Le Basketbawl

New York Vinnie learned a long time ago that you can not judge others based on “YOUR” values.  What New York Vinnie finds despicable you may find totally acceptable. That does not mean either of is correct or incorrect it is just shows we perceive things differently. The same thing applies in New York Vinnie’s mind to pain; we all have different tolerances of pain. Some people can be bed-ridden by something while another person carries on without skipping a beat. It is no reflection on either person it is just a fact of life.

Los Angeles Lakers All-Star Kobe Bryant has an “incredible” tolerance for pain; that is something that can never be disputed.  For the past couple of years the “Black Mamba” has been playing with a mangled pinkie finger that could be fixed if he was willing to  have an operation and take some time to recover. So far he has refused to go that route unwilling to give up the time to recuperate.

Last season New York Vinnie was dead positive that Bryant would reach a point in January of February in which the pain got be unbearable and he would have the procedure. New York Vinnie was dead wrong as Kobe played through the pain all last year and won the NBA Championship and to this day that pinkie is still not fixed.

Friday night as the Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-92 Bryant fractured his right index finger in the first quarter and played for the rest of the night with a splint on the finger. Now to his credit the veteran still scored 20 points in the game, which is pretty Frickin incredible. The broken finger is on his shooting hand and if you have ever shot a basketball you know how important that finger is in being able to get a shot off correctly.

After the game Kobe spoke with the “Associated Press” about the injury. He does not expect to miss any games and told reporters that the only thing he needed to get used to was playing with the splint. The Lakers guard said “It’s pretty painful. I just tried to play through it. … You just get used to it, that’s all. It’s just a different technique to shoot the ball with this.”

New York Vinnie admires the “Black Mamba’s” attitude, his courage and his devotion to his team. However New York Vinnie does not agree with Kobe’s decision to play through the injury. Reports state that it currently is a small break in the bone. However after every opponent who guards him over the next few games keeps whacking that finger that small break could get a lot worse.

There is only one problem; there is not going to be one person that forces him to sit games out. It will not be Lakers Team Owner Jerry Buss; last time we heard anything about him was the summer of 2008 when he was charged with a DUI. It will not be Los Angeles General Manager Mitch Kupchack; who can put together a great team but is not a forceful guy. It certainly will not be “Coach Zen“; instead Jackson will give him some book.

No, in “Lakers-Land” Kobe calls the Frickin shots and makes the decisions of whether he will play or not. Now New York Vinnie  has already admitted to you that Kobe was a lot stronger than I gave him credit for as he has played with the Frickin mangled pinkie. We will have to find out if this is the right decision or not and the next couple of weeks should give us an indication of that.