Kobe Bryant Should Focus on the Future and Rest Ailing Body

If you look up the word tough in the dictionary, it should have a picture of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant right next to it.

From both a mental and physical standpoint, Bryant is as tough as nails.

He's proven throughout his 15-year NBA career that he can suck it up and play through anything, but maybe now is one of those rare times where Bryant should step back and think about the future and perhaps rest his body for a couple of games.

After his mugging at the hands of Miami's Dwyane Wade during Sunday's All-Star game, Bryant was diagnosed with both a broken nose and a mild concussion.

While Bryant did ace the NBA's concussion test and is a game-time decision for Wednesday night's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, maybe it's not the smartest move to rush back just so soon.

There's no chance the team doctors would let Bryant play if he weren't 100 percent clear from the concussion, but the problem is no one truly knows when it comes to head injuries.

Take the Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby for example.

He's lost nearly two years off his career with concussion-like symptoms, and while they are two different sports and Crosby's concussion was more severe than Bryant's, the point is that you just don't know when it comes to head injuries.

Crosby was also medically cleared and passed his concussion test, but the symptoms returned and he's still on the sidelines.

Bryant's situation is different to Crosby's, but is it worth taking the chance and rushing back?

One hard foul to the head and who knows what can happen.

My favorite part about Bryant's game is his toughness, but no one would think any less of him, nor would his reputation be damaged if he decided to sit out for a couple of games in order to heal up.

He doesn't always have to play the tough guy role.

Sometimes playing things safe is the smarter bet, and sometimes the future is worth thinking about more than the present.