We told you to expect this but Lakers coach Mike Brown made it official at the Lakers shootaround Tuesday — Kobe Bryant will miss his sixth straight game with a shin injury and will sit out the game against the Spurs, as reported by the Los Angeles Times and other sources.
The rule of thumb the Lakers trainers are using is when he shows he can jump without pain he can come back. While he has practiced with the team he is not where the trainers want him yet.
Kobe said recently he would be back “well before” the playoffs. So, how do you define that, coach Brown?
“With a guy like Kobe, especially, his feel is so great for the game that I think he’ll be able to ease in probably better than most guys,” Brown said, “but for me to sit here and say, ‘He needs five games’ or ‘He needs two games,’ would not be correct. I think it’s just more by feel than anything else.”