So, Kobe has decided not to have surgery after all. Wow. I don’t know what to say, except that I want him to have that surgery!

Here are some quotes from Kobe’s website:

I have always felt that I can still focus and play at a high level even through various injuries. That’s really just part of the game. When the doctors told me recovery from a procedure could be 12 weeks, I just decided now was not the time to have surgery.

That’s 3 months from now, so he’ll potentially be able to play around December.  That’s not bad, don’t you think?  The season starts in November so basically he’ll just miss a few games.  Well apparently, he doesn’t want to miss the bonding at training camp:

I am just really excited and looking forward to being there with the guys when camp opens in a few weeks. That is a real bonding process and if I can avoid being on the sidelines for that, God willing, I will.

I don’t know, man. I just don’t know. He just painted a big target on his back (or his pinkie!).  I’m guessing some Western Conference contender will pluck Horry out of retirement.  Rob’s primary objective? Hack Kobe’s finger to oblivion, of course. Or maybe Bruce Bowen can do that himself?  I’m pretty sure the Spurs know how badly they need to get back at the Lakers.

How about Utah? They played physical all series. Maybe they’ll think they need to hack Kobe more.

There are some interesting comments on Kurt’s blog. Allegedly, the injured pinkie had no significant effect on Kobe’s performance:

Kobe pre-injury:
46 games, 45.9% FG, 83.6% FT, 35.6% 3P, 8.8 FTA/gm, 5.1 3PA/gm

Kobe post-injury (including playoffs):
57 games: 46.5% FG, 83.1% FT, 34.4% 3P, 9.4 FTA/gm, 5.0 3PA/gm

That may be true but have you seen Kobe’s FT percentage in the recent Beijing Olympics (I’m too lazy to look it up but it was very uncharacteristic of Kobe)? Yes, I know, it could have been fatigue but I’m pretty sure he’s not 100% with that injured pinkie.

Besides, his performance is not the point here. It’s his health and vulnerability! It’s very simple, really. I would rather lose him for the beginning of the season than towards the end. After all, all that matters is the month of June.

Unless of course there’s something we don’t know here. Is he faking the injury? If not, has it already healed or will it heal between now and training camp? Is he afraid of having surgery? Is it not curable with surgery (meaning he’d have to live with it but he doesn’t want his opponents to know)?

There’s also a very interesting comment over at Forum Blue and Gold about Kobe foregoing surgery. It says that it could be an inspiration to his teammates that goes a long way over a long season. It makes sense as it could carry them all the way into winning it all.

Whatever it is, Kobe is making a big gamble. I just hope that it is calculated and not driven by a desperate desire to win a championship without Shaq.

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