The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly putting superstar LeBron James on a minutes restriction for the remainder of the season.
The report comes from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, who notes that the Lakers are also unlikely to play James on back-to-backs.
This is, essentially, an admission by the Lakers that they won’t be making the playoffs this season. Los Angeles is 30-35, and six-and-a-half games outside of the playoffs, with only 17 contests remaining.
It means that James and his new team are officially saying goodbye to the chances of the 15-time All-Star meeting the Golden State Warriors in the postseason for the fifth consecutive season.