Of each the reams of words publically spilled astatine Lakers media time Monday, only 1 really mattered.
When LeBron James was wrapping up his question and reply pinch the folks astatine Spectrum Sportsnet, big Chris McGee asked, “By the way, spot you astatine adjacent year’s media day?”
James’ laughing reply group the template for a season.
“Maybe.”
So the Lakers should dainty the adjacent 8 months emptying their assets and foregoing their early and playing pinch the desperation of a squad trying to gain 1 past portion of jewelry for arguably the top subordinate ever?
Maybe.
So should the fans present and about the convention show up successful droves and statement up about the artifact for their past unrecorded look astatine a surviving legend?
Maybe.
Or, if everything goes incorrect and things get ugly, should the Lakers and James willingly portion ways done a midseason buyout?
Maybe.
No matter what happens, the truth that James didn’t uncover his intentions successful his first nationalist quality since past outpouring intends that this Laker play has the chance to beryllium a murky possibly mess.
Everybody knows wherever the Lakers stand, arsenic Rob Pelinka said past week he wants James to decorativeness his profession here.
“We would emotion if LeBron’s communicative would beryllium he discontinue a Laker,” Pelinka said. “That would beryllium a affirmative story.”
But still cipher knows wherever James stands, and it’s not obvious, because, while he’s 40 and entering his NBA-record 23rd season, he looks young, and acts energetic, and Monday astatine the Lakers installation he was astatine his charming best.
“Just excited about the travel and immoderate this twelvemonth has successful shop for me,” he said.
He’s about apt not saying because he genuinely does not know. Next outpouring is simply a life away. He doesn’t cognize really he’s going to feel. He doesn’t cognize really his hoops early could look.
But because he’s not saying, this play could seemingly spell 1 of 3 ways.
It could spell the Kershaw Way. James could erstwhile again beryllium 1 of the apical players successful the convention but get worn down by strain connected his assemblage and successful the past weeks of the play he could telephone it quits. The Crypto.com crowd gets a chance to opportunity good-bye and his Lakers teammates could usage his status arsenic inspiration for a heavy postseason run.
Or, it could spell the Kobe Way. James could determine successful the mediate of the play that he’s had capable and embark connected a league-wide farewell tour, the benignant that erstwhile brought the reliable Kobe Bryant to tears.
Or, fixed the organization’s caller sketchy history, it is wholly imaginable it could spell the Typical Lakers Implosion Way.
LeBron James jokes pinch reporters arsenic he arrives for interviews astatine Lakers media time connected Monday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
James could walk the twelvemonth making the Lakers dangle connected that “maybe,” subtly fighting against the nonaccomplishment of his squad activity to Luka Doncic, passively aggressively chiding Pelinka to amended the roster astatine the waste and acquisition deadline, moreover occasionally threatening to discontinue connected the spot.
Because it’s excessively reliable to waste and acquisition him and the Lakers don’t want to walk the bucks to bargain him out, they walk the remainder of the play dodging his barbs, then, simply fto James’ statement expire and watch him fly to location Cleveland for his swan song.
Three scenarios, but only 2 happy endings, and to make matters moreover much complicated, overmuch depends not connected James, but connected the roster about him.
Are the Lakers going to beryllium immoderate good? Are you fresh for it?
Maybe.
The Lakers only played 23 games pinch some James and the precocious acquired Doncic past season, and they were 15-8 and grabbed a 3rd seed and were acting for illustration the champion squad successful the NBA astatine 1 constituent earlier they disintegrated against Minnesota successful the playoffs.
They added Deandre Ayton for length, Jake LaRavia for defense, Marcus Smart for toughness, and a caller assemblage for Doncic, a formerly pudgy and breathless kid who has acknowledged his very big transformation.
“I’m successful a amended spot for sure,” he said Monday.
Is that bully capable to lead a squad to a amended spot successful the competitory West? Who knows?
Will it beryllium bully capable to person James to inquire for a caller statement and instrumentality about for yet different year? That doesn’t look apt but past again, The Oldest Living Baller presently exists successful the unlikely.
The only certainty is that James is going to make this determination connected his ain time, successful his ain voice, done his ain podcast aliases societal media aliases heck, possibly different 30-minute TV typical called, “The Last Decision?”
However this plays out, he’s not saying thing now, which was evident erstwhile he answered the first mobility astatine his media time property convention pinch dodgy utterances.
“I mean, I don’t know,” he said. “I mean, I’m excited about today, I’m excited about an opportunity to beryllium capable to play a crippled that I emotion for different season. And immoderate the journey, nevertheless the travel lays retired this year, I’m conscionable ace invested, because …I don’t cognize erstwhile the extremity is, but I cognize it’s a batch sooner than later.”
He provided his about telling hint that he’s leaning into status erstwhile he talked about appreciating his last tours about the league.
“Knowing that the extremity is soon, not taking for granted, you know, a Tuesday nighttime successful a metropolis that possibly I don’t want to beryllium successful that nighttime ... let’s fastener successful because you don’t cognize really galore times you get the opportunity to play the crippled aliases to beryllium capable to compete,” he said. “So there’s times wherever you aftermath up and you conscionable consciousness for illustration you conscionable don’t person it. So those will beryllium the days wherever I cognize I could fastener backmost successful existent fast, like, OK, well, you won’t person galore days for illustration this, truthful let’s fastener successful and bask the moment, bask the remainder of the ride.”
Bronny and LeBron James airs for photos astatine Lakers media time arsenic Rui Hachimura takes a selfie successful beforehand of them.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
He was asked if, now that he’s played pinch boy Bronny, would he instrumentality about to play pinch his Arizona-freshman boy Bryce? His reply was LeBron astatine his fatherly best.
“No, I’m not waiting connected Bryce,’ he said. “No. I don’t cognize what his timeline is. He’s his ain young man now, for illustration he’s down successful Tucson. We’ll spot what happens this year, adjacent year, you know, but he has his ain timeline. I sewage my timeline, and I don’t cognize if they rather lucifer up.”
He was asked if his determination would beryllium influenced by a chance to play pinch Doncic. His reply was LeBron astatine his jabbing best.
“Ah, nah. As acold arsenic really agelong I spell successful my career? Nah. Zero,” he said. “The information to beryllium capable to play alongside him each night, that’s ace motivating. That’s what I’m going to train my assemblage for. Every nighttime I spell retired location and effort to beryllium the champion subordinate I could for him, and we’re going to bounce that disconnected 1 another. But arsenic acold arsenic maine weighing successful connected him and immoderate different teammates of really acold I spell successful my career, nah.”
It whitethorn beryllium Luka Doncic’s team, but it’s still LeBron James’ world, and he’s going to power his communicative down to the past syllables of the past sentences of his last good-bye.
And that don’t mean maybe.
