Lakers superstar LeBron James has been away from the team this week for personal reasons, but he’ll be sidelined for Friday’s contest in Minnesota due to left foot soreness. That’s the same issue that caused him to miss Sunday’s win vs. Portland, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.
“For us, we have to be cognizant as we play more and more games, just the cumulative effect of playing a lot minutes,” head coach J.J. Redick said after practice Wednesday. “And Sunday, being banged up with the foot thing, it felt like a good opportunity for him to get some rest.”
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin, who first reported that James was unlikely to play Friday, the 39-year-old did not travel with the Lakers to Minnesota.
James would have eight days off if he returns for this Sunday’s matchup vs. Memphis. And he’d have nearly two full weeks off if he sits out that game and returns next Thursday in Sacramento, Woike notes.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Austin Reaves, who has missed the past five games with a left pelvic contusion, is officially questionable for Friday’s matchup, but he appears on track to return, according to Woike. As we previously relayed, the fourth-year guard went through nearly all of Wednesday’s practice.
- Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times argues the Lakers’ season is already a lost cause and the only reasonable way to move forward is to trade James and Anthony Davis, though he acknowledges both players would need to push for those moves for them to happen.
- In a column for RG.org, Mark Medina lays out why he believes the Lakers’ weaknesses aren’t easily fixable, writing that the front office’s plan of continuity hasn’t led to on-court consistency. In addition to a flawed roster and injuries to role players, Los Angeles simply doesn’t possess enough assets for meaningful upgrades via the trade market, according to Medina.
Flaws? Not enough time in the day, please do carry on as is, though. It’s fantastic to see lol.
When I watch the lakers I just see a very unathletic roster. Also see a lot of selfish basketball on offense
Who watches them
This Lakers roster was a stinker from day 1. I called bottom 4 team in the West and that’s what they are. Time to move on from Bron, AD and Reeves and anyone over like, 22, and rebuild the team back to greatness the hard way.
Another team Lebron bought left in ruins. Clev, Mia, Clev and now Lakers. Every time.
The timing on all this LeBron drama is starting to enter suspicious territory. Is the first ever LeBron scandal on the way? I hope he stays clean as I think that is the most impressive LeBron stat. Zero controversy in the spotlight for twenty years is commendable. But him playing and acting in a way we have never seen before is starting to look concerning.
LeBalco cough, cough.
Suspicious how? Are you implying years of PED use have led to a tolerance he can no longer support? Seems fart fetched.
The guy is older than dirt. Remember those father time commercials? I wouldn’t say it’s surprising to see a decline. It’s surprising we haven’t seen it yet..
Clean for 20 years?
Dude is neck deep in the Diddy mess and running for cover.
The Lakers can start by cutting useless Brawny.
It’s fun watching this car crash…
Lakers just have too many holes in their cap sheet…
LeBron and AD miss too many games for what they are paid… And when they do play do not play at the level the Lakers need and envisioned from them often enough…
Dlo is also not value for money… Can get hot and look like he is, but most of the time is not…
They could tear down and build around Reeves… But the last time they did a rebuild the fanbase got too impatient and ownership buckled and now they have LeBron…