According to Yahoo Sports reporter Chris Haynes, the Lakers are effectively throwing in the towel this season. Haynes' sources told him that the team plans to limit LeBron's playing time for the rest of the season and possibly restrict him from playing in back-to-back games.
The report comes as the Lakers are well outside of the eighth seed in the Western Conference, but it can't sit well with James who recently committed to playing as long as he is healthy.
"That would take a lot of convincing from Luke [Walton] on up," James told ESPN after being asked if he will rest for the remainder of the season. "Unless I'm hurt, I'm not sitting games."
James suffered a groin tear that sidelined him for 18 games this season and it seems like Los Angeles might be looking to keeping their star player healthy rather than make a last-minute push for playoff contention.
The rumored decision comes at the not-quite-tail-end of a rough season for Los Angeles, where loyalties to the team were questioned and the head coach's job was never fully comfortable. Even with the considerable gifts of the man who officially scored more points in his career than Michael Jordan, it the Lakers' playoff prospects are incredibly slim.
If the Lakers do miss the playoffs, it will be the first time that James has not gone to the postseason since 2005.
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