Lakers News: Mike D’Antoni Predicts Kobe Will Be Ready By Opener

The Lakers begin their playoff quest tomorrow when they face the Spurs in San Antonio in Game 1. However, they will be making their playoff journey without Kobe Bryant for the first time since Bryant joined the team back in 1996 after Kobe went down with a torn Achilles against the Golden State Warriors late in the season.

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However, Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni isn’t expecting Bryant to miss too much time with that injury. In a recent interview on Time Warner Cable SportsNet that is set to air Saturday night, D’Antoni made a somewhat surprising comment when he gave his own opinion on when he thinks Bryant will be back on the floor.

“There’s no way he’s not going to be on the court when the season starts next year.”

Well, then. That sure is optimistic. For an injury that generally takes 6-9 months to fully recover (and even longer to get used to playing at a high level), if Bryant was able to be back in the lineup in time for opening night that would be impressive indeed.

There’s no doubt Kobe has a reputation for being one of the hardest working and best conditioned players in the league, and if there’s anybody that can get back on the court quickly after such a devastating injury, it would be Bryant.

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In case you missed it, be sure to check out what Antawn Jamison said about facing the Spurs without Kobe Bryant!

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