Lakers superstar LeBron James returned to action on Friday after clearing health and safety protocols and felt the process was “handled poorly,” Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes. James entered protocols on Tuesday, missing a game, then was cleared on Thursday after a series of negative tests.
“Usually when you have a positive test, they’ll test you right away to make sure,” James said. “There was not a follow-up test after my positive test. It was straight to isolation and you’ve been put into protocol. That’s the part that kind of angered me. I had to figure out a way to get home from Sacramento by myself. They wouldn’t allow anyone to travel with me, no security, no anything, when I traveled back from Sacramento. And then I had to put my kids in isolation for the time being, the people in my household in isolation for the time being, so it was just a big-time inconvenience.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Nicolas Batum missed his seventh consecutive game on Friday and the Clippers have suffered without his defensive versatility, according to Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register. The Clippers had the league’s second-best defensive rating before losing Batum, who has remained in the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Their defensive rating has sagged dramatically since he tested positive. “He’s very valuable to what we do,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. Batum re-signed with the Clippers in August on a two-year deal.
- Suns lead assistant Kevin Young didn’t travel with the team for the showdown with Golden State because he’s in the health and safety protocols, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports. Young, who has missed three games after testing positive for COVID-19, became Phoenix’s associate head coach under Monty Williams after Willie Green departed to become head coach of the Pelicans.
- Warriors veteran forward Andre Iguodala participated in pregame warmups on Friday but isn’t expected to return until next week, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. If he doesn’t play against San Antonio on Saturday, he’ll have missed nine straight missed games due to right knee swelling.
Don’t worry Lakers fans, come second half when you don’t have a chance to make the Playoffs, James will quit on his team. Like he has before. Then he will opt out and sign with another team next season. Then the Lakers will be a lottery team for the next decade.
Like the Lakers have ever been or will be a lottery team for a decade.
Keep hating!
@Bluemarlin528, the Lakers team was in the draft lottery from 2014 to 2019. That’s six straight years of not making the playoffs. And they had a better roster, than they do now. Unless they package Anthony Davis to get someone to take Westbrook, the Lakers are stuck with him. At least everyone else is on short term deals. And you’ll get a good draft pick in next years draft. Oh wait that’s right the pick goes to New Orleans
Last time I checked a decade was 10 years. As a Laker fan I can deal or current situation. Lebron came in got another banner and now is only concerned getting healthy with a ticket to the Dance. If we are healthy going to the playoffs none of the higher seeds are going to want to play us in the early rounds. The other team playing in LA would love to have just one banner.
Yea we only sucked for 6 recent years, not 10! You tell em!
Lakers may be .500 but they will easily make the playoffs. At worst the 1st play in game. And no matter what happens in the LeBron era they got a title. The previous 7 seasons before he came were terrible. But hey were better off without him huh. Even team LeBron has left has a banner.
Lakers will make the playoffs for sure, the west is a little down this year, but they won’t do a thing in the playoffs, relying on Carmelo to score some off the bench isn’t crazy, relying on him to score 20+ a night is delusional beyond delusional, almost like an aging player made a bunch of bad personnel decisions because he doesn’t get that his era is over
lakers are not for sure to make the playoffs for 3 main reasons. First injuries to either AD or Lebron can keep the out of the playoffs. Second they have had a very easy schedule and the last 10 games of the season will be against the west best. Third Vogel is burning out the starters. Not sure why he doesn’t play the bench more but tired players get injured and older players legs give out at the end of the season.
He just resigned for two yrs. Catch up
I give Westbrook a new nickname “Young Man Westbrook” because he plays for Lakers
Lakers are all time greats and all time old
If there are 10 40-year old men in your team and you are only 33. You are Young Man
Every Lakers need load management including Young Man
Healthy Warriors will defeat healthy Suns in playoffs because Warriors have secret weapons in Superman Payton and Toscano Anderson
The Dubs have a nice rotation of players this season.
Sillivan, what continent are you on?
“…so it was just a big-time inconvenience.”
Oh, you poor thing.
Aww. I’m sure China would have sent LeBron a private jet to fly home on. Poor baby was by himself. What an inconvenience for poor Bron Bron
Every other player went through the protocols fine. “King” James thinks he deserves special treatment.
Nobody puts LeBaby in isolation.
Lol usually I am not a Lebron fan but he’s complaining about having to drive 6 hours and staying telling his family to stay inside for 4 days.
I meant to say Lebron hater, usually a lot of it is unwarranted. But I get it the man just is venting too.
But it is pretty tone deaf for a man who is worth hundreds of millions to complain about something like this. He couldn’t figure out how to get home? He had nobody to call? Come on.
This would be laughable if it wasn’t so pathetic. LeBron wouldn’t survive a week in the real world without his handlers.
We all know he was in a limo for the 6 hour drive. Also he could have stayed in Sacramento instead of driving home. He could have quarantined in a hotel suite. So I guess what he is saying its tough being a regular citizen.
Man, you guys need a new hobby.
Really ……
Lakers are at .500. Two games behind the 4th seed with 60 gms to go. And according to world. They are falling apart and will soon die of old age.
Lol. It’s almost like he’s suggesting different health and safety protocols should apply to him cause if he had COVID (and thankfully he didn’t) it would affect handlers, security et al differently compared to regular Covid that us regular folk can catch.
Hope the AC didn’t break in LeBron’s car on the ride back otherwise he couldn’t have gotten home!
Y’all the LBJ haters in here, you are just a bunch of pansies & queers… just go get another hobby & let the hoops for real men & women!
Lakers will always lose if their strategy was just to score more vs their opponents.