Just over three weeks ago, LeBron James went out with a right foot tendon injury in the Los Angeles Lakers’ Feb. 26 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Although he is reportedly making progress in his recovery, there is no indication he is anywhere close to returning to game action.
He is scheduled to be re-evaluated soon. Although he has been doing three intense workouts a day, according to head coach Darvin Ham, there is no timetable for his return. In fact, there is not even any certainty he will return before the end of the regular season.
According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, James returning for even the last two games of the regular season may be a push, and even if he does, he may not be fully healthy at that point.
Via Sportskeeda:
“I think, obviously, the goal is for LeBron to return at some point before the season concludes, but what I’m hearing is that still might be a push right there, him returning at some point,” Haynes said. “I reported a few weeks ago that … the Lakers had to try and do whatever they could to try to win as many games as possible to give LeBron James as much time to recover as possible.
“So, that means that even when he does come back, he might not be fully healthy, but (they are) just trying to buy him some time. With that being said, I don’t know how realistic it is that he returns with some games left in the regular season. That is definitely the goal – LeBron James is shooting for that – I just don’t know how realistic it is right now.
“Can LeBron come back the final two games of the regular season? … I think definitely that’s a possibility, but I think it’s still premature as of right now. The way it was explained to me is that might be a push right there.”
Los Angeles is 35-37 and is a half game out of 10th place in the Western Conference, although it is also just 1.5 games behind the sixth-place Golden State Warriors.
With or without James, the pressure is on the team to make the playoffs one way or another, lest it suffer the embarrassment of missing the postseason for the second straight season.
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