Getty LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, struggling to make the playoffs, waits for the start of play during a 111-106 Lakers win over the Houston Rockets.
Los Angeles Lakers All Star LeBron James injured his groin on Christmas Day and that changed the trajectory of the Los Angeles Lakers’ season.
The initial stretch of games with James on the sidelines was a rough one for the Lakers.
His injury occurred in a Christmas Day matchup against the Golden State Warriors and the team was able to pull off an impressive 127-101 win. From that point on, they dropped five of their next six games entering the current week.
The timetable was weird.
Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James injury is more complex than what has been initially reported, I’m told.
Per Lakers source: “LeBron could ‘rush back’ and return at the end of January. But he could very well be out until the end of February, or even longer.”
James could have sat out for the rest of the season. or “until the end of February, or even longer.”
He eventually back at the end of January and the Los Angeles Lakers still did not make the NBA Playoffs.
The Lakers initially called LeBron James day-to-day with the groin injury he suffered on Christmas.
He missed more than five weeks. Maybe he should have sat even longer.
A physical therapist that worked with LeBron and Lakers trainer Mike Mancias deleted this post saying his injury should’ve kept him out six months and that he returned early to not let his team down. 👀
Karen Joubert, the physical therapist who worked with James during his groin injury claimed that James was playing injured and should have sat out most of the season.
What changed their course? There were distractions in year one of the LeBron experiment.
Injuries played a role beyond James. Insert: Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Rajon Rondo.
Player movements were a distraction too: Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony and Zach Randolph also never found their way to LA LA Land.
As for Anthony Davis:
Demps told Magic this is what he wanted:
✅Lonzo
✅Kuzma
✅Ingram
✅Zubac
✅Hart
✅KCP
✅2019 unprotected FRP
✅2020 FRP swap
✅2021 unprotected FRP
✅2022 FRP swap
✅2023 unprotected FRP
✅2019 and 2021 2nd round picks
Lakers said: 👎🏽✌🏽✌🏽✌🏽✌🏽✌🏽✌🏽
So what was the biggest detour?
“I think the injury 1000 percent,” ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne told me on the Scoop B Radio Podcast.
“The Anthony Davis stuff came later, but the injury, it was the most serious injury of LeBron’s career, so that’s the start there, and for him not to be on the court, he’s not able to influence anything.
They needed him, they don’t have the depth of talent on the team, so when you don’t have LeBron out there, there is no way, shape, or form you’re ever going to be a better team.”
Rest is the best option at this point. James isn’t in the NBA Playoffs but that doesn’t me that the NBA All Star will be idle.
He’ll also have a busy summer.
He confirmed during NBA All Star Weekend that he and his SpringHill Entertainment would begin filming Space Jam 2 this summer.
LeBron James’ Space Jam 2 is still going on as scheduled, I’m told this afternoon.
James will likely be recruiting too. The Lakers will enter this summer looking to make a splash in NBA Free Agency this summer.
The Lakers purposely filled their roster with one-year contracts to maintain their salary cap flexibility for the summer of 2019 where several NBA superstars like Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, DeMarcus Cousins, and DeAndre Jordan are expected to become unrestricted free agents.