Topic of Debate: Whether or not Kobe should shut it down for the rest of the season and work his way back to shape?
Context: There’s been some talk lately on whether or not Kobe should take his time in returning back from the fracture on his left knee.
The Lakers currently have a record of 13-16, and are missing three rotation players due to injures. Barring some incredible trade, there is no way this roster is a built to contend in the Western Conference at the moment.
Therefore, a case can be made that Kobe doesn’t need to be so eager to rush back on the court once he is finished recovering from this injury.
And given the rust that would ensue, it might be the best thing for this team, and for his health moving forward.
Verdict: We took this poll question to Twitter to get the fans take on whether they thought Kobe should sit out the rest of the season.
I presented the poll question:
Hey Lakers fans, Should Kobe shut it down for rest of the season and work his way back to top shape? #LakersDebate
— Ry (@JustRyCole) December 26, 2013
Here are some of the responses:
@JustRyCole no, he won’t be in top shape until he sees game time regularly… — Red Foxx (@gotMAB21) December 26, 2013
@JustRyCole kobe has too much drive to shut it down. ….so no — PaidAbrahamlincoln (@sharkfinsoup_) December 26, 2013
@JustRyCole 1.Team isn’t good enough 2. Young players will get better with more experience. 3. Kobe can’t kill himself for nothing.
— John Ledesma (@JohnnyNBA) December 26, 2013
@JustRyCole 4. He signed for that huge contract, he should get ready to deliver (at least be healthy) those 2 years.
— John Ledesma (@JohnnyNBA) December 26, 2013
As mentioned before, while making the playoffs as a 7th or 8th seed for the sake of saying “I told you so!” is inspiring, what good does that do for this franchise moving forward?
$48.5-million dollars is committed to Kobe Bryant over the next two seasons, and it’s important that he is as close to 100 percent as he can be for the duration of that two-year extension.
Let Kobe rest, if not for the entire season, at least a significant portion of it. He can still practice with the team, and get into the best shape possible. Playing games will not be necessary for him once his six-week recovery is complete, as the Lakers are heading toward being out of playoff contention.
Let this young team continue to grow and develop as is, regardless if they’re good or not.
If anything, he can come back and play in late March or early April to test his progress and see how his body responds.
We know the competitor in Kobe will certainly be against this idea, and he’s even gone public in saying that he plans to come back as soon as possible. However, these points only magnify the idea that he should at least consider it.
The last thing we want to see is the Black Mamba looking like a shell of himself. Something like this could prevent that.
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