The Lakers are anxiously awaiting updates on Kobe Bryant's torn rotator cuff - he's meeting with doctors this afternoon - but many team officials aren't optimistic.
Per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the team expects that Kobe's torn rotator cuff will require surgery, which would rule him out for the rest of the year.
Torn rotator cuffs have very different recovery times depending on how severe the injury is - minor tears can heal without surgery and only require a few weeks out, but the surgical procedure that repairs badly-torn rotator cuffs requires extensive downtime and physical therapy. Even for a player with superhuman recovery time like Bryant, there's no way for him to make it back this season...and given how the season is going so far, there's no logical reason for him to try and rush back.
There is some encouraging news from Shelburne, though - the Lakers do not expect Bryant to retire, and if anything, team officals feel a season-ending injury will only harden his resolve to come back better next year.
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