SH Blog: More on Kobe injury; Seattle group ups bid for Kings; Bogut hurts ankle (again)

By now, you have to have heard about Kobe Bryant’s torn Achilles. It’ll put him out of the rest of the season and, should the Lakers hang on, the playoffs, too.

He’ll likely miss at least some of next season, although the Lakers were saying today that the recovery time is 6-9 months — and the goal is to have him back at the start of next season. As for amnestying him? Forget it, GM Mitch Kupchak said. Not even being discussed. Where things get tricky is when you consider that next season was widely rumored to be Kobe’s last, fueled by comments from Black Mamba himself.

There’s been a ton of media coverage of this story, and today’s blog includes different takes from three different, widely respected national writers that are all interesting in their own way. But also make sure you see the stream of consciousness post Kobe put up on Facebook. It’s real and unfiltered and definitely the place to start to get a handle on what this injury means for one of the NBA’s best players ever. James Park also has a comprehensive roundup of all the reactions from players and the media on Twittert.

There’s lots more than just Kobe in today’s blog, though: news on an important development in the Kings’ future, and some looks at where a few coveted free agents might land, and a report from the NBA draft camp in Portsmouth. Let’s get started:

• Here’s a prognosis on Bryant’s return by Sam Amick at USA Today: “According to Dr. Asheesh Bedi on the website, SportsMD.com, the typical return from an Achilles tear and surgery is between six and nine months. Bryant mentioned during his postgame discussion with reporters that he’ll be doing homework on athletes who have suffered an Achilles tear and, one can assume, proceed to push his way back faster than every man and woman on that list. His goal going forward should be to channel his inner Dominique Wilkins. As documented in a comprehensive study of Achilles injuries in the NBA by analyst Kevin Pelton (who’s now with ESPN), the Atlanta Hawks star tore his Achilles at the age of 32, then returned to play his way onto two more All-Star teams before retiring at the age of 39. The what-not-to-do blueprint comes courtesy of Detroit Pistons great Isiah Thomas, who was forced into early retirement at the age of 32 after tearing his Achilles. More recently, Los Angeles Clippers guard Chauncey Billups, who was 35 at the time, returned 10 months after tearing his Achilles on Feb. 8, 2012.”
• Here’s the story of the injury from Ken Berger at CBSSports.com: “After collapsing to the floor while planting his left foot for a drive on rookie Harrison Barnes in the fourth quarter on Friday night, Bryant reached immediately for the back of his leg. He asked Barnes, “Did you hit me? Did you hit me?” It was the telltale sign of a torn Achilles; you feel like you’ve been kicked in the back of the leg when that’s not what happened at all. Bryant sat on the floor, rocking back and forth. He looked scared. I’ve been watching Kobe Bryant play basketball on and off for 17 years, and I’ve never seen him look like that. “[Expletive],” he said, as he rose to his feet and tried to walk. “[Expletive],” he said again, and anyone who knows him even a little bit knows what those expletives were. He shuffled to the bench during the timeout that he’d called in the hopes that somehow the feeling and the muscle in the back of his leg would return. It did not. And so, with 3:08 left and the Lakers trailing by two points, Bryant shuffled back onto the court — the unmistakable limp of a man with a torn Achilles — to sink his two free throws. “I was just hoping it wasn’t what I knew it was,” Bryant said, his eyes red and tearing up. “I was just trying to walk it off and hoping that the sensation would come back. I had no Achilles; that was the sensation.” “
• Finally, here’s Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who interviewed Bryant’s longtime trainer: “Halfway across the country, Tim Grover witnessed Kobe Bryant’s body rebelling on him Friday night. From the knee to the ankle, the longtime trainer for Bryant watched his client crumple to the court only to watch him rise again and again, only to defy the years and months and minutes chasing Bryant to the brink. Now, Bryant had made a hard cut to push past Harrison Barnes of the Golden State Warriors and suddenly he collapsed to the floor, reaching back to clutch his heel. “I told myself, ‘If he goes out of the game right here, it’s the Achilles,’ ” Grover said by phone late Friday. “But whatever it was, I knew he was going to shoot the free throws first.” “
  
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