LeBr
on James is back everyone. Okay, so he’s been back for almost a week now, but I mean he’s really back. He helped lead the Cavs to an impressive win on the road over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night that could be a telling sign for their future.
Cleveland had lost six in a row before their win over the Lakers on Thursday night in their first of a back-to-back in LA, and were 1-8 without the King.
But his return has been glorious for Cleveland, leading them to a 2-1 record to end their tough West Coast road trip. Both of those wins came in the Staples Center when they beat the Lakers and Clippers to give them a two-game win streak on their way back home for a four-game home stand.
Not only was the win over the Clippers highlighted by James, but it also became an important part of basketball history for the Akron native.
LeBron finished the game with 32 points and 11 rebounds, marking the third straight game in which he’s scored 30 or more points (33 vs. PHX, 36 vs. LAL, 32 vs. LAC). However, his 31st point on Friday night was what made the night special for James and the NBA.
It made LeBron James the youngest player ever to record 24,000 points in his career at 30 years and 17 days.
Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal gave a little more detail on the matter:
LeBron James (30 years, 17 days) becomes youngest player in NBA history to reach 24,000 points. He passed Kobe Bryant (31 years, 75 days).
— Jason Lloyd (@JasonLloydABJ) January 17, 2015
James beat Bryant to the mark by more than a year’s time, an incredible accomplishment considering Kobe is now third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
The biggest question that comes to mind here is where do we think LeBron will finish on that scoring list? Currently, the King sits at 23rd all-time with 24,002 points, just a few hundred points behind Allen Iverson for 22nd.
Can he reach 30,000 points? And if so, when do you think that could happen? Only time will tell.
However, if LeBron continues to play at the pace he has since he returned last week against the Phoenix Suns, he’ll definitely reach that mark. In the three games since he’s been back, he’s averaging 33.7 points per game on 52.3% from the field.
KOBE TO RETIRE AFTER SEASON?
The last couple of years have been pretty rough for Kobe Bryant. The Los Angeles Lakers are more of a laughingstock than playoff contenders, he’s gone through two pretty serious injuries to his knee and Achilles, and he’s nearing the age of 37, which he’ll hit before the start of next season if he continues to play.
Head coach Byron Scott has him on a minutes restriction at this point in the season, since Bryant has been forced to
miss multiple games due to the need to rest.
That number has reached seven games on the season, all coming within the last 14 games the Lakers have played. So, Kobe’s missing 50% of the Lakers’ games, the most recent one coming on Friday when he missed a matchup with the Utah Jazz.
Is Kobe really considering retiring after this year, even with another year left on his current two-year extension that he signed back in 2013?
Bill Plaschke at the LA Times has more on the Black Mamba and his future:
When asked whether he has considered retiring at the end of this season, one year before the end of his Lakers contract, he nods his head in agreement.
“I’d be lying if I said that it hasn’t crossed my mind,” he tells The Times. “Right now I doubt it … but anything’s possible.”
He emphasizes the right now (because, right now, the reality is so muddled and difficult that even the Black Mamba is having trouble wrapping his mind around it.
“My body is hurting like crazy, around the clock, and if I don’t want to do this anymore, I won’t do it,” he says.
[…]
Bryant makes it clear that, even though retirement would cost him the highest 2015-16 salary, $25 million, he’s willing to walk away from the money.
“I don’t care about the money,” he says. “If I don’t feel like doing it, I won’t do it.”
It will be a sad day when the game loses Kobe to retirement. Hopefully for everyone, that won’t be for another year or so.
Only Kobe Bryant knows the answer to that question.
JOEL EMBIID CLOSE TO 300 POUNDS
When the
Philadelphia 76ers took Joel Embiid in the 2014 NBA Draft last summer, they did so at their own risk. He was already diagnosed with a fractured foot and would reportedly miss the entire 2014-15 season.
But, they did so because they believed he was the best talent in the draft. Even ahead of Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, the latter of which now joins Embiid on the sidelines for the rest of the year.
He was going to be, and still is, the centerpiece for which they will build their franchise around. Or can they?
Zach Harper of CBSSports.com reported on Sunday that Embiid was getting a little bit on the heavy side. I’m talking close to 300 pounds heavy people.
He entered the draft at about 245 pounds last summer, but is exceeding that number by a large amount after reportedly missing/skipping condition and strength training sessions.
Here’s more from Harper on the University of Kansas product:
According to Keith Pompey of Philly.com, this rehab isn’t going that well in terms of Embiid’s weight. Embiid weighed about 245 pounds as a draft prospect and is reportedly pushing 300 pounds at the moment after some conditioning issues. He’s supposedly had a blowup with assistant strength and conditioning coach James Davis and missed some conditioning drills in his road to recovery.
Embiid has a weight issue. Although the Sixers wouldn’t disclose his weight, a source said he’s close to 300 pounds after being 250 pounds at Kansas last season.
His work ethic is being questioned by some inside the organization.
The Sixers are trying to address the added weight. Embiid, however, hasn’t always been a willing workout participant, according to sources. He’s even blown off conditioning drills, one source added.
An altercation with Davis during the West Coast trip, coupled with Brown’s wanting him to be in “more of a structured, stable environment,” pushed the Sixers to send him home, the sources said.
For an NBA center with foot problems already, gaining weight isn’t exactly the way to get healthy and make things better. Especially for Embiid, who has faced questions regarding his durability before even playing a game in the NBA.
It’s a problem, yes, but not one big enough to make them cut ties or anything that crazy. It’s a sign of immaturity more than anything it seems.
To get back on track, he’ll have to focus and make good with the 76ers coaching and training staff and prove to them he’s willing to put the work in so that he’s healthy enough to play next season. It’s not a great start for the rookie or Philly, but it’s definitely something that can be overcome.
KENDALL MARSHALL OUT WITH ACL TEAR
Kendall Marshall of the Milwaukee Bucks will miss the remainder of the season after he suffered a torn ACL during Thursday’s NBA Global Games when they took on the New York Knicks in London.
Marshall averaged 4.2 points and 3.1 assists in nearly 15 minutes per game for the surprising 21-19 Bucks. It will be another loss for Jason Kidd’s squad after they had already lost promising rookie Jabari Parker to the same injury back in December. The Bucks are currently the No.5 seed in the Eastern Conference.
NBA TO DEBUT ‘BARRIER BREAKERS’ FOR MLK DAY
As you know, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is tomorrow, Monday January 19th. In celebration of the national holiday, the NBA will debut an inspiring video during their television spot called “Barrier Breakers”.
Check it out in the video below:
The video features players who have broken barriers in the sport, including Chuck Cooper, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Jason Collins, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki and Yao Ming, to name a few.
The NBA’s schedule is pack full for MLK Day, featuring 12 games throughout the day, four of which can be seen on national television. It starts tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. EST on ESPN when the Detroit Pistons visit the streaking Atlanta Hawks.
Stats via NBA.com.
Even Steve Nash went on for the money, but ended up using injury as an excuse to stop playing but keep the money.
Would Carmelo pass up on the money? Didn’t Kobe recently go through a divorce?
Of course Kobe is going to want to collect his $25 million, even if he can’t finish next season standing up.