duncan228
02-09-2010, 01:52 AM
Lakers' Bryant held out with injured ankle (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Lakers_Bryant_held_out_with_injured_ankle.html)
Jeff McDonald
LOS ANGELES — After playing in 235 consecutive games, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has now missed two in a row.
Bryant, the NBA's fourth-leading scorer, sat out Monday's game against the Spurs with a sprained left ankle. It was the culmination of about two months of maladies for Bryant, ranging from a fractured finger to a bad back.
That Bryant is just now taking time off underscores the divergent approaches of Lakers coach Phil Jackson and the Spurs' Gregg Popovich when it comes to resting stars.
Though after Monday only one game remained between Bryant and the long layoff of the All-Star break, Jackson wouldn't rule him out for Wednesday's game against Utah.
“If he feels he can play, he's going to play,” Jackson said. “He's not just going to sit out because it might extend the duration he doesn't have to play.”
Popovich, meanwhile, prefers to err on the side of caution with injured players.
With older players, he prefers to carve out extra rest in the middle of game and practice schedules.
Tim Duncan, for instance, is scheduled to take off more second nights of back-to-backs than he ever has over the second half of the season.
“It's a fine line if you have a team that's older,” Popovich said. “You realize you can't pound, pound, pound and expect everyone to be there at the end of the season. We have to strike the balance every practice. Every day, we have to walk that line.”
Jackson said Bryant, 31, became ticketed for the bench when his injuries began to affect his legs, and not just the finger on his shooting hand.
“A finger is one thing,” Jackson said. “The ankle is entirely different. Basketball is a running game. You really don't want to get yourself in a position where you're not running well.”
Center Andrew Bynum (hip contusion) also sat for the Lakers on Monday.
Saint Newman: Spurs assistant coach Don Newman was born and raised in New Orleans. As a teenager, he sold beer and popcorn at the Superdome while the Archie Manning-led Saints set new lows of NFL futility.
Newman, as much as anybody, had a good idea what his hometown was like in the hours after the Saints' Super Bowl XLIV victory Sunday night.
“I'm sure the party is still rolling,” Newman said after shootaround Monday morning. “It's like Mardi Gras started early.”
An informal poll of the Spurs locker room shows most players favored the Saints. One who did not: George Hill, an Indianapolis native.
Even Hill felt good for Newman and the rest of Who Dat Nation.
“We already got our Super Bowl,” Hill said. “Let him have this one.”
Jeff McDonald
LOS ANGELES — After playing in 235 consecutive games, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has now missed two in a row.
Bryant, the NBA's fourth-leading scorer, sat out Monday's game against the Spurs with a sprained left ankle. It was the culmination of about two months of maladies for Bryant, ranging from a fractured finger to a bad back.
That Bryant is just now taking time off underscores the divergent approaches of Lakers coach Phil Jackson and the Spurs' Gregg Popovich when it comes to resting stars.
Though after Monday only one game remained between Bryant and the long layoff of the All-Star break, Jackson wouldn't rule him out for Wednesday's game against Utah.
“If he feels he can play, he's going to play,” Jackson said. “He's not just going to sit out because it might extend the duration he doesn't have to play.”
Popovich, meanwhile, prefers to err on the side of caution with injured players.
With older players, he prefers to carve out extra rest in the middle of game and practice schedules.
Tim Duncan, for instance, is scheduled to take off more second nights of back-to-backs than he ever has over the second half of the season.
“It's a fine line if you have a team that's older,” Popovich said. “You realize you can't pound, pound, pound and expect everyone to be there at the end of the season. We have to strike the balance every practice. Every day, we have to walk that line.”
Jackson said Bryant, 31, became ticketed for the bench when his injuries began to affect his legs, and not just the finger on his shooting hand.
“A finger is one thing,” Jackson said. “The ankle is entirely different. Basketball is a running game. You really don't want to get yourself in a position where you're not running well.”
Center Andrew Bynum (hip contusion) also sat for the Lakers on Monday.
Saint Newman: Spurs assistant coach Don Newman was born and raised in New Orleans. As a teenager, he sold beer and popcorn at the Superdome while the Archie Manning-led Saints set new lows of NFL futility.
Newman, as much as anybody, had a good idea what his hometown was like in the hours after the Saints' Super Bowl XLIV victory Sunday night.
“I'm sure the party is still rolling,” Newman said after shootaround Monday morning. “It's like Mardi Gras started early.”
An informal poll of the Spurs locker room shows most players favored the Saints. One who did not: George Hill, an Indianapolis native.
Even Hill felt good for Newman and the rest of Who Dat Nation.
“We already got our Super Bowl,” Hill said. “Let him have this one.”