Los Angeles Lakers shutting LeBron James down for remainder of the season
The Los Angeles Lakers have decided to shut down LeBron James for the remainder of the 2018-19 season.
The 2018-19 season has not gone according to plan for the Los Angeles Lakers. While things looked good heading into the New Year, things quickly crumbled after that.
The Lakers defeated the reigning champion Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day in blowout fashion, 127-101. While spirits were high after that impressive victory, that is the night when the Lakers’ season essentially ended.
In that game, Los Angeles lost LeBron James to an injured groin. James would go on to miss 17 consecutive games, a stretch in which the Lakers went 6-11. There were numerous bad losses in that stretch, as Los Angeles dropped games to the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Upon his return, the Lakers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, but it was a success that was unsustainable. Shortly after his return was when the Anthony Davis trade debacle ensued, which was the final nail in the coffin for the Lakers’ season.
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After sitting out the game against the Warriors following the Clippers victory, James played in 15 consecutive games. While he still stuffed the stat sheet, he never really looked comfortable back on the court.
There were reports that James was out of shape, playing way above his normal playing weight. That is what happens when you miss essentially five weeks of action.
With the losses piling up and the playoffs out of reach, the Lakers decided to put a minutes restriction on James. James has missed three games since that announcement, sitting out back-to-backs and missing one game for his sore groin.
With only six games remaining in the season, the Lakers have decided to take it a step further. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN announced that James will sit out the remainder of the season.
Lakers are sitting out LeBron James for the rest of the season, team says.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 30, 2019
Dave McMenamin of ESPN shared the statement that the Lakers provided on his Twitter account.
Lakers statement: “After consulting with our team doctors and medical staff, we have decided to hold LeBron out of games for the remainder of the season. This decision will allow his groin to fully heal, and is best for the future success of both LeBron and the Lakers.”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 30, 2019
While it is disappointing that James won’t be on the court the remainder of the season, shutting him down makes some sense. There is no reason to push a 34-year old in a lost season that is dealing with an injury that is worse than originally let on.
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Hopefully, James can use the extra rest he will be afforded this offseason to get his groin 100 percent healthy and come back motivated for the 2019-20 season to end the playoff drought and get the purple and gold back into the postseason.