affected my shooting stroke that much.
I would bet that there are several ex-player bloggers who suffer from the same condition – now known as Kobe finger. I often wished it were my middle finger that would lock up. Then it would be a silent form of Tourette’s Syndrome. LOL.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | September 09, 2008 at 03:03 PM
What would you rather hear/read?
'Kobe Bryant to miss 12 weeks to have pinkie surgery"
or
"Kobe Bryant to forego surgery and start season with the Lakers"
We can only speculate, Kobe lives it.
So if he can live with his decision, then we best just support the guy and hope/pray nothing ever happens during the season to force him to sit out.
GO LAKERS!!!
Is it October yet? Wake me up in October!
Posted by: Happy Gilmore | September 09, 2008 at 03:03 PM
Terrible decision...I hope everyone realises that this was the plan all along...They must known that the recovery time was 'up to 12 weeks' LAST year...they just couldnt release the information earlier becasue nobody would of wanted to hear about how Kobe was choosing the Olympics over the lakers again and again throughout the tournament.
Kobe was always going to have to make a choice to miss the Olympics or miss some of the season so he would have decided a long time ago to miss neither and play through it.
He must know from a basketball standpoint that after a long playoff run and another exhausting off season that the extra rest could actually be really beneficial to the lakers...but Im not sure if its entirely about that...Kobe just didnt want to be the guy that had to conciously make a choice between the olympics and the NBA season.
I feel sorry for him actually.He will see it as he made the choice to do both so he'll take the pain that goes with it - i'm not sure if he's seeing the full picture but my guess would be thats where his head is at...and I also guess this decision was made a long time ago.
However I think that Gasol,Odom, and Bynum could keep the lakers within striking distance early on and Kobe should have missed some time....On the other side of the coin this is down to the tight west and the lakers realisation they need home court advantage - This regular season should be great because the fight for top seeds become relevent again after the bulls,lakers and spurs made a mockery of it for the last 15 years or so.
Would this have happened on the lakers three peat teams? no way... Kobe would have started the season recovering but he knows this team isnt necessarily going to strut in and win big playoff games on the road.
So...would I have rather Kobe took the olympics off?....well yeah easy for me to say becasue I'm not American but its clear that Team USA needed Kobe and you just can't begrudge any player for wanting that experience...however if 12 weeks is the maximum recovery time and theres no 'catch' we are unaware of regarding the injury itself...then given the milage on Kobe's body,the potential of the team to play pretty well in his absence,and the fact that Kobe is a fast healer...then I have to say that he should have gone in for surgery the day after the olympics saying he expected to be fully healed by camp...then put the return date back later and later if necessary.I strongly thought it was the right decision to play through it last year but not this time...the risks are just too high when balanced against the fact that it might not cost the lakers home court,they might not get home court anyway,and Kobe getting extra rest and the team getting a chance to play without him could be beneficial.
This could only happen to Kobe...
Posted by: Kiwi | September 09, 2008 at 03:09 PM
Taliq,
Thanks for adding that pang of guilt to the whole equation. Now, when I cheer for Kobe, I gotta consider that I'm part of the problem.
You know, ignorance is bliss...
What can I say? You make an excellent point.
Dude's an adult. He does what he wants to.
I also think (as I've previously posted) that I think it's his handles that are affected the most. We see it once or twice every game that he can't do that tricky stuff like he used to.
Occassionally, he even looses the ball on a "routine" dribble as well.
What we forget is just how disasterous this injury looked like it was. When Kobe and Vitti first tried taping the thing up, it was a mitigated disaster. He couldn't shoot, he couldn't dribble, he couldn't defend. Nothin'
It wasn't until they came up with the rather brilliant notion to tape the pinky while he was holding the ball in the shooting position. Which obviously helped his shot while sacrificing a little on the ball-handling (since you don't hold the ball the same way in both situations).
Without that, last season was a done deal. Do we remember that?
At any rate. This decision shows true leadership.
--Fearless
Posted by: Fearless | September 09, 2008 at 03:14 PM
Reaction is mixed here...gotta love the dedication, but at what price? Like when Shaq wouldn't take pain killers/anti-inflammatories because he thought it would take away his edge.
Posted by: stevevillakers
Actually what took away his edge was the 50 pounds he gained while he was here. Remember how "he got his edge back" in Miami when they locked him in the 24hr Fitness all summer? Between clowning around in clubs, getting back with his wife and threatening women's lives, I'm not sure he had time to "get his edge back" this summer. Sorry Suns fans, looks like there'll just be more of him to love!!!
Posted by: JSNV | September 09, 2008 at 03:14 PM
Jon K,
>>>I'm a pretty loyal guy and for me money is not the most
>>>important thing in life.
>>>
>>>If I had $100 million in assets and I had to chose
>>>between making $15 million a year and stay in Los
>>>Angeles and play for the NBA Championship or move
>>> to Italy, make $50 million a year, and play for the
>>>Italian Championship, I would honestly stay in the
>>>United States and play for the NBA Championship.
Okay, now add in the fact that you grew up in Italy, as
Kobe did.
Perhaps now there's at least a faint nostalgia and perhaps
even loyalty to Italy as well. It's not like Kobe said that he
would take 50 million a year to play hoops in India or Kenya
or somewhere he has no past with.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | September 09, 2008 at 03:19 PM
The phantom pinky injury.
I'm down with Kobe just as much as you guys, but this right here is boo sh11. Sprained pinky at the most, but no torn this or torn that. Man, he played us real good. How could he (Kobe) lie to us? Doesn't he trust us, don't he know that we wouldn't dime him out?
Posted by: Magia32 | September 09, 2008 at 03:19 PM
stevevillakers,
"Like when Shaq wouldn't take pain killers/anti-inflammatories because he thought it would take away his edge."
Actually, I think he was afraid it would take away his appetite.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | September 09, 2008 at 03:22 PM
By the way did anyone see Kobe's appearance on the MTV awards? he walked out there like he had to take two freebies with the lakers down 25 points with 40 seconds to go in the game...the audience got the 'Kobe i'm gonna kill you all' look before all was explained by his lame presentation - he mustve read that script and thought damn Ive spent years trying to get credibility and this is going to screw it all up...then he kissed Britney Spears so reluctantly that anyone would think he'd seen a bunch of Colorado policemen hanging around backstage.He was dressed pretty sharp but dunno if he'll be invited back...I guess he knew he had to release this statement the next day
JOHN K
great call on the money situation....be emailing you soon.
Posted by: Kiwi | September 09, 2008 at 03:22 PM
Jester,
It definitely could affect his ball handling.
However, if he can play at the level he played at last season, I think the team would be better off him not getting the surgery. Too much is lost with the development of the on-court chemistry if he can't play in training camp, pre-season, and the first part of the season. And considering the new players/returning from injury players/players who came in the middle of last season/players in a new position/just plain inexperienced players, there is a lot of chemistry that needs to be developed.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | September 09, 2008 at 03:28 PM
I hope Mitch didn't give Kobe any advice on whether to hold off on getting surgery or not. Have you guys seen his pinkie? Here's the best picture I could find.
http://tinyurl.com/6m7kkm
Posted by: lakers_sth | September 09, 2008 at 03:35 PM
TROLL MAN SOUNDS LIKE JAN BRADY!!!
If you're not emailing from some war-torn nation, be happy, life is good!! That bitterness reaks!! It smells like a turd with burnt hair or bigfoot's d... hahahahaha
Posted by: JSNV | September 09, 2008 at 03:36 PM
I agree with most of the posts saying Kobe should have the surgery. I do have another reason to add, however.
Currently, we have a log jam at the guard position. This would be an opportunity to give more playing time to the contenders, and see what shakes out. Assuming, of course, that PJ is willing to give some of the younger players more court time.
Roger
Posted by: Roger B | September 09, 2008 at 03:36 PM
Long Time Laker Fan,
I will admit that there would be worse places to make $50 million a year than northern Italy. Still, the NBA is the top of the pyramid when it comes to global basketball and if my wife and kids grew up in Los Angeles...
I certainly wouldn't leave. I'd stay.
I could always take my wife and kids to visit Italy, but there's no way I could win an NBA Championship there and cement my legacy.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | September 09, 2008 at 03:37 PM
How many times do we have to see that Kobe knows his body's limits and his pain threshhold better than anyone else before we can finally just trust the guy to make the right decision?
He wants a championship. He wants to win, He feels this is the best way to accomplish that. He's been right before EVERY time about decisions like this.
Trust the guy already!
Posted by: Gercat | September 09, 2008 at 03:37 PM
>>>SELFISH
>>>SELFISH
>>>SELFISH KOBE
Somehow I think if Kobe donated all of his money to charity and
opted out of his contract to re-sign for 1 dollar per year so the
Lakers could sign more players and if he led the league in
assists and build houses for the homeless on his days off
and negotiated a lasting peace treaty between Israel and
Palestine in the summer...
that KL and Gunner and a few others here would find a
way to interpret it all as arrogant and despicable behavior
by Kobe.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | September 09, 2008 at 03:38 PM
The report in LA Times quoted Kobe as having "consulted several hand specialists" about the length of time to recuperate, but there was no mention of future implications if the surgery is not done. As far as I am concern, that is the most important consideration at this point is long term health. I just don't want another repeat of the Bynum scenario!!
Posted by: Robyn | September 09, 2008 at 03:39 PM
Kobe don't need no surgery. He's got duct tape.
And if that stops working, he'll cut it off.
And then he'd be Kobe "the first 9-fingered MVP" Bryant
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | September 09, 2008 at 03:44 PM
The phantom pinky injury.
I'm down with Kobe just as much as you guys, but this right here is boo sh11. Sprained pinky at the most, but no torn this or torn that. Man, he played us real good. How could he (Kobe) lie to us? Doesn't he trust us, don't he know that we wouldn't dime him out?
Posted by: Magia32
***************
do you think the lakers/nba didn't see the MRI and x-rays?
the nba had to because the whole drama about the all-star game. the lakers because they were the first to take a look at the injury.
so the nba/lakers/doctors just lie to make kobe look like a hero.
some people just "hate to hate" and by "hate" i don't mean you hate kobe, but that some people look for every little thing to make things up without thinking
INCREDIBLE
Posted by: lakofan | September 09, 2008 at 03:47 PM
"Although Lakers star Kobe Bryant announced this afternoon on his website kb24.com that he is bypassing surgery on his injured right pinky finger, The Orange County Register has learned that it is all but certain that he will have the surgery at the conclusion of the 2008-2009 season.
By opting not to have surgery at this time, Bryant is expected to participate in drills, when the Lakers open training camp Sept. 27, at their El Segundo practice site. However, it has not been determined what limitations will be placed on him and how extensive Bryant would be used in the exhibition games.
Although Bryant said he made the decision not to have surgery, as planned prior to the opening of training camp, after consulting with numerous hand specialists, the root of his decision is linked to the return of Andrew Bynum.
Bryant believes that the Lakers need to establish early team chemistry and cohesiveness when the regular season starts, with Bynum in the lineup, because the Lakers played much of the second half of the 2007-2008 season and the entire playoffs without their injured 21-year old center."
from the ocregister, you can check it there.
none of us knows what's going to happen in a year, but that's his plan. that's why he said "God Willing"
Posted by: lakofan | September 09, 2008 at 03:58 PM
Troll Man,
Were you a lunatic at birth or did you work at it?
Posted by: HmrHed | September 09, 2008 at 04:04 PM
It would have been nice if Kobe had the surgery but people need to stop hating everything Kobe does. He knows his body and he's the MVP. I'm pretty sure Kobe wants to win the title more than any other player in the NBA and if he thought the not getting surgery would in any way make that harder then I'm pretty sure he would just get the surgery and miss a month or two.
Kobe = '08 & '09 MVP
Lamar = Laker for Life
GO LAKERS
Posted by: mrbarneydangles | September 09, 2008 at 04:07 PM
It was so obvious the finger bothered him..Whether it effected his stats or not..It just means he took less outside shots and it gave the illusion it didn't effect his shooting. But it did.
It's sitting there hanging! It's not going to heal on it's own. What is he going to do wait until next summer? Which by the way they should make the finals again so it will be another short summer!
Posted by: zen | September 09, 2008 at 04:08 PM
In other news, Shaq is filling up on Jelly doughnuts to prepare for the upcoming season. Although he is thinking about lypo on company time.
Posted by: zen | September 09, 2008 at 04:11 PM
I think Kobe has made the right decision. Take into consideration that the Western Conference will be twice as tough with every team in the mix for supremacy.
Kobe knows that winning the divisional race may come down to 1 game and the Lakers need to come out of the barn on fire and establish it's dominance early or they could end up fighting for their playoff lives!
Thanks Kobe for your leadership!
Posted by: chuck23 | September 09, 2008 at 04:11 PM
AK
"But if something like that happened for Kobe, then why wouldn't he say so and eliminate any concern? Unless he's trying to gain admiration by making it seem like he's playing through a situation worse than it is (and I should clarify, I DON'T think that's the case), what's the upside in not clarifying the situation? Thus, I have to figure he's just playing through an injury that's not close to healed."
AK, AK, AK
Just when I thought you were making progress that emerald snake inside your sub-conscious rears it's ugly head.
If you don't think that Kobe is trying to gain admiration by making playing with his injury more than it is.............then why mention it?
What is there for Kobe to clarify? "MOFO" I ain't gettin' surgery..........that's all you need to know. You can judge me on MY PERFORMANCE when the season starts.
AK, if you saw me WALKING up to you on the streets.........would I have to CLARIFY or STATE that I am walking up to you on the streets?
My actions would be obvious...............the same with Kobe.
If Kobe had opted for surgery I would agree with that.............but you know what? If Kobe had opted against surgery ( as he did) I would be for that too!
Do you know why?
BECAUSE KOBE HAS EARNED MY TRUST!!
Kobe is like an electrician that has come to my house on 12 straight occasions my lights went out in the house.............and EVERYTIME he turned the lights back on.
Should I question or even ponder what his motives could be........when my lights are out and he returns for the 13th time?
In other words......this cat has been doing it too long for anybody to question his motives on anything when it comes to doing what is best for the team and winning.
Just in case yall forgot........this is a brief resume
3-time NBA champion: 2000, 2001, 2002
NBA Most Valuable Player: 2008
2-time scoring champion: 2006, 2007
10-time NBA All-Star: 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
Has started in each of his appearances
10 consecutive appearances (No All-Star game in 1999 due to league-wide lock-out)
2-time NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2002, 2007
10-time All-NBA Selection:
First Team: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008
Second Team: 2000, 2001
Third Team: 1999, 2005
8-time All-Defensive Selection:
First Team: 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008
Second Team: 2001, 2002
NBA All-Rookie Second Team: 1997
NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion: 1997
NBA regular season leader in:
points: 2003 (2,461), 2006 (2,832, 7th in NBA history), 2007 (2,430), 2008 (2,323)
points per game: 2006 (35.4, 9th in NBA history), 2007 (31.6)
field goals attempted: 2006 (2,173), 2007 (1,757), 2008 (1,690)
field goals made: 2003 (868), 2006 (978), 2007 (813)
free throws attempted: 2006 (819), 2007 (768)
free throws made: 2006 (696), 2007 (667)
2nd most points in a Game: 81 (January 22, 2006 vs. the Toronto Raptors)
Gold medal with Team USA, 2007 FIBA Americas Championship
Gold medal with Team USA, 2008 Summer Olympic Games
That's not all!!
Kobe Bryant holds or shares 30 Los Angeles Lakers franchise records:
Points
Season: 2,832 (2005–06)
Game: 81 (January 22, 2006 vs. Toronto Raptors)[7][8]
Half: 55 (2nd half, January 22, 2006 vs. Toronto Raptors).[7]
Quarter: 30 (twice, most recently on November 30, 2006 in 3rd quarter vs. Utah Jazz)[7]
Games scoring 50 points or more, career: 23[6]
Games scoring 50 points or more, season: 10 (2006–07)[6]
Games scoring 40 points or more, career: 92[9]
Games scoring 40 points or more, season: 27 (2005–06)[10]
Consecutive games of 50 points or more: 4 (March 16–March 23, 2007)[11]
Consecutive games of 40 points or more: 9 (February 6–February 23, 2003)[12]
Field goals made
Half: 18 (2nd half, January 22, 2006 vs. Toronto Raptors).[13]
Quarter: 11 (February 2, 1999 vs. Seattle SuperSonics).[14]
Free throws made
Game: 23 (twice, most recently on January 31, 2006 vs. New York Knicks).[15]
Game, playoffs: 21 (May 4, 2008 vs. Utah Jazz).[16]
Half: 16 (January 30, 2001 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers)[17]
Quarter: 14 (3rd quarter, December 20, 2005 vs. Dallas Mavericks)[18]
Quarter, playoffs: 11 (tied with 3 players; May 8, 1997 vs. Utah Jazz).[19]
Consecutive: 62 (January 11–January 22, 2006).[7]
Three-point field goals made and attempted
Career: 1,086 (1996–present)[20]
Career, playoffs: 177 (1996–present)[21]
Game: 12 (January 7, 2003 vs. Seattle SuperSonics).[2]
Half: 8 (1st half, March 28, 2003 vs. Washington Wizards).[22]
Consecutive: 9 (January 7, 2003 vs. Seattle SuperSonics).[2]
Career attempts: 3,192 (1996–present)[20]
Career attempts, playoffs: 410 (1996–present)[23]
Season attempts: 518 (2005–06)[20]
Game attempts: 18 (January 7, 2003 vs. Seattle SuperSonics).[2]
Steals
Half: 6 (tied with 3 players; February 13, 2006 vs. Utah Jazz).[24]
AND JUST THINK.........AFTER ALL OF THIS..........HE'S STILL QUESTIONED
"Either you die the hero..........or live long enough to become the villian"
___ The Darknight
Posted by: pfunk36 | September 09, 2008 at 04:19 PM
Even if the Lakers are a .500 team without Kobe and they learn to play without him in the game, what happens when he does return? Everyone gets less shots, positioning on the floor is diiferent, etc. They'll have to start from square 1 again!! It's not like these guys have been playing together for years now!! This is the first time they're ALL playing together!!! So many things could happen during the season that could break the team, but he knows he can play with this injury right now. He also knows that as good as his teammates are without him, he also opens up opportunities for his teammates.
I remember when he changed his number to 24 and had the big explaination about "carpe diem" and I thought," ok, whatever helps you sleep better, I'll still buy the jersey." Well he's been seizing the moment ever since, not always in a positive way, (last summer), but still not holding back. Even more so with this decision. Nothing is guranteed, full recovery in 12 weeks, a .500 record when he returns, home court advantage, dynasties, etc. What he knows is he has a healthy AB, everyone except Ronny is coming back, and even if he has to play the season at 90%, they have the opportunity to win the title right now!! That's a message to the rest of the league too!! Kobe's going for it this year!!!
Posted by: JSNV | September 09, 2008 at 04:21 PM
I hope all goes well and he gets through the season injury free......Just in case Lance Armstrong reads the LA Times blog....Good luck with your comeback .......Hope all goes well
Posted by: Thirty2 | September 09, 2008 at 04:21 PM
Long Time Laker Fan,
"that KL and Gunner and a few others here would find a
way to interpret it all as arrogant and despicable behavior
by Kobe."
Well, duh!! How are the Lakers supposed to develop his replacement if Kobe plays every game?
Posted by: exhelodrvr | September 09, 2008 at 04:25 PM
HmerHed,
It takes a special type of person to be Troll Man.
Posted by: Xodus | September 09, 2008 at 04:30 PM
I told yoos the "pinky" was a rouse to eleicit sympathy from voters for MVP.
ajhaahahahhahaha
"I can get off at anytime [except against Boston in 2008 Finals] and I did" Kobeeeeeeef Bryant.
ahahahahahah
Pathetic.
Posted by: Let's go C! | September 09, 2008 at 04:32 PM
AK, Xodus, Blitz et al,
i may have been convinced about salary cap issues.
how about i concede that salary cap is a big limitation, but still hold my position that kobe is not well liked among the league players, granted less than before, which has negatively impacted the laker organization?
fair?
AK: I concede Aaron McKie, but the dude did nothing for the kobe lakers during the "kobe ball" era.
don't get me wrong guys, kobe did a good job last year and deserved to be commended. this year, kobe needs to improve upon last year, help make bynum and gasol all stars (fish too) and win a title.
i've come half circle from 2008, now i'd like to be able to give kobe credit for finally "getting it".
Peace in the Middle East LA! Hasta Luego!
Posted by: KL | September 09, 2008 at 04:38 PM