Was it everyone else, or was it just me who didn’t get it? As Twitter exploded with messages of heartache and disappointment streaming intermittently with words of encouragement and well wishes, I couldn’t help but think it was all a
Was it everyone else, or was it just me who didn’t get it? As Twitter exploded with messages of heartache and disappointment streaming intermittently with words of encouragement and well wishes, I couldn’t help but think it was all a bit overdramatic.
Kobe Bryant had just torn his Achilles tendon, but I felt much worse for Louisville’s Kevin Ware two weeks ago, much worse for Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III in January, worse even for Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke who broke his collarbone in a silly brawl on Thursday. Was my mild disdain for the Lakers clouding my judgment? Was I being callous and jaded?
I don’t think I was. I think I was being, once again, fooled by Kobe.
See, when he limped off the court with three minutes to play in a must-win game, barely able to maneuver his way back to the locker room, I knew it had to be serious. When the initial reports indicated not just an ankle sprain but a probable torn Achilles, the fact that his season was over was clear. Kobe would be a spectator for the final two games and if the Lakers managed to still squeeze into the playoffs, they’d get bounced by the Thunder or Spurs without his services. I felt like that was all but a certainty even if he was at 100 percent, so, on me, this supposed tragedy of the moment was still lost.
That was because it never for one second dawned on me that this would end Kobe’s career. Even at his advanced age and mileage, without consciously thinking about it, I had already determined that he’d return within the typical time period — and probably on the early end of that spectrum. Kobe Bryant would never be forced out of the league by injury, not when still performing at the level he had achieved this season.
His ongoing toughness and ability to play through pain has fooled me in the past, so much so that it has created a new and different sense of truth. While I may look at another 17-year veteran with a torn Achilles and think they’ll never put on a uniform again, my thought this time was simply “Well, the Lakers weren’t winning anything this season anyway.”
It wasn’t cold-hearted. It was probably more respectful than any faux condolences I would have come up with. One of the highest compliments I can pay the man is that I take Kobe Bryant for granted. I take for granted that he’ll be doing everything he can to treat, rehab and overcome whatever ailments pop up. I take for granted that his 34-year-old body may not be the weapon it once was, but that his mind continues to allow him to outperform athletes 10 to 15 years his junior. I take for granted the fact that winning another — no matter what the number, simply “another” — championship motivates him more than it motivates just about anyone.
So while others are concerning themselves with timetables on a possible return (which seem to be about six to nine months) or if the Lakers would consider parting ways with his iconic services (which they won’t), I’ve already moved on. Kobe doesn’t need my concern. He’s Kobe. He’ll be back and he’ll be good.
• ‘My Thoughts Exactly’ appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays in The Garden Island. Email David Simon your comments or questions to dsimon@thegardenisland.com. Follow David on Twitter @SimonTGI
