Kobe Bryant injuries don't happen often, but the Los Angeles Lakers superstar will start the 2011-12 regular season a bit banged up. Bryant's wrist injury originally had him listed as day-to-day by the Lakers' training staff, but head coach Mike Brown indicates his status is still up in the air for the beginning of the regular season.
Bryant is dealing with a torn ligament in his right wrist after he was sent tumbling to the ground by Clippers big man DeAndre Jordan earlier in the preseason. It didn't look terrible at first glance, but Brown gave an update following Wednesday night's game.
"He's day-to-day. As soon as I figure it out, I will let you guys know," said coach Mike Brown, who took over this season after the retirement of Phil Jackson. "The doctor has to clear him. Guys will go through the year and get hurt, obviously. Sometimes they'll get hurt and can't play, sometimes they'll get hurt and still can play. It just depends on the situation. Come Sunday, we'll see how it is. There's a chance, though, that he could play Sunday."
Bryant sat out the final preseason game, but he's apparently planning on being ready for the Lakers game on Christmas day. That obviously doesn't jive with what Brown said, as he still needs to get cleared by a doctor, but it seems as though the All-Star plans to play.
"He came up to me in practice yesterday and said: `My wrist is a little sore, but I'm good to go,"' Brown said. "And when it got to competitive stuff, where it was 5-on-5, he scored runners over defenders with his left hand. So he was playing a game within himself, I guess."
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