Gäste-Forum » countrymen. I think it helps right away

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Kobe Bryant isnt happy about spending Christmas Day on the sideline, unable to help the struggling Los Angeles Lakers. Its a place hes unaccustomed to being on the holiday. Bryant leads the NBA with a record 15 appearances on Christmas Day, but hes out an expected four to six weeks with a fracture in his left knee. "Its strange to be coming in on Christmas and not playing," he said before the Lakers hosted the streaking Miami Heat on Wednesday. "Its a foreign feeling, but Im here to support my guys." LeBron James and Co. has won five in a row; the Lakers have dropped two straight. "We need you tonight," Lakers guard Nick Young told the crowd before tipoff. Bryants injury was diagnosed last week, his second major one of the season. He didnt play his first game until Dec. 8 after nearly eight months away while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. Then he got hurt again Dec. 17 at Memphis while playing his fourth game in five nights. "I was fortunate that it was not a meniscus," he said. Initially, Bryant didnt think he was seriously hurt against Memphis. He went down late in the third quarter, but returned to finish out the victory in which he logged a season-high 21 points in 32 minutes. "I didnt know it was fractured," he said. "I was expecting a bone bruise more than anything else. I thought (the doctor) was joking when he told me." Bryant has been limited to riding a bike; he isnt supposed to put any pressure on his knee. "Its just been slow in terms of laying off it and letting it heal," he said. "When you dont have activity, you got to watch the other parts like nutrition." Typical of Bryants attention to detail, he said hes been reading critical comments that suggest he wont return this season. "Its the same old tune, just being sung a little more loudly now," he said. "These type of things just help me lock in more." Asked if theres any chance he wont be back, Bryant replied, "Not that Im aware of." Los Angeles signed the 35-year-old guard to a two-year, $48.5 million contract extension in November. James, along with other NBA players, tweeted out well wishes to Bryant, although the two superstars havent talked. "Especially games like today, you want to have the best guys out there," James said. After the Achilles injury, Bryant expressed rare self-doubt. He hasnt felt any this time. "The knee is not really a concern to me," he said. "The biggest question was would the Achilles respond to my game. It felt fine. It was strong." Bryant was looking forward to playing against the defending NBA champions as a way to see where he was physically with his Achilles. "This was a really big measuring stick," he said. Instead, he sat at the end of the bench wearing a black suit and print T-shirt. "My spirits are fine," he said. "I feel more locked in now than my entire career." Bob McAdoo Jersey . 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Now his face isnt even among the five featured on signs welcoming Detroit Red Wings fans to Joe Louis Arena. Theres no longer a letter on his jersey or the responsibility that comes with it. Hes just another player, and he admits it has taken some getting used to. "Its mixed emotions," Alfredsson said Tuesday, the day before facing his former team for the first time since signing with the Red Wings as a free agent in July. "I miss a lot about Ottawa, theres no questions, at the rink and being the guy. But at the same time I also enjoy not being the guy and kind of worrying about myself a little bit more." Thats something he rarely got to do in 17 seasons with the Senators, 14 of which he spent as the captain. He was the de facto first-line right-winger and holds the Ottawa records for most games, goals, assists, points and much more. Alfredssons new team features a couple of other future Hall of Famers in captain Henrik Zetterberg and alternate Pavel Datsyuk. When the Red Wings lost in a shootout Monday to the San Jose Sharks, Alfredsson didnt have to serve as the team spokesman like he would have for the Senators. "I dont mind media at all, but its also nice to prepare every day through the ups and downs," he said. "I dont think I wouldve played as long as I did if I felt that was a burden for me. I cant say its never been." A veteran of almost 1,200 NHL games, Alfredsson earned instant respect from his new Red Wings teammates. The 40-year-old fit seamlessly into the leadership structure that was already in place. "Its not like hes stepping on anyones toes or anything like that," goaltender Jonas Gustavsson said. "He knows when to say something and he knows when to let other people take care of that." But it was his responsibility to move his wife and four children to Michigan. He expressed some trepidation about his family settling in to their new life but didnt express regrets about leaving the old one behind in order to prove himself to a new organization. "The way I looked at it at the time and still do today is its a huge challenge for myself, personally, both on and off the ice," Alfredsson said. "Its a big challenge for our family. I think I will look back at this down the road as something that was a stepping stone for me in my life." From a pure hockey perspective, Alfredsson also has a different job with the Red Wings. Coach Mike Babcock has moved him up and down the lineup throughout the first three weeks of the season, giving him plenty of different challenges along the way. Alfredsson recorded a goal and eight assists in his first 10 games, calling his own play "so-so." And while the Red Wings lean on him for offence, the presence of Zetterberg and Datsyuk means hes not counted on to do everything. "I think mmy role here is more Im going to do everything I can to make it feel like they dont have everything on their shoulders, and not the other way around that they should take something off me," Alfredsson said.dddddddddddd"I think if I can stay healthy and play to my abilities I should be able to do that. I think thats important. We know how good they are, and if we can help out behind them, I think its going to make them even better." It has been a long time since anyone considered Alfredsson a complementary player. Former Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla and Jaromir Jagr slid into similar roles last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins, with varying degrees of success. Early this season, Alfredsson is fitting in smoothly in Detroit, perhaps in part because of his unassuming nature and the core that has been around and already won the Stanley Cup. "The personalities have to fit, the position has to fit, the belief in the system has to fit, and right now it looks like the marriage there is pretty good," said San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan, an assistant on the Red Wings 2008 Cup team. McLellan pointed to Dallas Drakes role in 2008 and Jamal Mayers with the Chicago Blackhawks as prior examples of veterans integrating well and contributing to a championship. What makes Alfredsson different is that, like Iginla and Jagr, he has been a star and is used to the good and bad that comes with the spotlight. That star power isnt going to waste with the Red Wings. "Hes done excellent work for us, and we just be happy to learn more from these guys like this," Datsyuk said. In Detroit, Alfredsson has joined a team with seven fellow Swedes: Zetterberg, Gustavsson, Niklas Kronwall, Johan Franzen, Mikael Samuelsson, Jonathan Ericsson and Joakim Andersson. "There are so many Swedes that hes played with, whether its been at the Olympics or world championship or international stage," forward Justin Abdelkader said. "He knows those guys, fellow countrymen. I think it helps right away." Though he played with all but Andersson for Team Sweden at some point, Alfredsson said he wasnt sure how much of a factor that was in his decision. Still, Babcock wondered if Alfredsson has had some second thoughts. "Obviously any time you change environment after that long its going to be not as comfortable as the old place," Babcock said. "But I think lifes about embracing change anyway." Alfredsson has certainly done that. He called moving on with the Red Wings another stepping stone and an opportunity to "experience new adventures." Babcock hopes this team can ensure taking the leap was worth it. "Its just a matter of time, but hes been excellent," Babcock said. "In the end, depending on how good we become, I think he has a chance to be real happy here." 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