Kobe Bryant gets a visit from Kupchak, D’Antoni and Jim Buss

On Friday, Kobe Bryant got a visit from Lakers Vice President Jim Buss, General Manager Mitch Kupchak and Coach Mike D’Antoni.

Bryant is still on crutches, recovering from April 13 surgery to repair a torn left Achilles’ tendon.

The Lakers All-Star guard uploaded a picture to his Instagram account with the caption, “Got a few more visitors today ... Jimmy B, Mitch K and Mike D. We talked about the season, next season and more importantly about the strategy for this upcoming series #lakerfam #amnestywho?? Lol #coachvino.�

Bryant is expected to be out for six to nine months.

The cause of Bryant’s injury, suffered on April 12 against the Golden State Warriors, remains difficult to pinpoint. The Lakers, through trainer Gary Vitti, have stressed that an Achilles’ tear is not a repetitive stress injury.

According to Shawn Sorenson, an adjunct assistant professor in biokinesiology and physical therapy at USC, while it’s possible that Bryant’s minutes could have contributed, it’s a stretch to say they were the cause.

“It’s difficult to imagine an additional seven [minutes per] game over the past two weeks proved fatal,� Sorenson wrote for the Huffington Post.

Instead, age, movement mechanics, medication history and any of a number of additional factors could have led to Bryant’s season-ending injury, he wrote.

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Email Eric Pincus at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.