Kobe Bryant Represents LA Lakers Fans' Last Hope for 2013-14 Season

Just as it has for the past 17 years, the fate of the Los Angeles Lakers rests in the hands of Kobe Bean Bryant.

After suffering a devastating Achilles injury last April, the Mamba set forth on a legendary journey of healing that will culminate at some point in the very near future.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Bryant returned to practice on November 16th. Pau Gasol was impressed by some of the moves that Kobe showcased, while Jodie Meeks added that just his presence brought a noticeable change to the team.

On November 18th, Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding reported that Bryant has been given full clearance for all basketball related activities. While his return is inching closer and closer, it's important to keep in mind that his conditioning and level of comfort on the floor will be key factors as to when he comes back.

Even in Bryant’s absence, Mike D’Antoni’s Lakers have shown considerable improvements in chemistry after struggling for the majority of last season. However, with the decline of L.A.’s other stars more evident than ever, it’s time for Vino to save the day—just as he’s always done throughout his storied career.

Steve Nash is breaking down

He’s fourth all-time in assists, and leads all active players in the category by over two thousand dimes. While he’s a future Hall-of-Famer and one of the best guards in league history, Steve Nash is breaking down.

At 39 years old, Nash has been able to play in a handful of games this season, and has sat out the tail end of all back-to-backs that Los Angeles has had on the schedule.

It appears that every game, Nash comes away with a different injury. First his hamstring acted up, then it was a tweaked ankle and most recently—and perhaps most disconcerting—it’s an increasingly painful back issue stemming from nerve problems.

According to NBA.com, Nash will be on the sidelines for at least the next two weeks, but his nerve root irritation could result in an even greater absence from the lineup.

It’s tough to see such a legendary player struggle so mightily with health issues, but the Lakers still have Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar to command the backcourt. While both are more effective than Nash at this stage of his career, neither have the star power needed to carry L.A. in Bryant's absence.

Gasol’s remarkable struggles

This was supposed to be a renaissance year for Pau Gasol.

With Dwight Howard gone, Gasol was going to re-emerge as L.A.’s primary post presence, put up All-Star numbers and thrive as the centerpiece of the Lakers’ offense.

That idea is now merely a dream, as Gasol has been extremely disappointing in the early stages of 2013-14.

Despite the fact that he’s been scoring with over 13 a night to go along with 10 rebounds, Pau’s sub-40 shooting percentage is alarming. And with Meeks, Blake and Nick Young as his competition, it’s really not impressive that Gasol has been one of L.A.’s leading scorers this season.

However, when Bryant—who authored the foreword to Gasol's new book—comes back, things will open up for Pau. Teams will shift their defensive schemes towards Vino and give Gasol more room to work.

While he's still got a lot of game left in him, it's become clearer than ever that Gasol needs his dear Mamba friend as much as the rest of the Lakers do.

Los Angeles needs its superstar

Bryant hasn’t played in a basketball game in close to eight months, and isn’t getting any younger at 35 years old.

But even with every odd imaginable stacked against him, it’d still be mind-numbingly ignorant to bet against one of the most driven, hardworking and motivated players to ever pick up the rock.

In all likelihood, he won’t average over 27 points and six assists like he did in 2013. But once Bryant steps back onto the floor, the Lakers will be a new team.

A better team, one with postseason potential.

Los Angeles is comprised of a wealth of strong role players. Meeks, Farmar, Young, Blake, Xavier Henry, Jordan Hill, Wesley Johnson—most teams around the league would love to have any of them come off the bench. But none of these guys can put the team on their back.

Each role player has lived up to or surpassed what was expected of them, but without their superstar, a playoff berth will elude Los Angeles for just second time in the last 20 years.

The "Final Chapter"

In what he has dubbed the “Final Chapter”, Bryant told Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated what he has in store as he re-takes the hardwood.

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“It’s The Last Chapter,” Bryant says. “The book is going to close. I just haven’t detemined how many pages are left.”

“Maybe I won’t have as much explosion,” Bryant says. “Maybe I’ll be slower. Maybe I’ll lose quickness. But I have other options. It’s like Floyd Mayweather in the ring. There’s a reason he’s still at the top after all these years. He’s the most fundamentally sound boxer of all time. He can fight myriad styles at myriad tempos. He can throw fast punches or off-speed punches, and he can throw them from odd angles.”

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Despite the slimming number of pages left in the tale of Bryant's career, he has become the Lakers’ final hope for the 2013-14 season.

And like many of the world's greatest stories, the ending to this one will be nothing short of epic.