LeBron James, the injury: several weeks out, Lakers alarm

LeBron is out with an injury. Again, and at the least opportune moment, the crucial one of the final sprint of the regular season. The Lakers and their fans are holding their breath: James was hurt during the last game played, against Dallas. Alone, right foot. In the third quarter, then, he had then closed the game by scoring 11 points, crucial in the success over the Texans, in the last period of the game. So it seemed only a scare. And instead…

Out of action

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And instead the voices of the well-informed speak of a probable absence of a few weeks. Which means everything and nothing in terms of return times. But that means at least that the injury is not minor. And that the Los Angeles season is hanging by a thread now. The Lakers have a 29-32 record, just 12th in the West. There are only 21 games left until the end of the regular season and an acceleration would be needed to conquer the playoffs directly (arriving among the top six in the Western Conference) or at least the play-in, its antechamber, finishing in the top 10. Now the situation gets complicated, however. Right now that the yellow-violet, thanks to the reinforcements of the winter market, seemed to start to mesh, fresh from three consecutive successes. But without the phenomenon, the man frees himself, changes, or would change, everything.

The importance of LeBron

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James won’t play tonight against Memphis. And they expect more precise diagnoses and prognoses, but Californians cannot ask a 38-year-old to forge ahead in terms of recovery time, to work miracles. But without him this season they’re 5-9 records, and overall 36-62 since his arrival in Los Angeles when they had to do without the King. In short, I’m in trouble. Even more so in the immediate future, because against the Grizzlies D’Angelo Russell also risks missing, struggling with a sprained right ankle. It will be up to Anthony Davis to take the team on his shoulders and in terms of personality, even before the level of play or performance, he has always struggled to act as a franchise man. A hand will be given to him by the various Beasley, Vanderbilt, Bamba and precisely Russell, who should return soon and who replaced the departing Westbrook and Bryant at the end of the trading market. But every game counts double now. And the Lakers are on the run, forced to push hard to extend their season. And so losing their beacon, on the pitch and in the locker room, is no small technical and moral beating. They are waiting for the official medical response, hoping to limit the damage. But they already know they’ll have to fend for themselves for a while. And it’s going to be damned complicated.