<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>CLEVELAND - Kobe Bryant hates to admit it, but his strained left groin still is a problem. Bryant, injured a week ago against Golden State, still was trying to measure his game Thursday night. "It's pretty frustrating," he said. "I can't explode to the basket like I want to. I've got to rely on my jump shot a lot more. That's tough to get a lot of lift-off with it." Bryant, who finished 8 for 22 from the field for 21 points, was just 1 for 6 in the fourth quarter for two points. The Lakers play tonight at Philadelphia, so there is no rest for him. "I'm going to have to get into the gym early tomorrow and figure out how I'm going to shoot through this thing," Bryant said. Kobe vs. LeBron Coach Phil Jackson said it wasn't his idea for Bryant to defend LeBron James late in the fourth quarter. Bryant took it upon himself. "Why not?" Bryant asked. "I look forward to those matchups. That's what I do as a defensive player." James, who had 33 points on 12-for-29 shooting and 10 rebounds, was up for the challenge of defending Bryant and took it upon himself. "If you want to win ballgames, you have to be able to take on the best player," James said. "We both wanted the challenge." Bank is Open for Kobe Bryant made his first free throw but missed his next three. While Bryant was standing at the line for his fourth free throw in the first quarter, James said something to Bryant, who then banked in the shot, which he said was intentional. "We were kind of having a conversation about that," Bryant said. "I don't miss three free throws, so he was kind of (giving me a hard time) about it. So, I told him I'd bank the next one ... I did call it. The bank was open." Bryant missed a potential go-ahead three-pointer and joked, "Maybe I should have banked in the three." Kwame to Supplant Bynum? When the Lakers get home from this road trip next week, the hope is that Kwame Brown, out with a sprained left ankle and foot, will be able to practice and then play, perhaps even Christmas Day at Staples Center. Brown had been the starting center, but Andrew Bynum has replaced him and been outstanding. So, Jackson was asked, when Brown returns, will he get his starting job back? "I would imagine that Kwame would go back to being a starter," Jackson said. Brown missed his 16th straight game, and Jackson's fear is that Brown will get too stiff coming off the bench. Still Chasing Motta Jackson still needs one victory to tie Dick Motta for the eighth-most by a coach in NBA history. Jackson's career record of 934-403 gives him the highest winning percentage in league history. Mota had a record of 935-1,107. "That brings back memories," Jackson said. "It's just memories of Dick and what a coach he was, the kind of guy he was as a coach. Seemed like he coached forever."</div> Source: Riverside Press Enterprise He needs to rest it and let it heal. I'd like to see him take the next two games off against the 76ers and Knicks. Come back healthier for the XMAS showdown against the Suns.
Just wondering, if he continues to play through the injury, will it ever have a chance to fully heal? If he never takes a break, does that mean he'll have to play through the injury for the rest of the season? If so, he really needs to take a break. We play the Sixers and Knicks next, I think we'll manage without Kobe in the lineup
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Brian @ Dec 21 2007, 01:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Just wondering, if he continues to play through the injury, will it ever have a chance to fully heal? If he never takes a break, does that mean he'll have to play through the injury for the rest of the season? If so, he really needs to take a break. We play the Sixers and Knicks next, I think we'll manage without Kobe in the lineup</div> It's tough to say with a groin injury. The risk for Kobe is if he aggravates it more and the slight tear becomes a full tear. Here's an advice column on how to deal with a groin injury from About.com Treatment of a groin pull is usually guided by the severity of the injury. Resting a groin pull is the key to successful treatment. As a general rule of thumb, if you have a groin pull, you can do activities that don't aggravate your injury. You should rest until you are pain free to allow the injured muscle to heal. Resting inadequately may prolong your recovery. The following are the common treatments used for groin strains: * Rest It is important to rest following the injury to allowed the injured muscle to properly heal. Allow pain to guide your level of activity; this means that activities which cause symptoms should be avoided. * Stretching Gentle stretching is helpful, but it should not be painful. Stretching excessively can be harmful and slow the healing process. o Adductor stretches * Ice the Injury Apply ice to the injured area in the acute phase (first 48 hours after injury), and then after activities. Ice will help calm the inflammatory response and stimulate blood flow to the area. * Heat Applications Before activities, gentle heating can help loosen the muscle. Apply a heat pack to the groin prior to stretching or exercising. As a general rule of thumb, remember to heat before, and ice after. o Know when to ice and when to heat an injury * Anti-inflammatory Medications Oral anti-inflammatory medications (such as Ibuprofen, Aleve, or Motrin) can help relieve symptoms of pain and also calm the inflammation. * Physical Therapy Physical therapists can be helpful in guiding treatment that may speed your recovery. Some people find modalities such as ultrasound, therapeutic massage, and specific exercises particularly helpful. You should see your physician to determine if these would be appropriate for your condition.
So that basically means if he continues to play basketball, it probably won't get any better. I don't see the point of him playing then. He needs to rest up. Even if we lose a couple of games without him, it will be better in the long run. I like his drive, but he isn't really helping the team much playing through the injury. He just doesn't look the same. Phil needs to tell him to sit his ass down. If he decides to continue playing through the injury (which he probably will) he probably won't feel any better. Hopefully when the allstar break comes, he will get some rest, even if that means skipping the allstar game.
He needs to sit these next two, but I don't see him sitting in his hometown or in NY, when the fans really come out just for him. If it were any two winnable, meaningless games, I could see him sitting...but not these two. I just don't want him to force his groin/quad to do things that he isn't capable of right now, a full blown tear will more than likely end his season.
Kobe needs to help Phil Jackson beat Mota! lol, just kidding, its gonna happen any day now. Congrats to Phil. Maybe Kobe wants to be apart of the Historic games as Phil ties the all-time winningest coach, and passes him?
Yes i also want Kobe to rest his injury against the Knicks... Odom (with the way he is playing) and Bynum SHOULD be able to dismantle the Knicks... My Xmas wish for the Lakers: Kobe averages a solid 28ppg while shooting 50% from the field with 6rpg and 5 apg... IMO with the emergence of Bynum and (gulp) Odom, and fisher's leadership with Kwame coming back to man the post on the defensive end... we do have a very very solid team. Kobe's shooting is the one thing i would like the lakers to improve upon since theyve shown that they could win tight games, win ugly games, win with Kobe having an off game, win with an incomplete lineup. If kobe takes 'smart' AND 'efficient' shots (and makes them BTW) coupled beside the team's performance we can make a run for the 4th or 5th playoff spots...
He's not taking stupid shots. He's taking his usual shots, but their just not falling because of his injury. If you look back on Kobe's career as well, he usually struggles this time of year before turning it on from January on...
Well if Kobe continues to play with that injury then he might get it worst than what it is right now, hopefully it won't because we might look like the Cavs without LeBron, but I really do doubt that, hopefully everything heals fast for him.
