Kobe Bryant played most of this season with an injured right index finger, and it may never heal, according to Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register. "The middle knuckle on that critical finger on Bryant's shooting hand is so debilitated by arthritis after the past season of misuse and overuse that there may be no real way to fix it,? Ding wrote. ?Bryant will consult with specialists in July to figure out his options, but arthritis is not a problem that can just be cleaned up with arthroscopic surgery or wished away with a little rest. Bryant suffered an avulsion fracture in two places near the tip of the finger on Dec. 11 as he tried to field a low Jordan Farmar pass. Bryant kept playing despite a projection of needing at least six weeks to heal -- and he played pretty well. … Cartilage damage in a finger joint simply isn't easily fixed because there is so little cartilage with which to work. For Bryant's purposes of shooting and handling a basketball, fusing the joint is hardly a viable option."
I remember when the KG revolution was taking place and four years of college became the exception that I thought it would be good for the NBA because stars would be able to play longer. That certainly seems to not be the case. Kobe is what, 32? KG is one or two seasons away from being finished at 34. It's miles, not years.
Nope. He admitted in an interview that his injured finger strongly affected ball handling and shooting. Not the case with Kobe. He is one of the best, who takes care of his body. Injured finger isn't bound up with mileage.
For his standards, I don't think Kobe's game was that off this year. Miles are important but I'd say most players start to get finished around 34-36. Coming straight out of highschool, you're also a pretty young kid not going into deep playoff runs. I wouldn't just add 4 years to your career mileage.
yeah but playing an entire season with it would be different imo. i think he should get whatever surgery the doctors think should be had, rest up and whatever, and come back when he feels he is ready to go (but knowing kobe, he's always ready to go)
Dont remind me Shape. I'm Kobe's age. lol... and seriously, it takes longer to warm up and recover from workouts. Grrrr....... Father Time sucks!
With all due respect Shape and Trench, you guys are really just average joe's compared to Kobe, though. Kobe has probably spent millions on working out, nutritionists, supplements, etc...to keep him in tip top shape. His work out routines have been well documented and his passion for keeping himself in top shape in the off-season will seriously benefit him as his career winds down. He may not recover like he would if he was 24, 25 years old, but he's going to finish his career in fantastic shape at an almost elite level barring any major injuries. There is a reason why he dedicates his off-season to keeping his body in top condition. It'll pay off in the end.
Yeah of course Kobe is in superior shape, but I also don't deal with the physical grind he goes through during the year. It's all relative. It doesn't matter what his routine is the recovery will take longer as he gets older it's just human nature. He's ahead of the curve though because he changed his workouts to build leaner, flexible muscle instead of continuing to bulk up. A lot of stuff you work on later on is preventative maintenance so to speak. I recommend you younger guys start stretching and doing some yoga, pilates before you hit 30.
