Over the past few days there’s been a lot of concern about whether or not Kobe Bryant will be good to go for the Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
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There’s no doubting Kobe’s toughness and ability to play through injuries, but his status for the first game of the season is still up in the air with less than 24 hours to go before tip-off according to Eric Pincus of the L.A. Times via Twitter:
Not practicing =Kobe – I would say not looking good for opener
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) October 29, 2012
Another injury concern for the Lakers heading into the season opener has been forward Jordan Hill. The recently re-signed forward suffered a herniated disc during the preseason and has only recently gotten back on the floor for the Lakers. Despite playing the last two preseason games, Hill has been listed as day-to-day along with Kobe according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com:
Neither Kobe Bryant (foot strain) not Jordan Hill (herniated disc) practiced today. Both are “day to day.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 29, 2012
Fortunately for the Lakers, Dwight Howard will get the start against the Mavs on Tuesday night:
Dwight Howard (back) practiced fully & will start against Dallas on Tuesday, likely to be defended by Eddy Curry.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 29, 2012
As of right now, the starting lineup will be Steve Nash, Jodie Meeks, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol and Howard. Kobe may be day-to-day at this point in time, but that may very well change before heading into the matchup with the Mavs tomorrow night at Staples Center.
If Kobe does miss the first game of the season against Dallas, chances are he’ll be sitting on the bench for the second game against the Portland Trail Blazers on the road the following night on Halloween. If that turns out to be the case, Kobe’s first game will likely be against the Los Angeles Clippers on Fri. Nov. 2 unless no progress has been made with the right foot strain.
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In case you missed it: Dwight Howard talks about the slow process of putting together a championship team.
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