Kobe Bryant Out for the Year with Torn Achillies

Well it looks like a fitting end to an abysmal Lakers season, as the man who has kept them afloat suffered a torn achilles tendon last night in a win over the Warriors. Kobe Bryant went down in the second half and it was immediately apparent he was injured as he collapsed at the top of the key and grabbed in pain at the back of his left ankle. Kobe will have an MRI in L.A. today to confirm the tearing of his achillies, but it seems like a sure thing from the reports coming from the Lakers and their medical staff. If that is so, Kobe will be done for the rest of the regular season, as well as the playoffs although with their leader going down to injury, it looks very unlikely that the Lakers will even make it into the playoffs in the Western Conference at this point.

With Kobe going down, this will likely be the end of the road for this 2013 Lakers team that has done nothing but disappoint all year long. The only one holding this team together was Kobe, and without him they have no leader and more importantly just about no one who can score at will the way Bryant has been recently. You think a whiny Dwight Howard is going to lead his team to the postseason? Or an insane Ron Artest? No way. The Lakers might as well back their bags and start planning their vacations, and as for Lakers' coach Mike D'antoni, he could be fired at the year's end or he could choose to walk away from the job. Rumors are that he was miserable for months before this injury and with his last hope of salvaging the season going out with a torn achillies, that will likely be the last straw. If D'antoni is back in L.A. next year there is a better chance he is the Clippers' coach than the Lakers'.