LAKERS NOTEBOOK: TEAM ORTHOPEDIST BREAKS BAD NEWS TO BRYANT, LAKER.Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer If enthusiasm had the power to heal, Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant (born July 23 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. would be back on the court tonight to play the Denver Nuggets Nuggets can refer to several branches of interest:
Team orthopedist Dr. Stephen Lombardo examined Bryant on Wednesday and X-rays showed the fourth metacarpal metacarpal /meta·car·pal/ (met?ah-kahr´pal) 1. pertaining to the metacarpus. 2. a bone of the metacarpus. met·a·car·pal adj. Of or relating to the metacarpus. in his right hand is still fractured. He'll be reexamined Dec. 1. If he returns to action that same day, Bryant will have sat out seven weeks, missing 15 games. That's two weeks longer than he hoped, and a week past the Thanksgiving return he had figured on. ``But it's healing as the doctor thought,'' Bryant said. ``I feel like I can go right now, but he said the threat of actually getting hit on the bone again and having it break again is definitely not worth it.'' Bryant can dribble, catch, pass and shoot without pain, which doesn't exactly make for a patient mindset mind·set or mind-set n. 1. A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person's responses to and interpretations of situations. 2. An inclination or a habit. . ``Hell no, I'm ready I'm Ready is the double platinum second release from R&B singer Tevin Campbell. I'm Ready yielded the biggest R&B hit of his career the #1 R&B smash "Can We Talk", and produce 3 more successful hits in "I'm Ready", "Always In My Heart" and "Don't Say Goodbye Girl". to go, man,'' he said. ``I wanted to come back earlier. That was just wishful thinking wishful thinking Psychology Dereitic thought that a thing or event should have a specified outcome on my part. . . . I'm just going to have to take my time with it, that's all.'' Not that the Lakers seem to need any reinforcements. Leaning on Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (pronounced "shak-KEEL") (born March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, generally regarded as one of the most dominant in the National Basketball Association (NBA). and Glen Rice, they've posted seven wins in nine games - including road victories at Utah and Phoenix - and might have gone 8-1 if O'Neal hadn't been suspended one game. ``Without a doubt, that makes it a little bit easier to kind of say, `OK, I'm going to take my time with this,' '' Bryant said. ``If we were 2-6, I'd be all, `Strap me up, let's go, man.' . . . Shaq and I talked about it. He said, `You know what, I'm just going to hold the fort down for you until you get back.' '' And when Bryant does return, he expects no problems fitting in. ``When I come back, we're going to be roasting people,'' he said. Coach Phil Jackson said the news was not unexpected, but he hopes Bryant can beat the two-week timeline and be back in time to play at Seattle on Nov. 30. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what you do in this situation but say, `Hey, play on,' '' Jackson said. ``And hopefully he'll be 100 percent when we're ready to get going. And I think he'll jumpstart. He's physically ready - and anxious.'' So far, so good: The Lakers' fast start has given Jackson a fairly clear picture of his team's strengths and weaknesses. ``We have enough talent in a halfcourt game. If we play with the tempo control, we're OK,'' he said. ``We have not yet shown we can run the ball, that we can generate high scores. . . . We've got some curiosity about the actual depth of our team as compared to a Portland. So we're not tying to claim that we've really (beaten) the top-notch teams in this league.'' The young, athletic Nuggets will pose a challenge tonight, but the big test in Jackson's mind will be next Wednesday, when the Jazz comes to Staples Center. ``That's really a good team and will be coming back . . . playing us with revenge probably in their hearts, to settle a score from opening night when we kind of got them by surprise (in a 91-84 win).'' Ouch report: Rookie swingman swing·man n. Basketball A team member who can play effectively in two different positions, especially forward and guard. Devean George has recovered from the flu that knocked him out of Monday's game at Phoenix and made the trip to Denver. LAKERS vs. DENVER Tipoff: 6 p.m., Pepsi Center. TV/Radio: KCAL-Channel 9; KLAC-AM (570). Lakers (7-2) update: The NBA's scoring surge hasn't made it to the Lakers, who are averaging 95.3 points per game and have broken 100 just three times. Twelve teams are averaging 101 points or better. But the Lakers are holding opponents to 91.3 points, nearly 7 points below the league average. Nuggets (2-5) update: Opened season with victory over Phoenix but have struggled since, even losing to Vancouver. They're not as bad as their record, though - other losses have come against powers Portland (twice), New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of and Sacramento. New addition Ron Mercer leads in scoring with 19 points per game, followed by ex-Laker Nick Van Exel Nickey (Nick) Maxwell Van Exel (born November 27 1971 in Kenosha, Wisconsin) is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. Van Exel, a 6'1" left-handed point guard, was most well known for his flashy style of play and his ability to hit critical shots during (18.4 points, 9.0 assists). CAPTION(S): box BOX: Lakers vs. Denver (see text) |
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