Kobe Bryant has apparently returned to the states and, more importantly to L.A. Laker fans, has earnestly commenced work on the six-month training program he is hoping will have him in shape for the start of the 2014 NBA season.
As part of his ong-term goal, Bryant spent part of last week visiting with the German doctors who performed the platelet-rich plasma procedure he previously underwent on his ailing right knee. Bryant leaving town before the Lakers had so much as finished their dreadful season had sparked criticism in some circles about him being disconnected from the struggling franchise.
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On Monday, GM Mitch Kupchak tried to put that issue to rest by stressing that he and Bryant remain on the same page.
"First of all, I did not know he was leaving town," Kupchak told ESPN. "Second of all, I think it's a bigger story to everybody here than it really is to us. We had a tough year. Kobe's had a really tough two years. He's had two career-threatening injuries. He's had to live through the season that we had to live through together."
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As the Lakers suffered through a year that brought about the most losses in franchise history (27-55), more and more Bryant seemed to distance himself
from all the team's ineptitude.
"This is his 18th year in the NBA," added Kupchak. "Although I haven't spoken to him in the last day or two, all things considered, to me, it's not that big of a deal."
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