Kobe Bryant Says he has almost no Cartilage in his Knee

[Funnyfuka]

He's been on the decline since 2009, but delusional fans who think everyone is a hater said otherwise. After his postgame interview in WCF's against denver where he looked like he was dying and the sad dunk against the magic in the finals, I was like whoa. On top of that the injuries that never seemed to go away made the picture look more grim. I think four all star level years are a little too optimistic for me. I have said this for years, declines aren't usually linear, for most players it's falling off a cliff in terms of their production.

It's crazy because this dude from 04-07 was legendary.

yup. He has like 2 years in the tank, not more. And lakers arent going to win any more chip either. Everything changes.

[scm5]

Anyone know how this will affect his Team USA 2012 chances?

[ashbelly]

Anyone know how this will affect his Team USA 2012 chances?

Wasn't he the 1st player to say he wants to play in the olympics ? Don't know if the lakers will allow this.

[Mr. I'm So Rad]

Wasn't he the 1st player to say he wants to play in the olympics ? Don't know if the lakers will allow this.

He can just come off the bench or in the 4th quarter when the game is close or they are trying to close out an opponent. He's already said that's pretty much what he expects his role to be. He doesn't have a problem with that.

[thejumpa]

Not familiar with microfracture? It grows new cartilage.

Good call. I forgot TMac had microfracture surgery. Still, I think his failed dunk/layup attempt was more being rusty then anything.

[ashbelly]

Good call. I forgot TMac had microfracture surgery. Still, I think his failed dunk/layup attempt was more being rusty then anything.

But you really can't count on Tmac's health. he's a game away from being out the whole season.

[Doranku]

At least when Kobe is gone, all the awful posters like Knoe, DuMa, New York Knicks, etc will all be gone since their sole purpose of watching basketball and posting on this forum is to downsize Kobe Bryant.

I wonder what they'll do with their free time then?

[thejumpa]

But you really can't count on Tmac's health. he's a game away from being out the whole season.

How do you figure?

[Mr. I'm So Rad]

At least when Kobe is gone, all the awful posters like Knoe, DuMa, New York Knicks, etc will all be gone since their sole purpose of watching basketball and posting on this forum is to downsize Kobe Bryant.

I wonder what they'll do with their free time then?

[ashbelly]

How do you figure?

Are you seriously asking this question ? When was the last time he played a whole season ?

[branslowski]

At least when Kobe is gone, all the awful posters like Knoe, DuMa, New York Knicks, etc will all be gone since their sole purpose of watching basketball and posting on this forum is to downsize Kobe Bryant.

I wonder what they'll do with their free time then?

Duma doesn't troll hate on Kobe.....He isn't a fan, but he doesn't go around hating like a loser.

Ginobli
Knoe
New York Knicks

And others will prob commit suicide or something.

[thejumpa]

Are you seriously asking this question ? When was the last time he played a whole season ?

IDK...he looks good to me. He's healthy again and has played every game so far.

[ShaqAttack3234]

He's been on the decline since 2009, but delusional fans who think everyone is a hater said otherwise. After his postgame interview in WCF's against denver where he looked like he was dying and the sad dunk against the magic in the finals, I was like whoa. On top of that the injuries that never seemed to go away made the picture look more grim. I think four all star level years are a little too optimistic for me. I have said this for years, declines aren't usually linear, for most players it's falling off a cliff in terms of their production.

It's crazy because this dude from 04-07 was legendary.

'08 might have been as best all around season. And he could still get up too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMptipbXh7I

He lost about 20 pounds before that year and it seemed to help a lot.

Nice 360 from 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn4cbi4P1tw

[The_Yearning]

The day Kobe falls off and can't compete at a competitive level anymore, I'll believe it. Cartilage or no cartilage.

[tontoz]

Michael had problems with his knees for years in the 90s and he kept going.. and many other players have had worse or similar injuries and keep going.

Plus kobe doesn't rely on his speed or athleticism nearly as much as the other superstars in the league right now(wade, lebron). He doesn't need to explode off his right leg and he rarely tries to get any lift on his jumps when he's attacking the rim.

That combined with his mentality and hunger to win/improve his legacy makes me think he still has a few solid years of production left.

jordan didn't have anything like that. He also retired a couple of times allowing his body to recover.

Kobe came into the NBA right out of HS, has played in the postseason most of the time and has had a lot of games for the national team. He has a lot of mileage on his legs.