There's good news and there's bad news for Los Angeles Lakers fans right now. The good news? Kobe Bryant is finally back in the lineup, about eight months after tearing his Achilles tendon at the end of the 2012-13 NBA season. The bad news? Kobe looked like a shell of his former self during his first game back last night, scoring just nine points and committing eight turnovers during a loss to the Toronto Raptors. And after the game, Kobe was not happy with how he played. He even went as far as to give his performance in the game an "F."
"I'm just insanely critical," he said. "There was a bunch of things that I completely messed up on."
The turnovers, in particular, bothered the Black Mamba.
"I failed miserably at that," he said. "That was really the biggest thing for me, just trying to take care of the basketball because I know I'm going to be in charge of making some decisions out there…Basketball wise, I'm not happy."
Fortunately, he won't have to stay mad for very long. The Phoenix Suns will visit the Staples Center on Tuesday night and Kobe will get the chance to redeem himself.
"It's like chopping a tree," he said. "One swing of the axe is not going to get it done. You just have to keep at it, keep at it, keep at it..."
So don't lose your minds just yet, Lakers fans. It'll take some time, but the real Kobe Bryant will be back.
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[via ESPN Los Angeles]
