Kobe Bryant Thinks He Will Play in Season Opener

The Los Angeles Lakers are being extremely and understandably cautious about Kobe Bryant’s return to the court. The team may be managing expectations, but that’s not Bryant’s style. While on a business trip in Dubai, Kobe said that he should be in uniform when the season begins next month. Per the LA Daily News: “Now it’s about cutting the recovery time, I should be OK [for the start of the season],’ Bryant said in an interview with The National, a website in Dubai. Bryant’s currently over there as part of his Health & Fitness Weekend aimed to address diabetic issues. Although he plans to return to Los Angeles for when Lakers begin training camp on Saturday, Bryant won’t participate in at least the early portions of it. It remains to be seen whether Bryant will play in any of the eight exhibition games through Oct. 25, let alone the Lakers’ season opener. The Lakers have also stressed patience for Bryant’s recovery. But given Bryant’s competitiveness and pain threshold, it should hardly be surprising if he returns in time for the beginning of the season. ‘Its’ going well. It’s going really really good,’ Bryant said in an interview with a Yahoo! affiliate in Dubai. ‘I’m feeling strong and doing a little bit of jogging. That’s a really good sign. They should know in this season when I come back that I’ll be ready.'”