Kobe Bryant Making ‘Progress’, Still Not Ready to Play


Kobe Bryant’s inflammed left shin is slowly coming along, according to his coach, but there’s no telling when the Lakers’ superstar will suit up again. From the LA Daily News: “Kobe Bryant couldn’t play Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs, sitting out for the sixth consecutive game because of an injured left shin. ‘Most likely,’ he won’t play tonight against the Golden State Warriors either, according to coach Mike Brown. Bryant shot baskets with assistant coach Phil Handy playing light defense against him during the Lakers’ morning shootaround in El Segundo. Bryant hasn’t starting running, the next step in his eventual return to the starting lineup. With the Lakers holding a slim lead over the Clippers in the battle for third place in the Western Conference and boasting a 4-1 record without Bryant going into Tuesday, there didn’t seem to be any sense of urgency to bring him back quickly. Plus, there’s been an added bonus to Bryant’s absence. ‘It’s good to see other guys go out there and step up, especially in tight games,’ Brown said. ‘You get guys making plays at both ends of the floor. Usually, it’s Kobe because he’s so used to doing it. It’s been fun to see other guys figure it out.’ […] The Lakers have only four regular-season games remaining, including tonight against the Warriors in Oakland. ‘It’s just a guessing game,’ Brown said. ‘We could say it’s three. We could say it’s zero. We could say it’s one. It’s just a guessing game. I don’t think there’s an exact science to it. – He can fit in seamlessly with any group of guys, in my opinion. We’re taking our time with it. We want to make sure it’s right. We’ve seen the progress he’s made and we’re happy about the progress he’s made. It’s just a matter of us wanting to be cautious about it and making sure he’s back at full strength.'”