LeBron James Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Injury Updates: Giannis, Holiday, LeBron, CP3, Drummond

November 9th, 2022 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks will take an NBA-best 9-1 record into Oklahoma City on Wednesday night, but they’ll be missing the two stars who have been largely responsible for leading them to that hot start.

As Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets, Bucks guard Jrue Holiday (right ankle sprain), who was originally listed as doubtful for Wednesday’s game, has been downgraded to out. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (left knee soreness) has also been ruled out after initially being considered probable to play.

There’s no indication at this point that either injury is a serious one, but they’ll be worth monitoring in the coming days. The Bucks’ next game after tonight is on Friday in San Antonio.

Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the league:

Lakers star LeBron James, who had been listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game vs. the Clippers due to left foot soreness, will play, he told reporters today (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic). James said that rest is the only thing that can help the injury, but he doesn’t plan to sit out for an extended period, and his status for back-to-back sets will be determined based on how he’s feeling.
The Suns are now listing Chris Paul as out for Wednesday’s game vs. Minnesota with right heel soreness, tweets Timberwolves broadcaster Alan Horton. After Paul left Monday’s contest due to the heel injury, head coach Monty Williams said on Tuesday that it’s “a lot better than what we thought,” so it doesn’t sound as if the veteran point guard will miss much time (Twitter link via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic).
After missing six games with a sprained left shoulder, Bulls center Andre Drummond has been upgraded to probable for Wednesday’s contest vs. New Orleans and expects to play, per Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago.

Lakers Notes: Trades, Ham, Roster, Davis, James

November 8th, 2022 at 10:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Are the Lakers holding out for a big move? Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated said on “The Crossover NBA Show” that they’re hoping for a “bigger piece to come loose” in a deal involving Russell Westbrook and their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks (hat tip to Peter Dewey of LakersDaily.com). Beck didn’t reveal the specific player that the front office may be targeting but says it’s not Kyrie Irving or the Pacers’ package of Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.

We have more on the Lakers:

First-year coach Darvin Ham says there’s not much the front office can do in terms of trades or a free agent signing because of financial constraints and the fact they’ve already used the mid-level exception, (Twitter video link). “Were a tax offender, right? Just can’t go out and start spending money everywhere to build a team,” Ham said. “We have three first-ballot Hall of Famers that a chunk of our budget is being spent on and there’s only so much left.”
The Lakers’ roster shortcomings are inescapable, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register notes. They own the worst offense rating in the league and their defense has regressed in recent games. Lonnie Walker IV and Troy Brown are the only newcomers who have made a positive impact, according to Goon, while free agent additions Thomas Bryant and Dennis Schröder haven’t played due to injury.
Many people around the league are enjoying the Lakers’ front office’s struggles and one executive interviewed by Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett declared “there’s no more championships” on the horizon. “Look where they are now and tell me when the hell they’re going to have a chance to compete for a championship again,” the executive said.
Anthony Davis (lower back tightness) and LeBron James (left foot soreness) are listed as probable for Wednesday’s game against the Clippers, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets.

Lakers Notes: Irving, Davis, Nunn, James

November 7th, 2022 at 10:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There’s a possibility that Kyrie Irving might have played his last game as a Net, but don’t assume the Lakers are eager to add LeBron James‘ former Cleveland teammate. Sources told The Athletic’s Sam Amick the Lakers have significant concerns about acquiring Irving at any price and have not been focused on that possibility during the young season.

A report from The Athletic in early October noted that Irving wasn’t in the team’s plans and the latest controversy surrounding him has made it even more implausible.

We have more on the Lakers:

Making sure Anthony Davis gets enough touches is a priority, Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes. Davis only attempted two shots in the second half of the loss to Cleveland on Sunday. “Obviously, it starts with AD and getting him more touches,” James said. “Our focal point is and always should be to make sure he touches the ball throughout the course of possessions, quarters, halves.”
Kendrick Nunn opted into the second and final year of his contract during the offseason but he has struggled after missing last season due to a knee injury, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times points out. Nunn is shooting just 28.6% from the field, including an 0-for-5 outing in 18 minutes against the Cavaliers. “I’m just trying to take the lid off the basket,” Nunn said. “That’s all. That’s it. I got some great looks, just taking that lid off and getting comfortable in my spots, get comfortable seeing where they are coming from. I’ll be good.”
The Lakers have lost seven of their first nine games and James says their record is deserved, Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes. “I’m a guy who stays in the moment and we are who we are,” James said. “We have to get better and compete every night — which we’ve done. We’ve competed. This ball club has definitely competed. But we’ve, for the majority, we just hit a wall at one point and it’s hard for us to recover after that.”
James might finally be showing his age, which is why a trade to assist him and Davis may still not catapult the team into contention, Eric Pincus opines in a Bleacher Report story.

LeBron James Out Monday With Left Foot Soreness

November 7th, 2022 at 12:51pm CST by Rory Maher

Superstar forward LeBron James has been ruled out for Monday’s game at Utah due to left foot soreness, the Lakers announced (Twitter link via Marc Stein).

In addition to James, starting guards Patrick Beverley and Lonnie Walker have been ruled out Monday, as both are dealing with non-COVID illnesses. Big man Anthony Davis (lower back) is listed as probable on the second of a back-to-back after Sunday’s loss to Cleveland, so at least that’s a positive development.

While this is James’ first missed game of the 2022/23 season, he has been dealing with the foot soreness for a few weeks and said a stomach virus was affecting him all of last week.

“I lost my rhythm when I kinda got this bug,” he said. “Not only the threes, but a couple of layups have been short around the rim. Just feel like my rhythm has been off. Haven’t had an opportunity to get on the practice floor because I’ve been kinda told – not just told to stay away but advised to stay away to save my energy for the games.”

In his 20th NBA season, James is averaging 24.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.0 steal through nine games (36.1 minutes per night). However, his shooting line of .447/.210/.682 (.506 true shooting percentage) is well short of his career slash line (.504/.345/.734, .587 TS%), so clearly he hasn’t been himself early on.

After dropping Sunday’s game to the Cavs, the Lakers currently sit with a 2-7 record and are facing the surprising 8-3 Jazz. Utah just beat the Lakers in Los Angeles on Friday, so it will be a tall order for the Lakers to even the season series with three starters — including their best player — out tonight.

Pacific Notes: Davis, LeBron, Irving, Wall, Suns

November 5th, 2022 at 11:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James were told to skip Friday morning’s shootaround, but the health issues for both players appear to be easing up, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Coach Darvin Ham plans to have Davis and James in the lineup for both games of the back-to-back Sunday and Monday against the Cavaliers and Jazz.

Davis played nearly 35 minutes Friday despite a lingering back issue that has already caused him to miss a game. He said it felt “pretty good,” and the Lakers believe he’s not risking further damage by playing. James saw 34 minutes of action Friday despite a stomach virus that has been bothering him all week.

“I lost my rhythm when I kinda got this bug,” he said. “Not only the threes, but a couple of layups have been short around the rim. Just feel like my rhythm has been off. Haven’t had an opportunity to get on the practice floor because I’ve been kinda told – not just told to stay away but advised to stay away to save my energy for the games.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Kyrie Irving‘s latest controversy is a reminder that the Lakers were fortunate not to get him when they were shopping Russell Westbrook, contends Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. She points out that Westbrook is doing everything the coaches have asked, including adapting to a bench role, while Irving continues to destroy the Nets‘ culture.
Clippers guard John Wall bounced back strong on Friday night after his revenge game in Houston fizzled out, per Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Wall admits to being angry that he only played a season-low 15 minutes against the Rockets, who kept him sidelined for all of last season, but he recognizes that it’s bad for the team if he decides to be selfish. “I knew I had to get back to being myself, being the guy this team needs if I’m playing 15 or 24 minutes,” Wall said. “It is what it is. You have to accept that and come with the sacrifice of what this team with different guys got to take and make it on this team.”
In the wake of Cameron Johnson‘s possible meniscus tear and Jae Crowder‘s continued absence, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports identifies some possible trade targets for the Suns to consider. He points to the Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma, the Bucks’ Grayson Allen, the Celtics’ Derrick White, the Raptors’ Thaddeus Young, the Clippers’ Nicolas Batum, the Spurs’ Josh Richardson and Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen as players who might be available in a Crowder deal.

Lakers Notes: Westbrook, Davis, Ham, LeBron

October 29th, 2022 at 5:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers were encouraged by Russell Westbrook‘s performance off the bench Friday night, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. It’s a role that new head coach Darvin Ham talked to Westbrook about during the offseason, and he decided to make the move after the team’s sluggish start.

Westbrook turned in his best game of the season, delivering 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes. However, his shooting woes continued as he hit just 6-of-17 from the field and 5-of-10 from the foul line and he turned the ball over five times.

“From Day 1, I mentioned I’m the guy that’s willing to do whatever for the team,” said Westbrook, who hadn’t been used as a reserve since his rookie season. “I’ll sacrifice whatever it is that needs to be sacrificed — parts of my game that I’ve done for years to accommodate whatever it is that the coach needs me to do, and I’ll continue to do that.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

Anthony Davis sat out his first game of the season Friday due to lower back tightness, McMenamin adds. While it doesn’t sound like a serious injury, there are always concerns with any physical ailment involving Davis, who has played just 40 and 36 games the past two seasons. “He has to do what’s best for his body,” LeBron James said. “He has to do what’s best for his body and his mind. If his mind is gone, then everything else will fall to the wayside. So he has to trust himself. Yes, he wants to play every game. Yes, he wants to be out there for our team. But he’s had a lot of bumps and bruises over the last few years, so he has to trust himself, trust his staff and not put his body in harm’s way.”
After L.A. dropped to 0-5, Ham joked with reporters about the team’s lack of offense, per Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Asked if Lonnie Walker can become the “third scorer” in the starting lineup, Ham responded, “I mean, we welcome any and all scorers, whether they’re third, fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh. If you can score, we’ll work you out tomorrow.”
The Lakers ended Friday’s game with James at center, trying to create a mismatch with Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert, Goon notes. James indicated that he doesn’t expect to see much time in the middle, explaining that Ham is experimenting with different combinations. “We’re just trying to find what works right now, to be honest,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who is on the floor. We’re just trying to find what works, who can give us the best chance to win a ballgame.”

Lakers’ Anthony Davis Out Friday With Back Tightness

October 28th, 2022 at 5:34pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers big man Anthony Davis will miss Friday’s game at Minnesota with lower back tightness, the team announced (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin).

Davis was considered a game-time decision leading up to the contest. He was able to participate in the team’s Friday shootaround, but he has now been ruled out.

According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link), Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said back issues are “tricky” because Davis felt fine Friday morning, but Ham implied he may have slept on it wrong and tweaked it. However, Ham is hopeful that it will be a one-game absence.

“We feel good about him being available the next game,” Ham said. The Lakers’ next game is Sunday vs. Denver, followed by Wednesday vs. New Orleans.

As Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times tweets, the Lakers also announced that Russell Westbrook (left hamstring) and LeBron James (left foot soreness) are available for Friday’s game against the Wolves.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier today that Ham planned to bring Westbrook off the bench against Minnesota, but that was contingent upon Davis playing. However, Wojnarowski tweets that the Lakers still plan to transition Westbrook to a reserve play-making role — it just might be temporarily postponed due to Davis’ absence.

For his part, Ham said he was undecided on whether Westbrook would start tonight, per Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group (via Twitter).

Davis, an eight-time All-Star, has struggled with various injuries throughout his career, but particularly the past two seasons. From 2020-22, Davis only appeared in 76 of a possible 154 games.

The Lakers are still looking for their first win of the season, and now they’ll be without the former No. 1 overall pick for at least one game. Davis is averaging 24.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.8 steals and 2.3 blocks on .527/.182/.762 shooting through four games (35.0 minutes per contest).

Lakers Notes: Brown, Ham, Westbrook, AD, LeBron

October 23rd, 2022 at 3:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers free agent addition Troy Brown was a full participant in Saturday’s practice and is set to make his season debut on Sunday against Portland, according to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group.

The team has been vague regarding Brown’s back issue, but Brown revealed that it’s a pretty serious one — he’s been dealing with a herniated disc, the same injury that caused Brook Lopez and Ben Simmons to undergo surgery within the last year. Goon writes that the Lakers have been cautious not to overextend Brown, who had been limited to non-contact work for weeks until recently.

Head coach Darvin Ham lavished praise on what Brown might provide to the team.

“Just his size, his athleticism, his length, his ability to shoot,” Ham said, per Goon. “And he’s just a young player that’s got NBA games under his belt already that we’re super excited about. I think just his attention to detail, making sure he’s in the right space, right place within the offense, and defensively him really wanting to help, and I think he will.”

At 6’6″ and 215 pounds, Brown is one of the few true wings on the Lakers’ roster, and at 23 years old, he could have some untapped upside. Still, he only averaged 4.3 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 66 games (16 MPG) for the Bulls last season, so it would be pretty surprising if he had a major impact on his new team after dealing with a back injury.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Ham continues to publicly support Russell Westbrook despite his shooting struggles, Goon relays in the same article. Westbrook was 0-of-11 from the field against the Clippers, though he did compete hard on defense, which pleased Ham. “That’s what I asked of him and that’s what I preached this summer and everybody looked at me like I was crazy,” Ham said. “But Russ is still an elite athlete, and those are the things I’m talking about when I’m saying sacrifice. Not to take anything away, necessarily, but for him to diversify his game. And he’s been trying to do that.”
Anthony Davis, who took a hard fall in the loss to the Clippers on Thursday, had been listed as probable for Sunday’s game, which typically means the player will wind up playing, and that is indeed the case. Ham confirmed the news to reporters (Twitter link via Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times).
Refusing to improve the roster around LeBron James is squandering what’s left of the superstar’s prime and “that’s negligence” from the front office, argues Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Zillgitt says that the lack of shooting on the Lakers’ roster is particularly perplexing given how successful James has been when surrounded by shooters throughout his career. For what it’s worth, the Lakers currently trail the Blazers 55-48 at halftime and are 1-of-16 from three-point range.

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Roster, Westbrook, Ham, Cannady

October 21st, 2022 at 7:37am CST by Luke Adams

After making just 10-of-40 three-pointers in their regular season opener on Tuesday, the Lakers were even worse on Thursday, hitting 9-of-45 in a loss to the Clippers. LeBron James, who acknowledged the team’s lack of “lasers” following Tuesday’s loss, didn’t want to focus on that roster hole again on Thursday, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes.

“I’m definitely not going to sit here and harp on what we can’t do every single game,” James said when asked about the Lakers’ shooting struggles. “That’s not a leader. What I know we can do? We can defend our ass off. We did that tonight, which gave us an opportunity to win and we just couldn’t make it happen. But, I’m OK with that.”

James expects the shooting numbers to improve, since the Lakers obviously will make more than 22.4% of their three-point attempts this season. However, he admitted that the team can’t afford to live and die on whether those outside shots are falling.

“If we’re reliant on (solid three-point shooting) every single game, then we’re in trouble,” James said, per McMenamin. “So I’m not worried about that or thinking about that. It’s how hard we play, how aggressive we play, how determined we are to go out and compete every night. And we got to defend. When we defend, we’re going to give ourselves a good chance to win.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Russell Westbrook played solid defense and had five steals on Thursday, but went 0-for-11 from the floor and scored just two points. Clippers forward Paul George defended his former teammate after the game, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN relays (via Twitter). “It’s hard when you’ve got the pressure they’re putting on him here. Quite frankly, it’s not geared for him with the roster they have,” George said. “… He was very easily a 30-10-10 guy when he had the keys to the team. We can’t forget about that.”
After Westbrook said that coming off the bench “absolutely” was a factor in his minor hamstring injury last Friday, he and head coach Darvin Ham spoke about the issue and reached an “understanding,” Ham told reporters prior to Thursday’s game (link via McMenamin). Although Ham was fine with Westbrook saying what he did, the Lakers’ coach stressed that he and his staff “would in no way, shape or form put a player or an employee in harm’s way.”
In a conversation with Marc J. Spears of Andscape about being a first-time head coach with the Lakers, Ham said it will take some time for the new-look roster to get comfortable with each other — and with his system. “Chemistry is not like Malt-O-Meal. It’s not instant,” Ham said. “You don’t just throw it in the microwave. That is something that has to be baked over the course of time and we’ll get there. The more we keep getting the reps in when we are about to practice and shoot around, film work, we’ll get to the point where we know each other and it’s second nature the way we play basketball. That definitely is the goal, and it takes time. Just got to be willing to be patient.”
The South Bay Lakers – L.A.’s G League affiliate – have acquired Devin Cannady‘s NBAGL rights from the Lakeland Magic, the team announced in a press release. Cannady was waived by Orlando last weekend after not making the team’s regular season roster.

And-Ones: NBA Rosters, Barkley, Vildoza, Wembanyama

October 18th, 2022 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s opening night rosters feature a total of 120 international players, including a record-setting 22 from Canada and 10 from Australia, the league announced today in a press release. All 30 teams have at least one international player, while the Raptors – the NBA’s only international team – lead the way with eight international players.

Meanwhile, the opening night rosters also include a record-setting 234 players with some G League experience, according to the NBA (Twitter link). All 30 teams are carrying at least four players with G League experience, while the Nets‘ roster features a record 12 players who have spent time in the NBAGL — Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, Markieff Morris, and rookie Alondes Williams are the only Brooklyn players without G League experience.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The four members of TNT’s Inside the NBA studio show – Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal – have agreed to new multiyear contracts, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports announced this week. Barkley’s new deal covers 10 years and will be worth well above $100MM, reports Andrew Marchand of The New York Post, though Barkley said during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show that there’s “probably zero chance” he’ll stay for the entire 10 years (story via Awful Announcing).
Argentinian guard Luca Vildoza, who spent parts of the last two seasons with the Knicks and Bucks, told Mozzart Sport (hat tip to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops) that he didn’t get the opportunity he had hoped for in the NBA, but that he still feels like he benefited from his time stateside. “I feel better physically and stronger,” Vildoza said as he prepares to resume playing in Europe. He appeared in seven games for Milwaukee during the 2022 postseason, but has yet to play in a regular season NBA contest.
Lakers star LeBron James isn’t the NBA’s highest-paid player in terms of salary this season, but he’ll earn the most money after accounting for endorsements, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico. Baenhausen pegs James’ total 2022/23 earnings at $119.5MM, putting him ahead of Warriors guard Stephen Curry ($93.1MM) and Nets forward Kevin Durant ($91MM).
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report takes a look at which teams can realistically be expected to tank in 2022/23 for a shot to draft Victor Wembanyama next June.