LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers exit the NBA All-Star break in 10th place in the Western Conference, sitting a full three games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the eighth and final playoff spot. Two months ago, the Lakers were in fourth place on Christmas Day when James went down with a groin injury and missed 18 of the next 19 games. LA suffered back-to-back losses to the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks prior to the break, and the Lakers’ chemistry clearly has been affected by the Anthony Davis trade rumors that have been circulating over the last few weeks. With 25 games left in the regular season, it will be put on James’ shoulders to mend the fractured locker room and carry the Lakers to the playoffs. But is James physically able to shoulder the load like he did last season for the Cleveland Cavaliers? The Lakers reportedly are concerned about the 34-year-old star, according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, wondering if James is “fully healed” and if he’s going to “pick up the intensity” to take the Purple and Gold back to the playoffs. Since returning from his groin injury, James has averaged a triple-double but has looked slower and less aggressive, often deferring to his younger teammates in key situations. Perhaps James is trying to ease his body back into the grind, or perhaps the injury took a toll on his physical conditioning as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst noted when he claimed he’s heard James is playing at a career-high 280 pounds as he was unable to go through his normal conditioning while he was injured. James and the Lakers looked like one of the best teams in the NBA during the month of December but have bottomed out with James and Lonzo Ball missing time due to injuries. Now they must play their best basketball in order to avoid a massive failure in Year 1 of the James era. Thumbnail photo via Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports Images<doc-sep>All is not well in Lakers land at the All-Star break in the aftermath of failed Anthony Davis trade talks and a 28-29 start to the season for Los Angeles. Concerns about LeBron James‘ health can be added to the list. According to The Athletic, the team is “a little concerned” that James hasn’t fully recovered from the groin injury he suffered on Christmas that sidelined him for several weeks. From Joe Vardon: The Lakers are privately a little concerned about LeBron. Is he fully healed from the groin strain that cost him a career-worst 18 games? Is he going to pick up his intensity and propel this team back into the playoffs, as he did last year in Cleveland? James, 34, is actually averaging a triple double for the Lakers since his return from injury (23.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 11.0 assists), but he’s just not moving at the same speed nor is he engaging at the point of attack. Injury concern shouldn’t be taken lightly at James’ age Much like Tom Brady, the decline of James’ game has been predicted unsuccessfully on many occasions. But also like Brady, James is assuredly on the back end of his prime, and an injury concern like this one warrants attention. Of James’ many remarkable assets as a basketball player, one of his most valuable is his availability. As Vardon noted, James had never missed 18 games with a single injury in his career. The most games he’s missed in a single season was 20 in 2011-12. He’s played 74 or more games out of 82 in 11 of his 13 complete NBA seasons. That the Lakers are concerned that the 34-year-old James who just suffered the most significant injury of his career isn’t back at full force makes sense. In a lost season with concerns about 34-year-old LeBron James recovering from a groin injury, how hard should the Lakers push their superstar? (Getty) What should the Lakers do? Now comes the question of how they should manage that concern. After failing to add Davis or another difference-making piece before the deadline, the Lakers are playing for little more than pride for the rest of the season. This team is clearly not going to compete for a championship. Story continues But that pride factor can’t be underestimated. James has made the playoffs in every season since his second in the league. If his celebrated arrival in Los Angeles ends outside the playoffs, this season will be considered a massive failure. The pressure on Magic Johnson to make blockbuster moves this offseason will be even more intense. And just think of the reaction from all of the Kobe-stans who scoffed at James being the next great Laker before he adorned the purple and gold. Missing the playoffs this season would be viewed as a massive failure for Magic Johnson. (Getty) What would missing playoffs mean? But that disaster would be primarily in terms of perception. In practical terms, missing the playoffs wouldn’t make much difference from a likely first-round exit at the hands of one of the West’s powers. Right now, the Lakers are in 10th place in the West, three games behind the 32-27 Clippers for the final playoff spot. Caution is prudent So if the Lakers are genuinely concerned about James’ health, then proceeding cautiously is the correct answer. This project is not about this season. It’s most assuredly about next season and the season after that. If James is good to go after some rest at the All-Star break, then the Lakers should move forward full throttle with the intent of making a playoff run. It’s a worthwhile goal. But it’s not worth risking James’ health moving forward. This is a lost season in Los Angeles. Next season still has potential and should be the primary focus of the Lakers moving forward. (H/T @ NBC Sports) More from Yahoo Sports: • Former NFL player fatally shot in parking dispute • QB Cousins angers Minnesota with a tweet • Just weeks after startup, AAF faced big money woes • LaMelo Ball still plans to go to college<doc-sep>
It appears as though the Los Angeles Lakers have more concerns than whether or not they will be able to lock up Anthony Davis via trade once the offseason arrives. According to a report from Joe Vardon of The Athletic's Cleveland branch, there are concerns within the Lakers' organization that LeBron James might not be as healthy as they think as there is at least some belief that the 34-year-old forward is still feeling the effects of the groin injury which cost him nearly one-quarter of Los Angeles' regular season schedule. "The Lakers are privately a little concerned about LeBron. Is he fully healed from the groin strain that cost him a career-worst 18 games? Is he going to pick up his intensity and propel this team back into the playoffs, as he did last year in Cleveland? James, 34, is actually averaging a triple-double for the Lakers since his return from injury (23.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 11.0 assists), but he’s just not moving at the same speed nor is he engaging at the point of attack. That fourth-quarter moment in a loss to the Hawks on Wednesday in which Trae Young switched onto LeBron, and instead of taking the much smaller Young off the dribble LeBron casually threw the ball to Brandon Ingram in the corner? There are several examples like this." While the Lakers, at least reportedly, have these fears internally as we prepare for the second half of the regular season to tip off on Thursday night, James made it as clear as he could that he feels more than fine during his time with the media following this past Sunday's NBA All-Star Game as he believes he can get this team back to the level they were performing at prior to his injury on Christmas Day against the Golden State Warriors. “I feel great,” LeBron said after the All-Star Game. “Looking forward to the second half of the season. Looking forward to seeing what we can do to get back in this playoff race. That’s my only mindset. That’s the only thing that’s going to happen in my mental space for these next two months, pretty much on how I can get this team playing the type of level of basketball we were playing before my injury.” We'll find out soon enough just how healthy LeBron truly is when he and the Lakers take the floor again on Thursday night against James Harden and the Houston Rockets.