Kobe Bryant Still Plans to Return This Season

Despite what is obviously a lost cause, Kobe Bryant plans to re-join the Lakers on the court this season. Only the Black Mamba knows why he’d want to put himself through such a torturous ordeal. Per the LA Daily News:

“My plan hasn’t changed,” Bryant said Sunday at an event to promote his new sneaker, the Nike Kobe 9 Elite Masterpiece. “I’ve been going about it every single day and trying to be better. That’s my job. My job is to get my butt out there on the court to play.”

Bryant hasn’t progressed his rehab beyond stationary bike work. The Lakers also don’t plan to reevaluate him until after All-Star weekend. But considering he still needs to advance his workout and practice regiment, Bryant sounded unsure when he’ll step on the court.

“That I don’t know,” Bryant said. “It’s completely out of my control. I really got to sit here and just wait until this thing heals up and then go out there and do what I do.”

Bryant sounded in high spirits talking about his latest Nike product, but that hardly matched his internal frustrations staying on the sideline. He didn’t travel with the Lakers on their three-game trip last week, which included a stop in his hometown (Philadelphia). He described that stretch as “horrible.”

“That Cleveland game, it was crazy,” Bryant said, referring to the Lakers’ win against the Cavaliers that entailed only a five-man rotation. “Then [Chris] Kaman goes to sleep on the bench. It’s like when big brother is not around, he starts doing crazy [stuff]. It’s been rough.”