LeBron James is quickly approaching the one-month mark since first suffering a strained groin on Dec. 25 in a blowout of the Golden State Warriors, as the Los Angeles Lakers' initial day-to-day timeline soon turned into a week-to-week situation. Head coach Luke Walton noted the team won't plan for James' return anytime soon.

“We’re not going to play the next week expecting that LeBron is going to be back,” Luke Walton told reporters after the Lakers’ shootaround on Monday morning, according to Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen & Roll. “We’re going to play and practice and get after it like we’re not going to have him for a while.

“Hopefully he gets back within a couple days, but that’s kind of our mindset when anyone gets hurt.”

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The Lakers are expected to have point guard Rajon Rondo back before James, but that will only be a band-aid for the bigger wound that has had this team go 5-9 in his absence, going from fourth place in the Western Conference to sliding right out of the playoff picture, now a half-a-game out of the eighth spot, which is held by their in-arena rival, the L.A. Clippers.

James has missed the most games he ever has through his 16-year career, and while he showed signs of invincibility last season by playing all 82 games and the playoffs for the Cleveland Cavaliers — he's now shown his human side at 34 years old, as the Lakers look to be utmost careful with him and his recovery.