Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily, even when COVID has ravaged the league.
LeBron James won’t be playing basketball for a while.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Owens/Getty Images.)
So the Lakers are not going to have LeBron James for the foreseeable future. He sprained his ankle early in their game against the Hawks. He attempted to stay in and even made a three but went out again after that. The diagnosis was a high ankle sprain and that he would be out indefinitely.
LeBron WILL be back as his X-rays turned out negative. But a sprain like that takes a while to come back. Maybe in three weeks. Heck, maybe in three months. LeBron is known for his durability although he was only limited to 55 games when he hurt his groin in 2018-19. And yes, he can take all the hits but he’s also 36 years old.
Now Laker fans hope he doesn’t take the entire three months to come back. The playoffs are slated to start on May 22, with the play-in games starting four days before that. They are 4.5 games ahead of the #7 seed so it’s a little dangerous without LeBron. But Anthony Davis is due to come back soon as he is supposed to be reevaulated this coming weekend.
It’s not going to be easy, though. They have Phoenix tonight. And for the rest of March, they have New Orleans, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Orlando, and Milwaukee. Obviously, Philly and MIlwaukee are top teams but the Pelicans, Cavs, and Magic have showed they haven’t been pushovers this season. I think the hope right now is that the Lakers can stay afloat within the 4-6 spots until both LeBron and AD are back.
It could be a blessing in disguise. After all, they had a quick turnaround from last season as they only had a two-month break after winning the title. BUT they can’t fall off too much, either; the Western Conference is TOUGH. We’re seeing the Nuggets and Blazers surge. And sure, the Clippers are inconsistent right now but they’re still as dangerous as anyone.
So maybe the Lakers are hoping to get LeBron back before May. And hopefully, they don’t lose too many games until then. What’s important is that they stay in the Top 6.
Bullet Passes
I normally give my flowers to the winners here. But man, those Hawks are really doing it. They look like they have a pep in their step and look happier playing ball. 8-0 in March.
The Clippers needed this blowout win to remind themselves of who they are. They jumped on Charlotte early and never let go.
Philadelphia also had a huge win over Sacramento and with the way they’ve been winning without Joel Embiid, it makes less of a case for him. Still, what’s important is the chip, right?
The Grizz needed that win as they’re trying to get back to .500. Stephen Curry still didn’t play for the Warriors and it’s getting a little bit scary. There’s no real update after his tailbone injury and he’s sat out the last two games. Hmmmm.
The Bucks are the other hot team as they have won 6 straight games. And with P.J. Tucker there for the stretch run, that could be a turning point for the team.
Trade deadline is on Thursday. We know how much y’all love that.
NBA Scoreboard
Mar. 20, 2021
Watch This Play
You know how much I love TNLP.
The vision is elite. pic.twitter.com/1zmAzvyobq
— Atlanta HaWWWWWWWWks (@ATLHawks) March 20, 2021
What a pass by Trae Young to John Collins. HAPPY HAWKS.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the NBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.
R.I.P. Nala.