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

2. There are better ways to “load manage” LeBron than sitting him out of games

As said earlier in this article, the benefits of load management are indisputable. As medical science continues to progress, no one should ignore what the experts say about preventative health, whether it’s James or John Q. Public.

Instead of having James (or letting him unilaterally) sit out games here and there to reap those benefits, how about letting him skip practice every now and then?

This wouldn’t be without precedent. In the 2010-11 season, Phil Jackson ordered Kobe Bryant to sit out practice out of concern for his ailing knees and declining athleticism and efficacy.

Unfortunately, it backfired, as Bryant’s demanding presence and leadership was lacking on the practice court, which likely played a role in the team looking complacent and low energy for extended stretches during actual games. Therefore, James should still be at practice, but not participate, or at least not have to run wind sprints and such.

Another idea is to limit James’ minutes in certain games between Christmas and March, especially against lesser opponents and during back-to-back games.

Also, if the Lakers focus more on being a fast-break team, they will blow teams out more often, leading to more garbage time in the fourth quarters of games, during which James can sit on the bench.