The NBA All-Star break is over, some would say mercifully. The revamped weekend was met with mixed reviews at best, as fans lamented the lack of star power in the dunk contest and both the continued lack of effort in the All-Star Game itself and the long breaks in between play.
Thankfully, it's all over now, and the Los Angeles Lakers will have the rare opportunity to welcome our regularly scheduled programming back with a game against the Hornets tonight. Actually, that's not quite right, because this game is only taking place now because it was rescheduled due to the California wildfires. Still, it's a good opportunity for the Lakers to come out strong in the second half with a rare standalone game.
For Lakers fans that use the All-Star break as a time to tune the league out for a few days, there's quite a bit of catching up to do. Today in our news and rumors round-up we'll be looking at LeBron James and Luka Doncic, while also revisiting the Mark Williams trade that fell through at the trade deadline. Let's get into it.
People aren't happy about LeBron James' All-Star no-show
Every year when the All-Star selections are announced, the conversation inevitably veers from who made it to the unfortunate snubs who didn't. This year was no different, as players such as Norm Powell, Domantas Sabonis, LaMelo Ball and Devin Booker were all left on the outside looking in when the teams were made.
Being left off the initial roster isn't necessarily the end of one's All-Star candidacy, as Trae Young proved by being named to the team to replace an injured Giannis Antetokounmpo. Nobody begrudged Antetokounmpo taking the weekend off to nurse his calf injury, a setback that already cost him the last six games before the break.
LeBron James has been dealing with foot and ankle discomfort all season. He's 40, so let's face it — as you age, things tend to hurt. The ageless wonder has still played 48 out of a possible 52 games though, so it's not like he has been seriously hampered by it.
About 90 minutes before the All-Star Game was set to tip, James announced that he'd be sitting out, a decision that has really rankled fans. For one thing, he's still the league's main attraction in his 22nd year and everybody loves to watch him play. For another, his choosing to sit out so close to the game itself kept the NBA from naming someone like Powell or Sabonis to replace him.
There have been a lot of angry segments on TV and podcasts in response to James' decision, but as someone that has been so image-conscious throughout his entire career, we're going to give him the benefit of the doubt here and believe that his ankle and foot just didn't feel good enough that close to tip-off. It won't quell the anger that some observers feel about the situation, but hopefully James can play well enough in the second half so that people forget about it.
Prepare for the full Luka Doncic experience
Luka Doncic has only played in two games for the Lakers since being traded from the Mavericks. The Slovenian superstar was nursing a calf injury that had kept him out since Christmas, but he returned for the Lakers' home-and-home with the Utah Jazz last week, looking a bit rusty but happy to be there.
Calf injuries are notoriously difficult to fully shake, and it was clear that head coach JJ Redick was purposely limiting Doncic's minutes in his first two games in purple and gold. Doncic played an average of 23.5 minutes in those games, well below his season average of more than 35.
Redick now says that Doncic is ready to resume his normal workload, a prospect that should excite Lakers fans that are eager to see him unleashed.
"That extra five, six days of All-Star break was good for him," Redick said, h/t Reuters. "His minutes will be up [Wednesday], and I don't think that there's going to be any sort of restrictions going forward."
The Lakers will need Doncic to be at full strength, as they have a difficult slate coming up. After tonight's game against the Hornets, L.A. will travel to Portland to face a resurgent Blazers team that recently won 10 of 11. After that is a trip to Denver to take on the red-hot Nuggets, the only team that was playing better than the Lakers in the two weeks leading up to the All-Star break.
Then comes the biggie, and a date that Doncic certainly has circled on his calendar — his first game against his old team on Tuesday, February 25th when the Mavericks come to town. It only gets more difficult from there, as five of the next six are against the Wolves, Clippers, Knicks and Celtics. Doncic and his Lakers teammates need to learn to play with one another, and this will be a baptism by fire.
Mark Williams revenge game incoming for Lakers
Lakers fans are anxious for the team to get back in action tonight against the Hornets, but others around the league will be interested in the game for a different reason after Mark Williams told The Charlotte Observer that the thought that he could fail his physical with the Lakers "didn't even cross my mind."
Williams and the Hornets don't understand what it was the Lakers saw in his physical that caused the trade to be rescinded, which resulted in the awkwardness of players like Dalton Knecht returning to the team that just tried to trade them. According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, Charlotte is treating tonight as a "Mark Williams revenge game," so expect the young big man to get all the post touches he can handle against the Lakers' thin front line.
Williams has an extensive injury history, but he'd been playing exceptionally well in big minutes for over a month, which undoubtedly had a lot to do with the Lakers trying to trade for him. Why it fell through? The Lakers were scared off by his physical exam.
The Lakers moved on, and now, they'll see what they are missing in Williams in their first game back fro the All-Star break.