The Los Angeles Lakers have been off to an okay start this season and after going 5-7 in the early stages, the biggest question for the team is when Kobe Bryant will be back and while he has returned to the practice floor, the court could be a while in Mike D'Antoni's eyes.
The head coach said to reporters that while he is excited that Bryant is back on the practice court, he is still not sure when he will be ready to play this season after coming back from an Achilles injury. According to ESPN.com, the Lakers have no real idea yet when Kobe will be back for a game and the injury still is a bit fresh, as it happened seven months ago and while he was cleared to get back to practice, getting into a game could still be weeks, or even months away. The Lakers have four days off without a game this week and the team will use that time to get healthier, including Steve Nash, who is dealing with a back injury and could be out for two weeks.
Bryant was able to practice and go through drills ahead of the Detroit Pistons game and while he did not participate in the walkthrough, D'Antoni was encouraged by what he saw. D'Antoni said that playing against the Golden State Warriors was in the wheelhouse of possibility, but that it was premature to think that and it is likely that the team will have to play without him at least into next month. Bryant injured his Achilles at the end of last season and now he is working to get back to full strength for the Lakers, who could really use his scoring touch.
D'Antoni said that Bryant would continue to practice and do the drills he is cleared for and he did not speculate on when he could come back or how long it would take. Nash is looking to get back very soon as well and he is working on rehabbing and getting back to full strength as the team pushes down the schedule and he has been out since before last week when the team lost on Sunday against the Timberwolves. Nash will be looked at again this week and he could return by next week for the Lakers.
The Lakers are currently 5-7 and fourth in the pacific division and the team is ranked fifth in the league in rebounds and assists per game, while they are ranked 16th in scoring and 25th in scoring defense.
"You're dealing with, 'Is he sore today? Is there a setback tomorrow? How [hard] can he go?'" D'Antoni said after shootaround in advance of the Lakers' game against the Detroit Pistons. "That's the first step and there's a lot of steps to be taken. So, I just think we need to be cautious. We best just be cool and chill out a little bit."