Off-topic from the Finals, but still very, VERY good news. With Kobe's sheer dominance over the course of the last to and a bit rounds of these Playoffs, it's easy to forget that he is still playing through serious injuries - amazing, really. This rest shall do him well, and few would have been surprised if he decided to lace it up for the Worlds regardless of his injuries, and thus punish his body even further. It certainly is news that his knee may require surgery (and what about his fingers?), but if he needs it, he should get it; and at least his knee wasn't drained of fluid earlier on in the Playoffs due to 'old age', as some journalists suggested while busy writing Kobe off. Hopefully, it's not a serious procedure.