LeBron says he’s ‘not sitting games’ as Lakers’ playoff chances slip away

As of Monday evening, the Los Angeles Lakers fell to 5.5 games out of the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings. With just 18 games left, it has many analysts and fans questioning if the team might shut star player LeBron James down to get healthy. However, it appears that King James won’t let the team do that based on recent comments.

As reported by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, LeBron James said that as far as him sitting out games for the rest of the season, it would take a lot of convincing. In fact, LeBron said, “It would take a lot of convincing from Luke [Walton] on up.” He went on to add, “Unless I’m hurt, I’m not sitting games.”

So far, there have been no reported discussions as far as the Lakers and LeBron’s sitting out goes. The team lost to the in-state rival Clippers on Monday night by eight points. LeBron James finished with 27 points in the losing effort. At times during his team’s recent stretch of losses, his overall health has been in question. Some analysts and fans feel as if maybe LeBron isn’t 100 percent himself.

However, James feels as if he can still give what he has. The reasons for sitting LeBron out for games as the season winds down include his well being and the team’s draft status. If they don’t make the playoffs, their poor record could help improve their draft lottery status. Also, there’s the matter of LeBron trying to get back to full health so he’s ready to go for next season.

The belief is that this Lakers team will improve the roster after the season ends. Most likely that is going to come through signing a major NBA free agent or making a trade. For free agents, available All-Star players might include Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, and Kemba Walker. There’s also Anthony Davis, who won’t be a free agent, but whom the Lakers could re-engage the New Orleans Pelicans in trade talks for.

It’s also believed that once the season is over, Luke Walton will be gone. A recent NY Times report from Marc Stein said that’s the belief by a number of NBA coaches from around the league. Unfortunately for Walton, having the top star in the game on his roster and not producing the results Lakers fans have come to expect has hurt his chances of sticking around for next season.

Regardless, it appears that LeBron James is ready to give what he can to the rest of the season. With 18 games to go there is still the slimmest of chances that this team qualifies for the playoffs with a strong winning streak and some losing from teams above them.