Kobe Bryant Injury: Torn Achilles Dashes Los Angeles Lakers Hopes of Playoff Run

The Los Angeles Lakers' chances of doing damage in the playoffs weren't great to begin with, but now that star guard Kobe Bryant is likely out for the season with a torn Achilles, they simply won't be a factor moving forward.

Although the Lakers were able to outlast the Golden State Warriors by a score of 118-116 on Friday night and preserve their one-game lead over the Utah Jazz for eighth place in the Western Conference, it was an incredibly costly game for L.A. Bryant crumbled to the court with a little over three minutes remaining in the contest and it was abundantly clear that something was wrong.

According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, Bryant will undergo an MRI on Saturday, but the Lakers are calling his injury a probable and complete tear of his Achilles. Not only does that mean Bryant is out for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs should the Lakers qualify, but his status for next season is in doubt as well.

The Lakers and Jazz have two games each remaining on the schedule, so Los Angeles simply needs to win its next two to ensure a playoff berth. That is far from a guarantee without Bryant in the fold. Point guard Steve Nash is also injured, so the Lakers will have to lean heavily of Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol if they hope to continue playing past the requisite 82 games.

If the regular season ended today, the Lakers would play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. The San Antonio Spurs are just a half game behind the Thunder, though, so one of those teams will play the Lakers in the first round if they are fortunate enough to make it. Beating the Thunder or Spurs would have been a tall order with Bryant, but doing so without him is a near impossibility.

There is no question that the Lakers are talented, but that talent hasn't really helped them get over the hump this season. Even with the likes of Nash, Howard and Gasol helping him out, Bryant was truly the straw that stirred the drink. He was having an unbelievable year with averages of over 27 points, six assists and 5.6 rebounds per game.

There is no possible way to replace that production.

Howard and Gasol are guys who can carry a team for a period of time, but superior guard play is needed eventually. There isn't anyone on the team aside from Bryant who is willing and able to take the big shot in crunch time. The Thunder have Kevin Durant and the Spurs have Tony Parker, so it will be difficult for the Lakers to combat them.

It can be argued that the Thunder and Spurs were hoping to avoid first place in the event that the Lakers finished eighth, but there is no such apprehension at this point. The Lakers simply aren't a dangerous team without Bryant. They had their issues even with Bryant in the fold, but they were the type of team that could have strung together four great games in a series.

There isn't a real contingency plan in place to make up for the production that is being lost due to Bryant's injury. Perhaps no player in the NBA is more integral to their team's success than Bryant. Los Angeles will now have to completely change the way it plays in order to accommodate the talent it has. That isn't a recipe for success at this point in the season.

While there is a myth that teams tend to come together and play better when their star gets injured, the Lakers are too dependent on Bryant to improve without him. His on-court play and leadership will be sorely missed. Bryant may be the mentally toughest player in the entire league, but the rest of the Lakers have proven to be fragile in that regard.

The Thunder have gone deep in the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and the Spurs are made up of battle-tested veterans. There is simply no way that those teams are going to allow a Laker team without Bryant to beat them. The Lakers have the ability to give them fits in spurts; however, it won't last over the course of an entire series.

The Lakers are a flawed team as evidenced by their disappointing 43-37 record.

There were many nights this season where Bryant put the team on his back and carried them to victory. They were admittedly at their best when they were playing team basketball and everyone was contributing, but Bryant was a key cog in that as well.

At this point, the focus should shift toward Bryant's health and whether or not he'll be able to make it back for the start of next season. The 2012-13 season has been a struggle from the very start and it won't be any easier without Bryant. For the sake of basketball fans everywhere, hopefully Bryant is able to battle back like he always has and come back better for it.

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