There’s still no timetable for his return to the court, but Kobe Bryant continues to insist that he’s ahead of schedule while rehabbing from surgery on his Achilles. Bryant spoke to TWC Sportsnet last night during the Lakers/Nuggets preseason tilt. Some highlights: “On Germany and his progress: ‘Just making sure I take care of everything. I haven’t had this much time off in a very, very long time. So, when I come back, I want to make sure I’m 100 percent.’ On whether or not this treatment is routine for him: ‘I do it every now and then. This year, I haven’t had a chance to run so I don’t know how the knee is gonna hold up—if it’s gonna be sore or what. So instead of taking that chance in the middle of the season trying to disappear to Germany then, I figure I do it right now.’ […] On how the process/rehabilitation has been going all summer: ‘It’s going well. I feel good. Obviously I feel like I’m ahead of schedule. It’s about getting that range of motion back where I feel like I can run comfortably and the last stage is really the explosiveness and the muscle endurance andthat’ll come.’ […] On the next step in his rehabilitation: ‘Just keep grinding. Just keep working. Working hard every single day and I gotta get in shape too, because Ive been sitting on my butt now for a while so I gotta get up and get moving.'”
