What's Next For The Lakers?

        There’s no reason for the Lakers front office to panic neither should their fan base, this injury can be a positive for both Bryant and the Lakers.

        For the fans clamoring about playoffs give it up, the Lakers are currently 11^th in the Western Conference with odds not being in their favor on making a post-season appearance. 

         The injury for Bryant seems as if the positives are impossible to find, but I disagree. With Bryant being out a minimum of six weeks it gives him time to not only let his Achilles get stronger, but it also give his legs some much needed rest. Bryant ranks fifth all-time in NBA history in regular season and playoff minutes combined logging 54,163 minutes.

        For the Lakers front office this gives them a chance to evaluate the young talent on their roster, deciding on who will make the cut for next season, and who they’ll have to part ways with. This injury to Bryant is going to give some of the unproven Lakers on the roster a time to shine. Nick Young, Xavier Henry and Wesley Johnson are not just auditioning for a multi-year with the Lakers, but also trying to prove to other NBA teams that they can be serviceable NBA players. Young has been the best of the three over the course of the season averaging 14.9 points per game on 44 percent shooting.

        Looking ahead to the draft in June, the Lakers have one first-round pick which is extremely valuable in a draft that is heralded as the best class since 2003 that feature LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwayne Wade. After all the Lakers could use a young athletic point guard or wing player, and from what scouts and experts say this draft class is loaded with talent. This sets up perfect for the Lakers to draft a player that can be groomed under Bryant on what it takes to be a successful pro in the NBA today.

         It's unlike that Bryant will sit out the remainder of the season, so for those who've pondered the idea you can end that thought process.

        Despite the injuries that have hindered the Lakers, the overall goal is to compete to a level high enough to where they can recruit another superstar as Bryant prepares to sail into the sunset.

Will Derrick Rose be the next Grant Hill?

When hearing that Derrick Rose torn his medial meniscus, the first name that came to mind was Grant Hill. I know you’re probably thinking that’s the worst comparison possible, but despite battling injury Hill went on to play nearly two decades, if you know anything about the NBA not everyone gets to have a long lasting career.

Hill, who was a seven-time all-star was to be believed by many to be better than Michael Jordan, was the number one overall selection in 1994, as Rose was in the 2008. Hill went on to have five surgeries on his ankle, Rose is already on his second just recently injuring his “healthy” knee. During Hill’s first two years he led the NBA in all-star votes, beating out Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal, even being named the co-NBA Rookie of the Year. Rose also was named NBA Rookie of the Year, he even went on to become the NBA’s youngest MVP recipient at the age of 22. Both Hill and Rose were young stars in the league until the injury bug bit them. Hill went on to have a solid NBA career of 19 seasons, becoming one of 17 to score over 17,000 points, 6,000 rebounds, and 4,000 assists. Rose’ career is still ongoing, but it will be interesting to see how the rest of his career pans out.

The knee is no longer a concern Rose has already undergone surgery and is set to return to action at the start of 2014-2015 NBA season.

But where is Rose mentally?  That’s the million dollar question.

Basing my opinion off of how long it took Rose to return to the court tells me he is not in a good state of mind after sitting out the entire 2012-2013 season after being cleared to play. I’m not the one to rush a player back to the court after suffering a serious injury, but after witnessing Rose participate in shoot around it was clear that he was not confident in his surgically repaired knee. It was evident that he could still explode off of the dribble and bounce, but yet he still wasn't ready to return to action .Then after a full year, he returns to action and still looks good despite the rust of not playing, then down he goes 11 games into the season he goes down again.

Rose has shown that his injury is clearly more mental than physical.

If Rose is not 100 percent confident that he can return and play without doubting his knees, then that 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player that led the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals is long gone.

People are already questioning Rose’s mental toughness after Skip Bayless took to ESPN’s First Take to say he returned to running distance within two to three weeks after having a successful surgery repairing his torn meniscus.

Why should Rose miss the rest of the season? It’s simple he shouldn't.

Rose will have to show he’s mentally tough, after rehabbing for a year, then having to rehab again is tough to do. If you've ever suffered a major injury, you know just how tough the rehab process can be on your mental stability.

When the rehab regimen picks up intensity, how will Rose respond?

It is possible that Rose can come back and play at a high level.

To make a football reference, take Adrian Peterson for example, after tearing his ACL Peterson came back stronger than ever nearly breaking the NFL rushing record. There is a down side to Peterson's success, now athletes across professional sports who suffers a major knee injury will be held to that same standard, that’s not a performance level that’s easy to meet.

It will be interesting to see how Rose returns. He can enter come back better than ever as Peterson, and continue to ascend to new heights, or he can just be another NBA player who had a serviceable career.