Could Manhunter Lakers Endure Without Kobe Bryant?

The La Lakers narrowly defeated the Golden State Warriors by your final rating of 118-116 on April 12, maintaining their playoff hopes alive by the slimmest of margins. But the victory came at a heavy charge as Kobe Bryant limped off the ground in the fourth quarter after injuring his left knee and appearing to adjust his disturbing left foot in the game's late stages. However the news headlines got much, much worse: The Lakers could actually draw out the win, thanks in significant part to a 50-16 free-throw attempt advantage, but it is safe to assume that they don't wish to find out just how many more critical contests they could win without their best player. Before succumbing to harm, Bryant had been suffering an up-and-down game. He started poorly, going scoreless in the first quarter and desperate for his rhythm before halftime. But with significant determination and several serious threes, Bryant pulled the Lakers back to the game. The information on his injury continue to be unconfirmed, but when the unthinkable actually has happened and Bryant will miss important time, L.A.'s long-term prognosis is totally up in the air. For now, however, the Lakers are focusing on their immediate future. With Bryant sidelined, the Lakers' odds of survival are greatly decreased. In fact, if this latest injury proves to function as the straw that breaks the Mamba's back, the Lakers' remaining plan might mean they are in real trouble. L.A. has two games left, and neither of them number to be particularly easy: With the San Antonio Spurs coming to Los Angeles on April 14 and the Houston Rockets visiting on April 17, the Lakers will finish out the season against a couple of playoff groups. When they are happy, San Antonio will soon be sleeping the bulk of its experts. Harry How/Getty Photos But Houston is still pursuing the Warriors, whose lead on the Rockets for the No. 6 seed in the West fell to merely a half-game. They have got no reason to go easy on the Lakers. Theoretically, the Lakers' top-end ability should enable them to persevere with or without Bryant. Nevertheless the whole has been much less than the sum of the high-priced components all season long, so there is little reason to believe that Bryant's lack would somehow cause the Lakers to suddenly realize their potential. The biggest story is actually Bryant's future. If an upcoming MRI reveals he's truly endured a Achilles tendon, his job may very well take jeopardy. Without knowing more, it's only reasonable to target about what is immediately in front of the Lakers. However, without Bryant, the team's short term prognosis is similarly terrible. No one else on the group is going to gut out 48-minute stints in the facial skin of nagging injuries. No one else will take the crime as both a scorer and facilitator. And nobody else is going to strike fear in to opponents on the strength of his name alone. Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports Without Bryant, the Lakers may also end an epically frustrating 2012-13 season without a playoff berth.

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