Lakers player thinks LeBron would sit out a month if season starts in December
By John Buhler
Danny Green could see LeBron James sitting out the first month of the 2020-21 NBA season
Could LeBron James sit out the start of the next NBA season? Danny Green sure thinks he could.
Green appeared on The Ringer NBA Show Monday and opened this possibility up for discussion. James turns 36-years-old in late December and the Los Angeles Lakers just won an NBA Finals. If the Lakers want any chance of repeating in 2020-21, they may need to lean on Anthony Davis and the rest of the championship cast right out the gate while James gets ready for the spring.
Lakers guard Danny Green on the proposed Dec. 22 start to next season:
— Logan Murdock (@loganmmurdock) October 26, 2020
"If we start in December, I think most guys [are like] 'I'm not going to be there... to have that quick of a restart, I wouldn't expect [LeBron] to be there for the 1st month of the season." pic.twitter.com/NYqNxzNEmZ
LeBron James has earned the right to take the first month of the season off
As much as the NBA would love to see its best player play in the first month of the upcoming season, commissioner Adam Silver knows it’s all about having James healthy in the summer. The 2019-20 NBA season ended months after it should have in the Orlando bubble. All teams which went to Central Florida will have to adjust, but James has earned the benefit of the doubt.
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Until stars Zion Williamson or Luka Doncic are ready, James is the driving force of ratings in the NBA. Even though the ratings plummeted in Orlando, we should anticipate a return to something close to normal next summer when James is trying his best to get the Lakers back to the NBA Finals. Besides, Kawhi Leonard has set the precedent for sitting out games to win championships.
If James plans to sit out until February with a late December start, the NBA must plan accordingly.