Kobe's Return? Two estimates with range of 4-8 weeks.

LA Daily News is throwing a new number out...

Kobe Bryant might be running, slashing and tomahawking for Team USA this summer after all.

An injury to Bryant's right shoulder turned out to be less serious than once believed, and the Lakers star should need just four to six weeks to recover from surgery performed Thursday in New York, experts said.

Link: http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20955~1452400,00.html

Even though this sounds good, I'm still not all for him tryin to do too much too soon...

Alright Team U.S.A is still gonna have the greatest on their team

Or so we hope...

KObe is just the greatest player, he'll do what he knows is best for da team!

kobe's a very competitive person, so im sure he's juz itching to play for TEAM USA. i just hope he's not endangering his chances of playing @ a 100% level next season and possibly a run for a title AGAIN....get well soon kobe!!!!!!

PURPLE AND GOLD ALL THE WAY BABY!!!!

4-6 WEEKS!!! Amazing news....Holy Shnitt......Let us imagine that it takes the maximum, 6 weeks, add two weeks to be weird, and another 2 for good measure and we call it 10 weeks. He still has roughly two months to prepare for the season...even if it takes 4-6 weeks longer than anticipated...but knowing Kobe, he'll probably be ready in 3 weeks...then he will basically have the entire off season to prepare...shaq should have done the same last year... :man7:

Great news for Kid Skillz!!!!!!

I know that he will work harder this off-season, than other offseasons. And that's scary since he puts himself in an intense and grueling workout in the past summers.

Kobe Bryant.....2003-2004 NBA MVP!!!!!!!!!!

Kobe will be a freak next year with shoulders as big as Gary Trent, though way more talent of course.

Lebron better watch out, because he will face a better and more motivated Kobe next year.

Sorry Bron, you pick the wrong year to come to the NBA!!!!!!

Kobe for MVP!!!!!!!

Yip I respect King James but I got much love for Lord Kobe.

dis is irrelevant BUT..........
dont yalL think Kareem Rush kinda lOok a bit lyk DOMINIQUE WIKINS?
(a younger version of nique)

LOLOLOLOL!! I saw Dom in beyond the glory, and they shown him as a kid, and that freaked me OUT!! The resemblance is there, 4 real... man... this is trippy how people look like another person.... But Kareem is cuter... lol

Yeah, I have always thought he looked like Nique...

Maybe a lil' like Wayne Brady too...

Looks like Nique, but doesn't play like him!!!!!

With Kobe's work ethic and will to win, I think it is about time that Phil Jackson takes the leash off of Kobe. It is no secret that we need Shaq to win, but it is time to open up and let Kobe do more. Let's face it, in the very near future we will no longer have Shaq and this will be Kobe's team. The time is now to build a team that will support Kobe's talents. Going along with Shaq's dominance is the smart thing, but you can do so and let one of the leagues most dominant players open up his game now and prepare for the future. Kobe is our future and it is time we as fans and the Lakers as an organization start to acknowledge that!

I think eventually Phil or whoever is coaching the Lakers later on will turn to Kobe. I see big things for Kobe next year. I'm not sure if he will dominate through points or through an overall game standpoint, but he will have an MVP year!!!!

I also see Kobe having a big year next year. I honestly feel like he is going to come out with a chip on his shoulder. Trying to prove, that he can also win a championship as Shaq has. I feel he is going to make an effort to take over the team and this time I see little resistance from Shaq. He knows he f'd up this year. He will follow Kobe's lead. It is already appearan Kobe is planning to take over by his constant contact with his teammates, and how he is monitoring who is working out and trying to improve and who isn't. How he made an effort to pay for Shaq's personal trainer himself, it is clear what his plan is. The league better watch out cause he definitely is on a mission. I can't wait to see him play next year. I venture to guess you will see other parts of his game added and less mistakes made this year due to trying to do too much, he has improved on this every year, so I expect more of the same.

I agree that Kobe will take his game to another level. Maturity wise he's there. He knows that they owe Chick Hearn a championship and he will do anything to accomplish that. Shaq better stay quite and stop complaining if the direction of the team goes to Kobe. At times, I feel that Shaq always complain like a little B*tch. I wish that he would be more mature, like Kobe.

Well to be honest, I am also a big Kobe fan. But if we are going to win, in all reality the ball has to go thru Shaq. We must keep Shaq happy, but on the flip side of the coin. Shaq has to realize that he is holding Kobe back and at times he has to defer to Kobe. The both of them together are going to recognize in what situations is it time for one or the other to shine. At times it may require both of them to shine at the same time, but they have to judge that as the game goes on. I also feel Shaq has to start to acknowledge that this team will soon be Kobe's and he has to understand that at times he is going to have to let Kobe run the show. The both however need to start motivating thier teamates to show up every night.

I just felt that Shaq should have guarded Duncan more and more effectively. I felt like his D let us down.

I know... he was always so slow on the transition D, and he always just stood there when he turned the ball over... that always got me upset with him... Man... But hey, he's gonna do what he can (hopefully) to lose tha weight, and be more mobile!! Man.. He's gonna be tight next season...

Shaq is the big baby no one can deal with but everyone likes and Kobe is the mature and wise leader, the stoic and steady calming force that can sometimes seem to be closed off and isn't always perceived as "lovable" or "Friendly" but is always there as the example to follow....