From his ranking of Number 6 last season, Kobe Bryant has dropped to number 25 in ESPN's annual NBA Player ranking.

The main reason for the drop is Kobe's injury. He tore his Achilles in regular season play last April and his return is anticipated between December to February.

Even with his return, it is doubtful if he can still play the same way he did before. Kobe is 35 and has taken a lot of damage. However, 25 is too low. As an argument, can you name 24 other players you would take before Kobe Bryant?

Even ESPN's sportswriters are in disagreement on the rating.

Ramona Shelburne, ESPN Los Angeles: I don't like it. I know he's injured and we have no idea what level he's going to play at when he returns to the court, but this is Kobe Bryant we're talking about. Before he ruptured his Achilles at the end of last season, Kobe was having one of the finer seasons of his Hall of Fame career at age 34. People were calling him "Vino" -- OK, he was calling himself that first -- because he seemed to have aged so well. Even with some loss of explosiveness, he's still one of the top 10 players in the NBA.

Amin Elhassan, ESPN Insider: Considering Kobe's age and the severity of his injury, 25th is very fair and might even be generous. At some point, we have to accept that 2006 Kobe ain't walking through that door.

The argument for Kobe is that he is a resilient athlete whose attitude as a competitor is comparable to Michael Jordan. His obsession for greatness will propel him to hasten his recovery.

The argument against Kobe is that his injury is more severe than most people think. Some players never went back to their old form after a ruptured Achilles.

We have a full season to wait and see.