The Los Angeles Lakers were fourth place in the Western Conference when LeBron James strained his groin in a Christmas victory over the Golden State Warriors. By the time he returned over a month later, the Lakers had fallen out of playoff position altogether, going just 6-11 when he was sidelined.
Now, two weeks after the Lakers were officially eliminated from playoff contention, James' season is over, cut short to ensure he doesn't exacerbate an injury his physical therapist recently said normally needs six months to heal. In an article by Bleacher Report's Howard Beck, the three-time champion shed further light on why his groin strain was “devastating” to Los Angeles, alluding to a leadership plan that his injury stalled in its tracks.
“My injury was the worst thing that could have happened to our team at that point in time,” James said. “Because I have a month-to-month leadership [plan] of how I lead. And I was right on point.”
“You can lead a little bit in a suit, but if you ain't the coach, you can't really. It's different. You can't do it,” he continued. “So being out 18 games, the longest of my career, was devastating not only to me personally, but to our team.”
The Lakers, of course, were beset by rumors of a supposedly inevitable trade for Anthony Davis shortly after James returned to the lineup, further eroding their psyche and morale.
Would Los Angeles have made the playoffs if LeBron James remained healthy? Probably. Given James' insistence that the crumbling of his “leadership plan” was just as significant as his on-court absence, though, one wonders if the Lakers also would have been better suited dealing with trade chatter had be been able to implement it – however that might have been.
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