📅 Published on: 2024-12-12 16:31:39
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On First Take, Stephen A. Smith, Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst join Molly Qerim to discuss LeBron James being out for …
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the Lakers met Wednesday for the first time since Sunday’s win over the Trailblazers however LeBron James was missing from that group LeBron sat out the Blazers game because of soreness in his left foot it was the first game he’s missed all season with the schedule providing a break La plays just two games in a 10-day stretch JJ reck said that James is currently taking some time and he was unclear whether the 22-year veteran would be back with the team for their next game Friday 22 years unbelievable Shams is in LA with stepen a Brian WI horse gracing our screen here as well hi guys thank you so much for being with us uh Shams what more can you tell us about Lebron so Molly I’m told that LeBron James is unlikely to play on Friday tomorrow against the Timberwolves and it’s really a situation now when you look at the schedule it would give him eight days of rest in between games he last played on Friday and then he sat out Sunday’s game with foot soreness and so it really gives him a chance to recalibrate recharge the body and when you look at the schedule it’s really the Lakers taking a prudent look at at this and optimizing it because of the NBA cup it allows him to have this time in between to optimize himself for the entire season and as he continues to play on he’s about to be 40 years old at the end of the month he’s in his 22nd NBA season League record it’s going to be 23rd season potentially next year if he plays on which would be an NBA record and so for him it it’s really a situation where you have to make sure he’s right as the season goes on I appreciate that Shams you know welcome to the shows always love having you on first tape my man Wendy’s here with you two guys that I would love for this segment because Wendy he doesn’t know forgive his Shams he’s just started working with me a little while he doesn’t know me very well we’re getting to know each other I love the guy already but here’s the deal Sean you on first take baby LeBron James said personal reasons did you really think he was gonna get past that I need that answer when you say personal reasons okay we what you just highlighted was him approaching 40 him not missing a game in the first 23 games getting the rest etc etc but they made it a point to say he was taken off for personal reasons what’s going on with LeBron James well I with him and the Lakers at the end of the day they’re they’re also going to rely on him to make sure he knows his body better than anyone and when you think about he has there’s a history of him in past years when there’s an allotted amount of time if there’s a break in the schedule where you can take that time to recalibrate recharge rest that body and make sure at the end of the day he’s right buts they would say rest they said personal reasons now I’m going ask you one more time they said personal reasons what’s going on with LeBron James with injury listings okay with with with what’s put on the injury report sometimes you never know but I’m giving it to you exactly what it is okay and that’s what it is Wendy I do think that he takes care of his feet because he’s had a foot injury he had a foot injury last year he had a foot injury the year before you remember when he might have had surgery but he went to the LeBron James aat um and you know I think it was a it was a difficult last couple of weeks for LeBron and I think the Lakers are happy to give him this time quite frankly if you’re asking me do I think he’s trying to make some sort of statement I haven’t gotten that sense at all I do think he wants the Lakers to upgrade their roster but guess what he’s wanted that for a year and a half the Lakers have not made a significant transaction outside of draft picks since the trade deadline 2023 we’re coming up on two years since they made that so I do think LeBron Wishes the Lakers were better I do think LeBron um you know would like them to use those draft picks he doesn’t care about some draft pick in 2029 right um but when he signed back stepen a with the Lakers over the summer he knew this was going to be the roster this roster is they’re they’re 13 and 11 they’re they’re fine they’re not doing Special they’re not doing bad okay well some would argue they weren’t doing bad what they were doing bad when you losing games by 25 points all the damn time I mean that’s not great Wendy but I will say this to y’all CHS and Wendy because this is where I was going maybe I wasn’t clear enough about where I was going with both y’all you know LeBron’s been through a lot he’s approaching 40 balling out averaging nearly seven points per game on 50% shooting in the fourth quarter this season very very impressive he’s doing his thing team ain’t doing its thing they’re an average team at best obviously there’s an elevated level of criticism that has comeing his direction as far as I’m concerned because of the whole Brony James situation this season now when you look at that you look at the way the Lakers have been playing you look at the load that it’s it’s taken on him one could argue it’s not just physical but emotional as well so when I saw personal reasons I was thinking it was something more along those lines how unreasonable of a speculative position is that I can tell you a lot of this is this 8 day Gap it allows him to recharge himself his mind his body everything but he’s again he’s done this in the past I agree with you how they list it how they cite it that’s on the team that’s how how how how they want to handle it but that is what this is and the only reason this is even possible in this a lot of time is because the NBA Cup schedule it allows them to use this time a lot of teams in the league are seeing the same thing it’s really like an allar you know in the all during the All-Star break you have an extended All-Star break they really a lot of teams have that now with the NBA I throw this to both of y’all you first Wendy uh the other day Mike wilbon was on NBA today brought up LeBron James being a perfect match with Steph Curry and Golden State we all know what a legend wilb is we all know that anytime he opens his mouth it’s because he knows every damn body in the league because he been covering it for 40 plus years okay I don’t consider that to be coincidental another nugget what are we to make of stuff like that when we hear about that at LeBron about LeBron James at this stage of his career winning yes so absolutely after the summer after LeBron and Steph played together for Steve Kerr in Paris won that gold medal watch the two of them celebrate together in that it was inevitable that this conversation was going to come up if the Lakers didn’t get off to a flying start absolutely it’s something that has been whispered about in the league for weeks is this going to happen but here’s the thing you have to understand there are two no trade Clauses in the NBA one is Bradley Beals and one is LeBron James that means no matter what the Lakers think no matter what the Warriors think no matter what teamx thinks the only person in control of LeBron James trade is truly and contractually LeBron James if LeBron James wants to change his situation he alone controls the situation he alone goes to the Lakers and Not only would say where he wants to go but who he want to go for because when you have a no trade clause you control all sides of a trade you control what the other team is sending back that’s why it is so valuable and I will just say that when LeBron gone to the Warriors last February he the answer was no LeBron could have gone a number of places including the Warriors this last summer he knew ex when he signed that contract Stephen A he knew exactly what the Lakers roster was he waited he offered to take less money he watched them go through free agency they didn’t get anybody and he resigned and he put a no trade clause in there so I think if LeBron started this process and said I would like to be a Golden State Warrior I think there’s a good chance it gets done but LeBron has not done that all of LeBron’s actions have been that he wants to be a Laker he has done it repeatedly he has done it clearly he has done it without wavering so until I hear something different and I have not I think LeBron is focused on maximizing this team he’s got now that’s great news because he should stay there because he has something to do with the troubles that exist so stay there and help fix it so I’m good with that let me transition to you Shams because I was reading something the other day about Jimmy Butler and potential Trad you was putting all you know all the teams uh that he would be interested in and what have you and then I saw Jimmy Butler’s agent come out and say something about your reporting on that particular story I know you wanted to comment about that I want to hear what you have to say I 1,00% stand by my reporting it’s fully vetted and as a professional that’s what that’s what that’s what I do that’s what I get paid to do that’s what I’m going to do report truthfully and accurately that’s what this is period what did you report exactly remind the audience so Tuesday I reported that the Miami Heat have begun listening to trade offers for Jimmy Butler and Butler prefers a win now destination and three of the teams on Tuesday that reported that his agent has indicated in League circles that he is open to the Mavericks the Rockets to the Texas teams as well as the Golden State Warriors yesterday I added that there was another team also in that list the Phoenix Suns and that was the reporting and so I 1,00% stand by it it is 1,00% fact when you say that he wants to go to a winning situation is that if the Miami Heat want to move him or is that him saying I want out of Miami should the Miami Heat look for a move which with his contract the way it’s set up right now he’s $49 million this year he’s got a $52 million player option for next season and you know and I know what that gives a guy like Jimmy Butler 35 years old 12 out of 13 seasons in the NBA he’s made the playoffs he LED that Heat team to two NBA finals in Five Seasons he’s a proven winner perennial playoff performer we know when the stakes are high he performs he has a level of Leverage in all of this and so when that comes up that aspect of where he wants to go where he would prefer that is that is something that comes up I got you but what but what I’m asking is does he want out of Miami or is there a situation he has not requested a trade as of yet no he has not I got you Wendy you want to comment about that before we go yeah let me speak this a little a little bit um uh jimmmy Butler’s from what I understand I think Jimmy Butler’s preference would be to sign an extension in Miami he he’d hoped to do that actually last summer but Pat Riley came out at the end of last season and said that’s not what the heat were doing and they still haven’t uh made any progress on that I think that’s what he’d like to do I think he’d like to stay there but as you talk to people around the league I think any of the bigname players that could possibly get traded this offseason people or this during this season people that we’ve heard mostly Executives think if there’s any player that that could possibly get moved it would be Jimmy Butler and so um because trade season opens basically on Sunday when the 15th comes around and almost 90% of the league can be traded right now about a third of the league can’t be traded I think that’s why you’re seeing interest pick up um the teams are going to start talking to each other and also team the players who want to get into comfortable situations um with their contracts are going to start trying to leverage their position so this is just the beginning of what I think will be a lot that you hear about Jimmy Butler in the coming days and weeks well Molly to buffer your position when we were talking about North Carolina and college football or I would tell you that anybody that wants to leave Miami the that that would be the breaking news they want to leave Miami because that would clearly be an aberration that’s not something normal people want to do appreciate you for making my point Thank You Stephen A thank you Shams and thank you Wendy [Music]
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