Andrew Bynum said his knee held up pretty well against Denver, he played 20 minutes and after the game said everything felt great.
Kobe, however….
(Bryant) also took nearly a full hour after the game ended to meet with reporters — easily a season-high delay — primarily because he was getting what he referred to as “maintenance” work done by rehabilitation specialist Judy Seto before meeting the rest of the team for the flight to Portland.
Bryant donned a protective sleeve over his right knee for the game against Denver, even though he said after the game Tuesday night in Sacramento that his overall health was good. Bryant had surgery on that right knee in 2006, hyperextended it in an October exhibition in San Diego this season and periodically has dealt with knee tendonitis.
Nothing is going to stop Kobe from playing — the man’s shooting hand is held together by tape. But if he is not 100%, the Lakers may have a hard time getting out of the West, let alone winning it all.
The good news is there are a lot of days off in the playoffs. This may be the one time those insanely long television breaks will pay off.
