Thanks to a break in the schedule because of the Emirates NBA Cup, the Los Angeles Lakers have been able to get a couple of days of rest before getting back on the practice court. One player it stands to benefit is LeBron James, who sat out his first game of the season on Sunday.
Head coach JJ Redick even pointed to LeBron benefitting from having four full days of rest before the Lakers practiced as being beneficial to the superstar. But James actually wasn’t at practice when the team got back in the building on Wednesday.
Redick explained that LeBron was away from the Lakers for personal reasons, noting it is an excused absence.
“LeBron is not with the team right now and he’s out for personal reasons, an excused absence,” Redick said.
Redick added that James is considered day-to-day and because it is a personal issue he’s dealing with, the team is not sure if he will join them on the flight on Thursday or play in Friday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Hopefully all is well with LeBron and his family and he will be back with the team in short order. James is still dealing with left foot soreness, but the Lakers need him in the lineup if they plan on turning things around and getting back on track.
The amount of minutes and workload LeBron has taken on, especially in the wake of the injury to Austin Reaves, has come into question recently. In his 22nd NBA season, Redick has tried to scale back the amount of responsibility on his plate, but that has proven more difficult with the injuries the Lakers are dealing with. Even worse is that even when LeBron and Anthony Davis play at high levels it isn’t always enough to walk away with a win.
Ideally these days off will do LeBron good physically and mentally and when he returns to the Lakers his batteries will be fully charged and he will be locked in, leading this team to victories on the court.
Lakers rebuilding by trading LeBron James and Anthony Davis viewed as ‘unlikely’
The Lakers as currently constructed are not a championship contender even with LeBron James and Anthony Davis being outstanding on most nights. Some feel the team should simply start over and trade away their two stars to jumpstart a rebuilding process, but the chances of that happening are slim at best.
A recent report called it ‘highly unlikely’ that the Lakers would deal away LeBron and Davis, noting that the franchise historically does not like to rebuild. While the team is putting more of an emphasis on youth development, it does not mean they plan to completely tear everything down.
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