Kobe must decide whether he will undergo surgery on his right shooting hand. He has been diagnosed by a professional hand doctor with a torn ligament and bone spur in his pinkie finger.

If Kobe were to undergo surgery he would have approximately 6-8 weeks of recovery essentially putting him out of play until about the playoffs. The real question remains whether the Lakers can stay afloat in the playoff race without Kobe and Bynum. Can Pau Gasol keep them in the top eight in the Western Conference. Pau has won 50+ games in Memphis, surely he can do it with the supporting case of Odom, Fisher, Ronny, Jordan, Vlad Rad, Vujacic and the other guys.

Perhaps Kobe is better off going down for two months right now, and then coming back just a week before the playoffs, get into game shape quickly, and put his 4th ring on that pinky he just had repaired!