Kobe Bryant has officially made his return to the Los Angeles Lakers, and it didn’t go unnoticed around the league. Very few players can command this type of attention from their piers. The anticipation was coming from every corner of the league.
Good to see my big bro back in the line up. Thanks for helping get my ring. Do your thing. #24mamba
— Metta World Peace (@MettaWorldPeace) December 9, 2013
Get buckets Kobe — Brandon Rush (@BRush_25) December 9, 2013
Dude cancelled his wedding for Kobe’s return smh
— Brandon Rush (@BRush_25) December 9, 2013
Can’t wait to see what 24 does tonight #Mamba
— Quincy Pondexter (@QuincyPondexter) December 9, 2013
The anticipation is ridiculous right now… #TheMamba
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) December 9, 2013
Great day of football, alot of back & fourth games. PanthersvSaints game should b good too! Now lets see what Kobe’s got n store 4 the world
— Matt Barnes (@Matt_Barnes22) December 9, 2013
Kobe’s return is exciting tonight. It’s great to have one of the best players of all-time back on the court. But what does it mean for the Lakers moving forward? Can he help propel Los Angeles back to the playoffs? Sam Amick of USAToday chimed in on Friday:
But jokes aside — and there were no shortage of them on Twitter when the video was released — this truly is a monumental moment for one of the game’s greats. Faced with a devastating decision about whether he would be forced into retirement by injury or face the challenge of coming all the way back that would have been daunting even if it were still the late 1990s, Bryant — whose two-year, $48.5 million extension signed recently put a timetable on his twilight — has honored his own legacy even before stepping out on the floor again. Now we see if a horror flick ensues or if this will be a triumphant sports story for the ages.
Is it so crazy to think that the Lakers, with Bryant finally back in tow, could lose Dwight Howard to free agency like they did in July and still have the same end result this season as they did in the last? Cue Jim Mora: “Playoffs?!” Believe it or not, it’s looking somewhat doable at the moment.
A 106-100 win in Sacramento on Friday pushed the Lakers (10-9) above .500. While they may currently be 10th in the Western Conference, they are only one game back of Golden State for the eighth and final playoff spot with only Phoenix (11-9) stand between them. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to think the Suns, after a wildly impressive start to the season, will fall back to earth and finish toward the bottom of the conference.
With Golden State expected to pick up its play after they start playing with a fully healthy team — Stephen Curry, Andre Igoudala and Harrison Barnes have all missed time due to injury — the Lakers will primarily be competing with the Nuggets, Mavs, Grizzlies and Timberwolves for the 8th-seed.
If Kobe returns to All-Star form, do the Lakers have enough to push them into the playoffs?
Only time will tell, but after committing $48.5 million to Bryant over the next two seasons, the Lakers better hope that’s his goal.
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Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter here.