Lakers news: Kobe says he 'shattered' Achilles recovery timetable

Kobe Bryant is currently on tour in China after a brief visit to Italy and said stated that he "shattered" the timetable for an Achilles injury recovery because of a "different" surgical procedure and recovery process, reports Jonathan Hartzell of NBA.com:

"The surgical procedure was different [...] and because of that the recovery has been different," Bryant said in the southern city of Shenzhen. "The normal timetable for recovery from an Achilles, we've shattered that. Three-and-a-half months I can already walk just fine, I'm lifting weights with the Achilles just fine and that's different. So we don't know what that timetable is going to be. It's kind of new territory for us all."'

Bryant suffered the injury on April 12 while facing the Golden State Warriors. In one week it will mark four months since the Achilles tear occurred.

Multiple reports have pointed to optimism regarding Bryant's recovery. Chris Douglas-Roberts told reporters that Bryant had told him that he is three months ahead of schedule just a few weeks ago during Las Vegas Summer League. Jim Buss told NBA TV that he wouldn't bet against Bryant being prepared by the season opener and didn't rule out the possibility he could play during a preseason game.

The standard recovery time from an Achilles injury ranges from 7-9 months. It's worth noting that while Bryant is confident that he has shattered the timetable, he also mentions there is still no timetable as his recovery is "new territory."

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