Kobe Bryant Is a Game-Time Decision for Monday

As expected, we'll have to wait and see whether Kobe Bryant takes the court tomorrow against the Orlando Magic. Per Mike Trudell, Phil Jackson is calling Kobe's availability a game-time decision. After facing the Magic, the Lakers don't play again until Friday night, when they host the Timberwolves, and Phil was asked whether the possibility of an extended rest period would be a factor in deciding whether Kobe would sit.

Yes and no. It'd be great to have him get three days off to get better, but if he's capable of playing, he'll play.

Actually, if he sat out tomorrow's game, he'd get six days off, but I get what Phil is saying. In any event, you could probably sit him against the T-Wolves without risking an upset, so if the team wanted to be really conservative, they could let him rest until next Sunday, when the Trail Blazers come to town.

(One hair-raising detail from Trudell's story: when the injury occurred, Kobe's ankle literally bent all the way down so that it touched the floor. Yikes.)