As Kobe Bryant continues to voice his confidence in his healing Achilles tendon, others are echoing the belief that his return will happen much quicker than anticipated. There is no question that over Bryant's career he has shown an incredible work ethic and perseverance, but many believed this recent injury might be too difficult to overcome.
Bryant suffered the injury back in April, ending his season and the playoff dreams of the Los Angeles Lakers. However, Bryant has said he is shattering the normal timetable for a return from this injury and former Laker Shaquille O' Neal believes him.
"I'm sure Kobe is going to come back early," said Shaquille O'Neal in a video interview with Time Warner Cable SportsNet. "Anything before nine months is early. Him making the first game, I wish him well. He's a very, very competitive kid. He loves the naysayers. He loves proving people wrong. When he put the rumor out there that he may be back the first game, best believe he's trying to come back the first game."
O'Neal fully believes that Bryant will be ready by opening night of the 2013 season. Bryant wants to play as quickly as possible, but the question remains of how dominant he will be upon return to the court.
A normal recovery timeline for an Achilles injury would have Bryant returning around Christmas at the earliest so thinking he will be back by October feels far-fetched. But this is Bryant and when he has an obstacle placed in front of him, he makes sure to overcome it.
"The surgical procedure was different [...] and because of that the recovery has been different," Bryant said via NBA.com. "The normal timetable for recovery from an Achilles, we've shattered that. Three-and-a-half months I can already walk just fine, I'm lifting weights with the Achilles just fine and that's different. So we don't know what that timetable is going to be. It's kind of new territory for us all."
Bryant will be evaluated once again at the end of August and doctors will create a new timeline off that visit. At 35, anything is possible for the All-Star. He could come back like his old self. He could struggle in the beginning. A lot is still unknown but Bryant does not lack any confidence so nothing can be ruled out.
