LeBron James describes his summer of recovery following his ankle injury. He discredits any notion that he will be playing less or taking more games. (1:29).
EL SEGUNDO (Calif.) -- LeBron James doesn't believe that keeping track of his minutes will affect his health, as the Los Angeles Lakers prepare to begin their new season.
James stated Monday that he doesn't think about injuries when he plays the game. This was before L.A.'s regular season opener against the Golden State Warriors Tuesday. "I also feel worse when playing low minutes."
James, a 19-year-old veteran, has made it a nearly annual tradition to play in this game. He is now sixth on the all time minutes played list. James flatly rejects the idea that playing less can protect his body from possible harm.
Even though James played a career-low 33.4 minutes per match last season, he still sustained a severe ankle injury that forced him to miss 26 games. This prevented him from being eligible for the MVP ballot.
James was injured in the first round loss to the Phoenix Suns. He played six games on his right ankle. His average score of 23.3 points, 47.4% shooting, 8. assists, and 7.2 rebounds were below his postseason standards.
James, who turns 37 in December, stated that his injury continued well into the offseason.
He said, "It took some time." "It took a while to get back into basketball, which is unusual for me. My ankle was not responding the way I wanted it to.
"And the best part about summertime was that I had time. I had the time to prepare for my next step. Although I wasn't on the court as much, I was still training. Training, pushing, and seeing if there were other things I could do with my ankle until I felt no sharp pains and my flexibility returned to normal. This was when I realized I could get back to the floor.
Frank Vogel, Lakers coach, said that he would follow a scripted rotation to keep James on court for 34 to 36 minutes per match.
Vogel explained to me what James meant by feeling better the longer he plays.
Vogel stated that Vogel was right in saying that if he is sitting on the bench for too long, he can get cold and it makes it worse for him to go back on the court. He's been doing this type of rotation for so many years.
Vogel doesn't have a plan for managing James' work load as he embarks upon what he hopes to be the 11th trip in his remarkable career to the NBA Finals.
Vogel stated, "Obviously, it's likely that he doesn't want him to play 82 games." "But we are not going to pre-script the number of nights. "We'll take it as it comes throughout each year."
James is now free from the disappointment of last season's title defense, which was his only exit in the first round.
He said, "It's definitely an entirely clean slate." "And, honestly, last year was so fast-twitch for us coming off of the bubble. We were also unable to complete the projects we had in mind due to injuries. It's a great chance for us to just wash our hands, have a clean slate and get ready to build again.
With a goal to win his fifth ring, he built with the hope of securing it. This would be the first for Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Tony as Lakers and the record-setting 18th for them. It also broke a tie for most league history with the Boston Celtics.
James stated, "Just motivated to win a championship." That's why I love the game. It's one the most intense, yet shortest feelings you can experience. It's like everything you did that year to win the championship just suddenly hits you. It's literally like it's over.
"And you're trying to figure how to get that moment back. Seriously. This is part of motivation. Just keep trying to get that feeling.
