http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers12jun12a,1,6605294.story?coll=la-headlines-sports June 12, 2003 LAKER NOTES Bryant to Undergo Shoulder Surgery Today By Tim Brown , Times Staff Writer Kobe Bryant will have shoulder surgery today in New York, a decision made after consultations with four doctors and arrived at less than a week after he was diagnosed with a torn labrum. Dr. Louis Bigliani, a shoulder specialist at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, will perform the surgery. Bryant is expected to be released today and spend another day or two in New York before returning to Los Angeles. After examining Bryant's shoulder and the MRI exam last week in New York, Bigliani is not sure Bryant has a torn labrum, and therefore could not estimate durations of surgery or recovery for Bryant. After team physician Steve Lombardo's conclusion that he had a tear in his labrum -- a ring of soft tissue in the shoulder socket -- Bryant received three more opinions, each slightly different from the previous. Dr. James Andrews, a noted shoulder specialist in Birmingham, Ala., was among those consulted. The difference of interpretation, according to a team official, was due to the inherent vagaries of reading MRI exams. If Bigliani, professor and chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian, does indeed find a torn labrum, the consensus opinion is that Bryant will recover from surgery in time for training camp, which opens around Oct. 1. USA Basketball has been operating for more than a week under the assumption that Bryant probably would not play in the Olympic qualifying tournament this summer but would be available for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Still, the organization has not tried to gather members of the senior men's committee in order to identify a replacement as it awaits the results of today's surgery and the doctor's conclusions. Though he notified USA Basketball of his injury shortly after it was diagnosed, Bryant, who desperately hoped to play both this summer and next, has not officially withdrawn. Bryant injured his shoulder on April 22, during the Lakers' first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played 10 more games, and only during a postseason examination was he convinced to have his shoulder tested. He averaged 30 points, a career high, and 6.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists in the regular season, in which he did not miss a game despite some nagging injuries. Shaquille O'Neal, in the process of hiring a personal trainer, has more work ahead of him than many imagined. This summer, O'Neal will attempt to harden a body that has swelled to at least 355 pounds with body fat of well more than the 14% he often has claimed. According to measurements taken last week, O'Neal's body fat is closer to 18% or 20%. Asked nearly a week ago about his summer plans, O'Neal bristled at the notion he had become overweight and that it had been a factor in the Lakers' early playoff exit. Indeed, he said, it was Coach Phil Jackson's responsibility to rework the offense through him and management's responsibility to rework a roster that has aged and thinned around him since the Lakers won their third consecutive title. Any demand for the ball, of course, means taking it out of Bryant's hands at a time when Bryant is beginning to feel less bound by the triangle and, perhaps, the urges of pending free agency and offensive freedom. There has been talk in the organization that it might be time to have the offensive emphasis switch to the younger and more versatile Bryant, much as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once abdicated the ball to Magic Johnson.
If anything, I think that Shaq being at 355 lbs is lower than what it was this season. You really enjoy posting Lakers articles. I think you are a bigger fan than I am.
Actually, it says he is "at least" 355 pounds. So he's probably more. I'm not a Laker fan. But I visit their message board sometimes on usenet, and I thought this stuff going on with Shaq was pretty interesting. I mean if he is out of the way, it pretty much makes the West wide open! You don't need a Duncan to compete anymore.
The LA media have been quite critical (maybe "critical" is too strong a word) of Shaq this past season since the toe-surgery "sick leave" incident. It didn't help that he pointed fingers towards his teammates and didn't take responsibility to the Lakers shortcomings. He has been subtly portrayed as a selfish guy ever since, deservedly so.
If Bryant becomes number one option than I look forward to seeing an early exit from the playoffs by the Lakers. Bryant's jump shots can't compete with Duncan, KG, Kings and Mav's balanced attack, and Portland’s athleticism, not to mention Houston and Phoenix. If I were the Lakers, I would try to win as many championships while Shaq is still in town. If Kobe is so unhappy as second fiddle why not trade Kobe away for the likes of Tracy McGrady, Paul Pierce, Vince Carter (if healthy). Any of these three players would love the opportunity to play with a dominating big man such as Shaq and rack up a couple of titles. Once Shaq retires, Bryant is going to have little chance of winning another NBA championship unless he is matched up with another big man.
Visiting a Laker message board might be fun. What's the address? Also, are there other message boards you guys frequent?
You need a top-flight power forward to stop the Garnetts, Duncans, Nowitzkis, and Webbers of the world. The Rockets don't have that. The West already was wide open this year due to his previous injury, and the Lakers future depends not on Shaq or Kobe, but on the surrounding cast. It has disintegrated, and if it continues to do so, anything relating to Shaq and Kobe will be moot.
I hate the lakers but I hate to see this happen to Kobe, because he is the best overall player on the planet and he has grown up a lot. Shaq, on the other hand, I have no respect for.
I don't visit laker boards cuz I know they suck I have visited the WOAI board for the Spurs and the Nets fanhome board and I think WOAI's board is the better of the two by far. Also has classier fans. Then again the Spurs haters are gonna come out of the woodwork and rail me for that comment, but it's just my observation.
Go to google.com and enter a search for "alt usenet." Go to the usenet site, then do a search for "lakers nba." I don't really recommend it though, since it's unmoderated. It's just people constantly flaming each other. It gets ugly. That's how all of usent is. I think one like clutchcity is called www.lakersunderground.com or something.
He must really be eating all that stuff from the Burger King commercials... Aged, maybe. Thinned... not with Shaq around.
My thoughts exactly. Shaq was around 370lbs thsi past season, but some have said he's working already with T-Mac's trainer who Kobe turned him on to 3yrs ago.
Unfortunately it's the only really active newsgroup. The Rockets one gets about two posts a month. And Screw Eichler, Mike Fletcher and Bozak.
I'm not one to defend Kobe, but his will to win is incredible. He really loves the game. Notice how he gets his surgery right away, so it won't screw up the season, whilst Shaq, last year, waited til the last second, so that he wouldn't have to drag his fat, lazy you-know-what (no, I wouldn't say it to his face; I wouldn't yell it if I were passing him in a speeding boat and he was standing on shore) up the court for a full regular season. By the way, Shaq is closer to 400 lbs. 355? About three years ago, maybe.
