Los Angeles Lakers: 4 Reasons LeBron James should not have load management

4. He doesn’t really need load management

If a player is able to play, he should play and needs to play. After all, they’re employees and they need to fulfill the terms of their multi-million dollar contracts with their employer.

For a player like Leonard, “load management” may be a necessity since, technically speaking, he is injured. He has tendinopathy in his quad, and it could possibly be a chronic or even degenerative condition, so it’s something that needs to be managed like any other chronic medical condition.

But James is healthy now. The groin injury he suffered last year was a one-off deal, and it was simply a partial tear of a large muscle that simply needed rest and treatment to fully heal.

For his part, the self-proclaimed King has pretty much said that he’s not even considering sitting out any games this season as a precaution.

"“If I’m hurt, I don’t play. If not, I’m playing,” James said. “That’s what has always been my motto. “LeBron’s healthy, LeBron’ll play. That’s all I’ll talk about. I don’t talk about nobody else but me.”"

Let’s also remember that James is a phenomenal physical specimen, and possibly the best one this league has ever seen, along with Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain. Guys like that are able to withstand an immense amount of physical stress and recover fairly quickly with what we mere mortals would consider minimal rest.