The Los Angeles Lakers could have definitely used LeBron James on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks. LA put up a formidable fight, but in the end, it was Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending champs Bucks that escaped with a hard-fought 109-102 victory.
LeBron has been dealing with an abdominal injury that has kept him on the shelf since November 4th. He's now missed a considerable amount of time for the Lakers, but there have been whispers about his imminent return. Dave McMenamin of ESPN appears to have gotten some inside information on LeBron's playing status for Friday and at this point, it's anything but certain:
While Lakers coach Frank Vogel said James is “day to day,” sources close to James told ESPN that there is a “50-50” chance he will be back in the lineup at the TD Garden.
For his part, coach Vogel has remained consistent with his response. The Lakers shot-caller has refused to provide any details about LeBron's availability against the Celtics:
“I was hoping he was going to play each of the last seven games or whatever it's been since he's been out,” Vogel said. “I always hope he's going to play. I'm always optimistic. He's still day to day. No decisions are made.”
Vogel was then asked to provide an update on LeBron's progress in his rehab, but the 48-year-old again decided to deflect the question:
“I'll leave that to the medical team,” Vogel said. “I know he did some work today. I haven't gotten the reports on how that went yet. But I'll leave that between him and the medical team to make the decision of when he's ready to go.”
While there was previously a lot of optimism about LeBron being able to make his much-awaited comeback against one of the Lakers' fiercest rivals on Friday, it now sounds like he could end up missing his ninth straight game.
The Lakers are, unsurprisingly, being very cautious with their superstar, who himself will be celebrating his 37th birthday in December. It's still very early in the season and despite LA's struggles, it just doesn't make sense to rush LeBron back unless he's a hundred percent healthy.
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