Lakers lose to Nets, LeBron James Has a Foot Issue, Fans are Losing Patience.
The Lakers are faced with a genuine Catch-22. They may not be able to make the playoffs without pushing Anthony Davis and LeBron James past safe limits of physical output, but if the org pushes them past those limits either or both are likely to get hurt, in which case they'll miss the playoffs.
This was the issue facing the Lakers Monday in Brooklyn, where both James and Davis sat the front end of a back-to-back following Saturday's epic OT loss to Boston. The hope was that maintenance was the driving force behind keeping both in street clothes, and in the case of Davis it probably was. But Monday we learned that LeBron is battling a foot problem that put a fresh spin on his absence. And Lakers coach Darvin Ham wouldn't say if James will play tonight against the Knicks at the Garden.
He said they didn't want to get ahead of themselves. That's not going to make Lakers fans feel better! Because if there's no real injury problem here, the answer to "Is LeBron James going to suit up to play at Madison Square Garden?" is YES!!! (Gulp...)
Fans are asking, at this point, can the Lakers even afford to take these scheduled losses?
The answer is complicated in some ways, and definitely gets into all the things that plague the Lakers roster right now. They've been surprisingly competitive, they play really hard, they don't give up on games. It's actually a likable bunch, especially if you happen to be a Russell Westbrook fan (because then you're not upset by his presence). But these Lakers also require Davis and James to be 1st Team All-NBA caliber, or their hopes are essentially sunk.
And as much as anything, fans seem like they're getting tired. Exhausted with a team and a season that seems to pull the football away whenever it seems ready to be kicked. With a coach whose decisions can be confusing and a front office that doesn't inspire confidence.
So what's next?
And meanwhile, how into the idea of celebrating Russell Westbrook's career achievements are fans? Not all that much, we learned, on a night where Westbrook moved into the top 10 all time in assists. Meanwhile, he's pushing the top 30 for points, too. That's a combo only Oscar Robertson and LeBron have achieved.
HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky
SEGMENT 1: LeBron has a foot problem. What do the Lakers do with that information?
SEGMENT 2: Frustration is building among fans for a season where there seems to be a hard wall keeping the Lakers from climbing out of their hole.
SEGMENT 3: Let's talk about Russ and winning. The whole career, not this year. Or last.
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