Of all of the reams of phrases publicly spilled at Lakers media day Monday, just one actually mattered.
When LeBron James was wrapping up his interview with the oldsters at Spectrum Sportsnet, host Chris McGee requested, “By the best way, see you at subsequent yr’s media day?”
James’ laughing reply set the template for a season.
“Possibly.”
So the Lakers ought to deal with the following eight months emptying their belongings and foregoing their future and enjoying with the desperation of a crew attempting to earn one final piece of knickknack for arguably the best participant ever?
Possibly.
So ought to the followers right here and across the league present up in droves and line up across the block for his or her final reside have a look at a dwelling legend?
Possibly.
Or, if all the things goes incorrect and issues get ugly, ought to the Lakers and James willingly half methods by a midseason buyout?
Possibly.
It doesn’t matter what occurs, the truth that James didn’t reveal his intentions in his first public look since final spring signifies that this Laker season has the prospect to be a murky possibly mess.
All people is aware of the place the Lakers stand, as Rob Pelinka mentioned final week. He needs James to complete his profession right here.
“We’d love if LeBron’s story could be he retire a Laker,” Pelinka mentioned. “That might be a constructive story.”
However nonetheless no one is aware of the place James stands, and it’s not apparent, as a result of, whereas he’s 40 and coming into his NBA-record twenty third season, he seems younger, and acts energetic, and Monday on the Lakers facility he was at his charming greatest.
“Simply excited in regards to the journey and no matter this yr has in retailer for me,” he mentioned.
He’s in all probability not saying as a result of he really doesn’t know. Subsequent spring is a lifetime away. He doesn’t know the way he’s going to really feel. He doesn’t know the way his basketball future may look.
However as a result of he’s not saying, this season may seemingly go one among 3 ways.
It may go the Kershaw Method. James may as soon as once more be one of many high gamers within the league however get worn down by the pressure on his physique and within the final weeks of the season he may name it quits. The Crypto.com crowd will get an opportunity to say goodbye and his Lakers teammates can use his retirement as inspiration for a deep postseason run.
Or, it may go the Kobe Method. James may resolve in the midst of the season that he’s had sufficient and embark on a league-wide farewell tour, the type that when introduced the robust Kobe Bryant to tears.
Or, given the group’s current sketchy historical past, it’s totally doable it may go the Typical Lakers Implosion Method.
LeBron James jokes with reporters as he arrives for interviews at Lakers media day on Monday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Occasions)
James may spend the yr making the Lakers dangle on that “possibly,” subtly combating towards the lack of his crew management to Luka Doncic, passively aggressively chiding Pelinka to enhance the roster on the commerce deadline, even sometimes threatening to give up on the spot.
As a result of it’s too robust to commerce him and the Lakers don’t wish to spend the bucks to purchase him out, they spend the remainder of the season dodging his barbs, then, merely let James’ contract expire and watch him flee to house Cleveland for his swan music.
Three situations, however solely two joyful endings, and to make issues much more difficult, a lot relies upon not on James, however on the roster round him.
Are the Lakers going to be any good? Are you prepared for it?
Possibly.
The Lakers solely performed 23 video games with each James and the lately acquired Doncic final season, and so they had been 15-8 and grabbed a 3rd seed and had been appearing like the very best crew within the NBA at one level earlier than they disintegrated towards Minnesota within the playoffs.
They added Deandre Ayton for size, Jake LaRavia for protection, Marcus Sensible for toughness, and a brand new physique for Doncic, a previously pudgy and breathless child who has acknowledged his very grownup transformation.
“I’m in a greater place for positive,” he mentioned Monday.
Is that adequate to guide a crew to a greater place within the aggressive West? Who is aware of?
Will it’s adequate to persuade James to ask for a brand new contract and stick round for one more yr? That doesn’t appear probably however then once more, The Oldest Residing Baller at the moment exists within the unlikely.
The one certainty is that James goes to make this choice on his personal time, in his personal voice, by his personal podcast or social media or heck, possibly one other 30-minute TV particular referred to as, “The Final Determination?”
How ever this performs out, he’s not saying something now, which was apparent when he answered the primary query at his media day information convention with dodgy utterances.
“I imply, I don’t know,” he mentioned. “I imply, I’m enthusiastic about at this time, I’m enthusiastic about a possibility to have the ability to play a recreation that I like for one more season. And regardless of the journey, nonetheless the journey lays out this yr, I’m simply tremendous invested, as a result of … I don’t know when the tip is, however I do know it’s quite a bit before later.”
He supplied his most telling trace that he’s leaning into retirement when he talked about appreciating his last excursions across the league.
“Realizing that the tip is quickly, not taking without any consideration, , a Tuesday night time in a metropolis that possibly I don’t wish to be in that night time … let’s lock in since you don’t know what number of occasions you get the chance to play the sport or to have the ability to compete,” he mentioned. “So there’s occasions the place you get up and also you simply really feel such as you simply don’t have it. So these would be the days the place I do know I can lock again in actual quick, like, OK, effectively, you received’t have many days like this, so let’s lock in and benefit from the second, get pleasure from the remainder of the journey.”
Bronny and LeBron James pose for photographs at Lakers media day as Rui Hachimura takes a selfie in entrance of them.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Occasions)
He was requested if, now that he’s performed with son Bronny, would he stick round to play together with his Arizona-freshman son Bryce? His reply was LeBron at his fatherly greatest.
“No, I’m not ready on Bryce,’ he mentioned. “No. I don’t know what his timeline is. He’s his personal younger man now, like he’s down in Tucson. We’ll see what occurs this yr, subsequent yr, , however he has his personal timeline. I received my timeline, and I don’t know in the event that they fairly match up.”
He was requested if his choice could be influenced by an opportunity to play with Doncic. His reply was LeBron at his jabbing greatest.
“Ah, nah. So far as how lengthy I’m going in my profession? Nah. Zero,” he mentioned. “The motivation to have the ability to play alongside him each night time, that’s tremendous motivating. That’s what I’m going to coach my physique for. Each night time I’m going on the market and attempt to be the very best participant I can for him, and we’re going to bounce that off each other. However so far as me weighing in on him and another teammates of how far I’m going in my profession, nah.”
It could be Luka Doncic’s crew, however it’s nonetheless LeBron James’ world, and he’s going to regulate his narrative right down to the final syllables of the final sentences of his last goodbye.
And that don’t imply possibly.
