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What are the odds Kobe returns to Colorado for this one?
Surgery changes Kobe's plans
SIDELINED: The minor knee operation will cost him 8-12 weeks. He'll miss USA camp action.
12:10 AM PDT on Saturday, July 15, 2006
By BRODERICK TURNER
The Press-Enterprise
Lakers All-Star guard Kobe Bryant will not participate in the USA Basketball Senior National Team's training camp that begins Wednesday in Las Vegas because he had minor surgery on his right knee Friday.
Bryant, who has yearned to represent the United States in the Olympics, won't miss out on his opportunity. He will remain a member of the Olympic team and still is expected to attend the team's training camp and pre-World Championship tour, a spokesperson for USA Basketball said.
Bryant had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee for what was described as a "minor treatment" of a cartilage and removal of scar tissue.
He is expected to be sidelined eight to 12 weeks while recovering. That could take Bryant right up to the start of Lakers training camp on Oct. 2, meaning he might not be 100 percent healthy.
USA Basketball said Bryant, one of the stars who has committed to help the United States win the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, will have limited "basketball participation" with the team while he recovers from surgery.
"We trust that Kobe will have a total and speedy recover, and we are pleased that he expressed a willingness to remain as involved with our team as possible through this process," Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball Senior National Team managing director, said in a statement issued by USA Basketball. "Kobe being with the team will add to our team chemistry, and his presence will help provide valuable off-court leadership."
Bryant, who had surgery on his knee in the summer of 2003, became the second Laker this week who backed out of the USA Basketball training camp.
Lamar Odom pulled out because of the death of his infant son, Jayden, June 29 in New York of an apparent suffocation while he slept in his crib.
Boston's Paul Pierce and Orlando's J. J. Re , both of whom had been selected along with 24 other players to try out for the team, won't participate either.
Bryant, who led the Lakers to the first round of the Western Conference playoffs this past season, was prepared to commit to the USA team from 2006 to 2008, the year the Olympics take place in China.
Bryant has said in the past he didn't like the United States winning just a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics. Bryant has said that he wanted to put USA basketball back on top.
"It's a honor," Bryant said when he was selected to the Olympic team. "We get the chance to play for our country. There are a lot of troops out there who go out and represent our country and fight for our freedom. We as basketball players, this is what we do. It's an opportunity for us to go out there and show the world that we are No. 1 in basketball"
The USA team will train from Wednesday through July 25 in Las Vegas. It will play in the five-team World Basketball Challenge in Seoul, South Korea, Aug, 11-15. The U. S. team will also play preliminary-round games in the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Sapporo, Japan, Aug. 19-24.
Reach Broderick Turner at [email protected]
What are the odds Kobe returns to Colorado for this one?
season for lakers to tank, knee injury my arse
I'm surprised that the media isn't making a bigger deal out of this than they currently are. This basically means that Kobe will miss the World Basketball Championships next month. That tournament is FAR more important than winning the Olympics.
lol team usa is good enough without him
I agree with you.I don't like Kobe or the Lakers.
Kobe will play with Usa again next year.
I still think we'll win this summer's world championships but like Kobe or not, he would've been unstoppable and now we're down arguably our best player. Still, I got faith in guys like Wade, Lebron, and Arenas to pick up the slack.
Also, do you guys think Amare Stoudamire will play? I know he's playing in summer leagues now but he's still not 100%. I wonder if he will be come August.
Do you even know why it's funny?
"With the first pick in the 2007 draft, the Los Angeles Lakers select..."
Greg Oden....and then they will most likely destroy the Pacific....LOL
No SA fan should ever utter those words when your team did it twice.
Beacuse Kobe was in Colorado with that girl from three years ago.
No way in he plays this summer. It's not in his best interests or the Suns for him to play. He's nowhere close to 100% and though his play in the summer league has been decent, he's still got a ways to go.
That's a shame...wasn't Kobe captain of the team?
Yes Kobe is the leader of the Lakers and he's a great basketball player for the Lakers too.
Kobe never cared to play for team USA before the rape allegations. His motives are all wrong, he is only doing it to clean up his image.
You wouldn't do the same? You can't blame him for wanting to get out of that light.
The Lakers needs to get some role players and get their superstar Kobe some more help.Because Kobe isn't the team.A team works toeghter.
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