SportingNews

Kobe Bryant(notes) is a notoriously tough customer, playing through pain and injuries that would send most players to the sidelines for several games. Now, though, it seems his current ankle injury might be the one to send him to the bench for a game or two.

From Mike Bresnahan at Lakers Blog:

Now it might be time for Bryant to sit a game or two, a thought that crossed the mind of the Lakers’ coach.

"It occurred to me yesterday during the course of that game," Jackson said Thursday, a day after Bryant had five points on two-for-12 shooting while fighting though a sprained left ankle against the Charlotte Bobcats.

What’s interesting about this quote isn’t that Bryant might miss a few games. Plenty of stars have missed time this season with not-major injuries—it’s not exactly a sign of weakness. The striking thing is that Kobe has become so dependable that Jackson didn’t even consider holding him out of games until he saw him struggling through the game against the Bobcats. This ankle injury has been bothering Kobe for some time—he’s said that he was already tight before the game—but he’s the kind of player who only sits when he can barely function on the court.

That’s because his presence alone can change the course of a game. As Nazr Mohammed said on Twitter, Kobe demands full attention any time he steps on the court, injury or not. He plays through pain because defenses have to respect him at all times. So don’t be surprised if he plays tonight against Denver, even if he looks like a shadow of his usual self.
More from Sporting News: On the block: Marcus Camby, Clippers